Richmond voters approve $12.7 million budget package, tax rate may rise less than $1

Richmond households will face a smaller tax jump than many feared after voters approved the town’s $3.6 million municipal budget and $9.1 million school budget Tuesday night, a package expected to push the tax rate up by less than $1 per $1,000 of assessed value.

About 60 voters gathered at Richmond High School and worked through all 57 warrant articles in roughly 1 1/2 hours, backing the full spending plan that town officials said would move the current rate from $11.20 to less than $12 per $1,000 if every proposal passed. The vote gave Richmond one of the clearest recent pictures in Sagadahoc County of how a small town is balancing school costs, roads, and public services while trying to keep the household tax bill from rising too fast.

The budget package also reflected the effects of Richmond’s 2025 revaluation, which increased many residential values while lowering some commercial and corporate assessments. For the first time in the budget process, the town’s two tax increment finance districts were named as funding sources, with an estimated $450,000 set aside for road construction and another $400,000 tied to economic development, downtown revitalization and eligible infrastructure work.

Much of the discussion centered on services residents can see and use. Gerard Roy questioned the $69,376 solid-waste budget and said the transfer station does not serve everyone because many households use private trash haulers. Wilfred Berdan, who serves on the Budget Committee and manages the station, said about 700 to 800 residents use it in a typical year. Steve Woodcock defended the facility as one of the few town benefits he relies on. The transfer station is open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., sells stickers for Richmond residents for $10 and Dresden residents for $25, and accepts single-stream recycling, bulky waste, tires and refrigerators. Richmond does not offer residential trash pickup, so households must arrange curbside service with private haulers licensed in town.

The administration budget also drew scrutiny. Alice Knapp criticized the roughly $110,000 salary for Town Manager Jim Chandler, saying it was too high for someone who has been in the job about eight months. Chandler said he is getting about a 5% raise on top of a 3.5% cost-of-living increase for employees. A town profile says Chandler has worked in Virginia, Maryland, Wyoming and Maine, including Dexter, Hampden and Caribou, and his March budget message said he had been working closely with Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Chad Kempton on planning, facilities, IT, recreation and education programming.