Our Voice : Citizens For a Better Lebanon Maine

The Budget Committee met to review the Recreation Budget and also had a visit by the School Superintendent Paul Andrade, and School Board member Joanne Potter to discuss the upcoming Budget for the schools. 

Meeting Highlights:

Recreation Department:

• The recreation budget was reviewed (I arrived late so i don’t have all the detail )
• The recreation department purchases about 150 discounted movie passes that are available annually. The passes save about .50 a ticket.
• The Recreation Department has many activities and services but most residents are unaware. The schedules and services should be posted better.
• A certain portion of the funds used by the Department are matched by the others.

Schools:

• The schools have done an good  job of cutting by managing the continued downsizing of services and people in a way to impact the children the least.
• The anticipated effect to Lebanon at this time is an increased cost of about $90,000 over last year. This increase is really more caused by how the “share” is calculated between the three towns. this calculation is explained in detail during the meeting.
• The early budget forecast was for a much more significant increase, but this was able to be curbed.
• One of the creative measures being used at the school was using some bus drivers also as also custodians. they used similar approaches in other areas to maximize use of people.
• A survey was conducted online and the trends captured were reviewed, such as where people preferred cuts be made, and potential changes to the school year and it’s schedule.
• Mr Andrade stepped through his budget and fielded questions from the Budget Committee. Joanne Potter, our school board representative, was also in attendance and provided insight on the process.
• Mr Andrade explained the potential plan to add a public library addition to the Hanson School. This would provide residents with a year-round library and construction could be funded by grants and the trust monies set aside by the town. The library would have it’s own entrance so the public would not enter the school.
• Having a Library open year round would allow Lebanon to participate in grants and programs that have been unavailable to us in the past.
• I placed a scanned copy of the handouts provided here in PDF. The Library Blueprint and the Town Sharing ratio worksheet are near the very end of the document.
• Of course there was more…..

The video below picks up the meeting in process at the start of the School discussion.

The Lebanon online video archive is available Here.