CHEBEAGUE ISLAND — Next year’s municipal budget could drop about $35,000, down to $1.93 million, Town Administrator Eric Dyer said on Tuesday.

The school side of the draft fiscal 2013 budget could have a small increase, although undesignated funds carried over from the current fiscal year would produce a net budget decrease.

Town Meeting will vote on the complete fiscal 2013 spending plan on June 9.

Chebeague’s tax rate of $19.95 per $1,000 of property valuation could remain flat next year, Dyer said. It was $19.80 in fiscal 2011, and in the town’s first fiscal year after its secession from Cumberland, 2008, the rate was $20.49.

The fiscal 2012 school budget of nearly $886,000 could see a gross increase of 3.6 percent, to nearly $919,000. But Superintendent of Schools Alton Hadley said Tuesday that he plans to carry forward more money from the undesignated fund balance than was used in fiscal 2012 – nearly $118,000 instead of $74,500 – to offset the increase.

Nearly $139,000 is coming from the state – about $8,400 less than the town received for fiscal 2012 – bringing the the net school budget for fiscal 2013 to about $662,000, a 0.4 percent decrease.

Last year, Chebeague authorized the gradual transition of its elementary school students to Yarmouth schools, rather than sending them to School Administrative District 51 (Cumberland-North Yarmouth).

Hadley said the gross budget increase reflects the added tuition costs of sending more Chebeague students to Yarmouth.

Alex Lear can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 113 or alear@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @learics.

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