By AMY CALDER Morning Sentinel City WATERVILLE councilors debated at length Tuesday about a proposed $62 million budget for munic- ipal, school and county oper- ations for 2024-25, with some saying it is a reasonable plan and others suggesting fur- ther cuts be made to reduce the tax rate or keep it flat. Four people spoke during a 15-minute public hearing on the proposal, and councilors later spent a good amount of time discussing the budget. City Manager Bryan Kaenrath gave a quick up- date, saying the city received two pieces of good budget news this week: The coun- ty increase went down from to and the city is to get an additional $452,000 in state revenue. That, he said, would bring the overall increase in the local budget to a 2.51% increase, which would mean a 50-cent in- crease in the property tax rate. With the current proposal, the property tax rate or mill rate of $19.90 per $1,000 in assessed valuation would increase to $20.40.
feel pretty confident this is a fairly good budget at this point, as far as expens- Kaenrath said. Four people spoke during a 15-minute public hearing on the budget proposal. By KEITH EDWARDS Kennebec Journal AUGUSTA Augusta taxpayers are likely to see an approximately 3.9% in- crease in their property tax bills, based upon the proposed budget totaling nearly $87 million that city officials are wrapping up now. New positions in the bud- get include hiring a deputy director for Lithgow Li- brary, in part to help over- see the library which has seen a growing number of people who are home- less spending time there during the day. But city councilors opt- ed to cut a proposed new deputy fire chief position that was part of the budget submitted by former City Manager Susan Robertson in April, and would have been partially funded by grant funds initially.
When Robertson, who is currently serving as interim deputy city man- ager, submitted her initial budget proposal it was ex- pected to result in a 0.8% property tax decrease. However since then the budget has changed and, according to Ward 3 Coun- cilor Michael Michaud, some miscalculations in that initial budget have been fixed. Together the changes are now expected to result in a property tax increase of around 3.9%, based on discussions city councilors had at budget session. That would mean a property tax bill increase of around $120 for the own- er of the average $131,700 home in Augusta. Councilors are expected to vote on the total bud- get at their May 16 busi- ness meeting, which will include an opportunity for public input.
The Augusta portion of the bud- get would go to voters for a validation referendum June 11. Police: 30 pounds of fentanyl Augusta budget would hike taxes 3.9% for next year Heloise Horoscope D4 Obituaries B4 Opinion A3 Sports C1-4 TV Crossword D2 Business D5 Classified D1, 3 Comics Puzzles D4 Community B5 Entertainment D2 INDEX Morning Sentinel smartphone desktop laptop tablet READ THE ePAPER A digital replica of the newspaper is available at CentralMaine.com SIGN UP NOW! Volume 121, Number 112 Maine Trust for Local News Young softball coaches in central Maine bring enthusiasm to program C1 VASSALBORO Few showers WEATHER, D6 Waterville Elks Riders to host Spring Blessing of the Bikes on Saturday B1 Thursday, May 9, 2024 Founded in 1904 Copyright 2024 $2.50 Morning Sentinel CentralMaine.com An edition of Central Maine Sunday Address: 31 Front Waterville, ME 04901 Phone: 207-877-7778 Dems face challenge to budget maneuver Winslow student crowned American Honey Princess Waterville council debates proposed $62M budget Rich Sentinel Lainey Bell of Winslow has been crowned the 2024 American Honey Princess by the American Beekeeping Federation. Bell, 18, is seen Wednesday at Honey in Albion, where she works, and where she discovered her deep love of beekeeping. As the first Honey Princess from Maine, now look to spread that love to the rest of the country as an ambassador for the industry. I think that there are ways that we can deliver a really good budget and a good service to the people of Waterville and keep the tax increase REBECCA GREEN Council Chairwoman, D-Ward 4 New positions in the budget include hiring a deputy director for Lithgow Library, in part to help oversee the library which has seen a growing number of people who are homeless spending time there during the day.
Morning Sentinel Staff Report WINSLOW Police are investigating after two packages misdelivered were found to contain nearly 30 pounds of pills believed to be fentanyl with a street value of up to $2 million. In a news release issued Wednesday, Winslow po- lice said the department received a complaint that a resident had been deliv- ered an unexpected pack- age from California on Friday; the resident had not ordered anything nor was any delivery expect- ed. When the package was opened, it contained mul- tiple bags of pills. They tested presumptively pos- itive for fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid, police said. A second package with more pills was delivered Saturday.
pills worth about $2M sent to Winslow house by mistake Following four hours of discussions, officials reached agreement on a nearly $87M budget. Please see AUGUSTA, Page A4 Please see PILLS, Page A4 WHAT DOES LAWSUIT SAY? The lawsuit, originally filed in Kennebec County Superi- or Court, argues that Mills acted unconstitutionally in calling a special session when there was no as is required in the state constitution. By DYLAN TUSINSKI Morning Sentinel WINSLOW For a young female beekeeper, there are few achievements as sweet as being named the Ameri- can Honey Princess. The American Beekeeping Federation selects two young women each year to serve as its Honey Queen and Prin- cess. They act as ambassa- dors for beekeeping by visit- ing rodeos, fairs, legislative sessions and other events to educate the public about the importance of honeybees and advocate on behalf of the bee- spread her love for honey, keeping industry.
Lainey Bell, an 18-year- beekeeping with the title. old student from Winslow, received her crown earlier this year after a nationwide search. A beekeeper and hon- ey packager at Honey in Albion for more than three years, she is also the first Honey Princess from Maine. Her selection is important, she said, as New England has not historically had a strong beekeeping community. Of roughly 200,000 beekeepers, less than are in Maine.
Through her new- found royalty, she aims to change that. Lainey Bell is seeking to Please see PRINCESS, Page A4 By RACHEL OHM Portland Press Herald An attorney representing two Republican state lawmakers argued before the highest court Wednesday that Democratic leaders violated the state constitution last spring when Gov. Janet Mills called a special session as part of a procedural maneuver to pass a state budget without any Republican support. Mills called the special session so law- makers could finish their work after they adjourned early to ensure that a party-line state budget could take effect in time for the new fiscal year. The moves prompted outrage from Republicans and resulted in the lawsuit now before the high court.
But an assistant attorney general pushed back against the lawsuit, arguing that the gov- ernor has power to unilaterally call a special session under extraordinary circ*mstances and that she acted within her authority. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court heard the case Wednesday afternoon in the Cum- berland County Courthouse. The court heard oral arguments for about 30 minutes and will issue a written decision at a later date. The lawsuit was filed last year by Augusta resident William Clardy and his organiza- tion Respect Maine, along with Republican Reps. Shelley Rudnicki of Fairfield and Ran- dall Greenwood of Wales.
It names Mills and Democratic leaders in the House and Senate as defendants. The dispute dates back to the end of last legislative session, when Democrats passed a state budget in a party-line vote, then temporarily adjourned the session so the spending plan could take effect in time for the start of the next fiscal year on July 1. A budget passed with two-third support can take effect immediately, but one passed with less than two-thirds support takes effect after 90 days. A group argued that leaders violated the state constitution by passing a party-line budget and then calling a special session to finish other work. Please see LAWSUIT, Page A4 Please see BUDGET, Page A4.
