Brunswick’s town manager proposed a $44.52 million municipal budget Monday night, estimated to raise taxes by nearly 4% if passed as is.
The early version of the overall budget totals $104.7 million, with a 4.4% tax hike. It includes increases in county and town spending but assumes no change in the school department budget, as the school board has yet to present its budget to the Town Council.
Here’s what you need to know about the spending proposal.
Town spending is only part of the equation
The final budget will combine municipal, county and school expenses. The expected impact of municipal services on the tax rate is about 3.94%, representing $44.52 million in spending, while the county budget is expected to raise taxes about 0.45%.
Monday’s draft budget also includes no change in the property valuation until the town assessor calculates the impact that new growth will have on the tax rate, Town Manager Julia Henze said Monday night.
While not yet included as a part of the town budget, the school department’s initial budget would raise taxes by an additional 5% as currently planned. Education expenses are typically the largest contributor to the final budget.
Municipal expenses are up by $2.5 million, or 5.8%
Henze recommended $44.53 million in municipal spending, up by 5.8% compared to the current fiscal year.
The largest cost drivers are wages and benefits for municipal employees, including a 12% increase in heath insurance costs, Henze said . Contractual costs — such as software licensing and contracts with organizations like the Brunswick Downtown Association — have also added more than $400,000 to the budget.
Public safety represents the highest-cost municipal department, followed by general government services and public works.
The draft budget accounts for nine additional town employees, including four firefighters planned to start in the second half of the year. In making his department’s budget recommendations on Monday, Fire Chief Ken Brillant said low staffing has been a significant challenge for the fire department.
Municipal revenue has decreased
Municipal non-property tax revenue is down by more than $20,000, or 11%, from last year’s budget.
This is due in part to a roughly $360,000 decrease in state revenue sharing and a decrease in available balances in town funds. The town manager plans to use several funding sources, including excise taxes, ambulance fees and building permit fees to offset the loss of revenue.
“This has been a very different year than the past two years, revenue-wise,” Henze said.
Councilors wary about tax impact
Some town councilors Monday encouraged more cuts as the budget process moves into its next stages.
District 7 Councilor Steve Weems said he was “dismayed and demoralized” by the early numbers for both municipal and school spending, saying the impact will be too extreme on residential taxpayers.
Weems, along with District 2 Councilor James Ecker, said he would support raising taxes by under 4% for county, town and school budgets combined. If kept as is, the current draft budgets from the three bodies would total to a roughly 9.4% tax hike.
More workshops are upcoming
Throughout the next several weeks, town departments will present their budget requests to the Town Council. The school department will present recommendations for its portion of the budget to the council on April 13.
There will be a public hearing on the proposed 2026-2027 budget and capital improvement program on April 23.
The council is slated to vote on the budget on May 11. School department spending will ultimately have to be approved by voters in June.
The town manager’s proposed budget is available on the town website. More information on the process and meeting dates are available on Brunswick’s annual budget page.