NORTH YARMOUTH — Next year’s municipal budget, still being reviewed by the Board of Selectmen and Budget Committee, could increase 5.2 percent.

The Board of Selectmen’s preliminary spending plan for fiscal 2013 is $2.75 million, up about $135,000 from the current $2.6 million budget approved at Town Meeting last June.

It includes about $500,000 the Board of Selectmen wants to spend, and possibly borrow, for reconstruction of Mill Road. Voters rejected a proposal last June to borrow $900,000 for the resurfacing and partial reconstruction of the road.

The project involves reclaiming and repaving of sections of the road; the reclaiming aspect, which includes recycling and strengthening existing pavement, rather than reconstruction, accounts for the decrease from last year’s proposal.

Dirt Road to Route 231 is to be reclaimed and repaved, while Dirt Road to Route 115 will just be repaved, Administrative Assistant Marnie Diffin said last week.

The town also wants to spend $170,000 from capital reserves to purchase a Public Works truck.

The Fire-Rescue budget could increase from about $253,000 in the current fiscal year to about $276,000 in fiscal 2013. More money would be budgeted toward the public safety assistant position, created last year when voters approved an official Fire Department for North Yarmouth.

The extra funds would go toward funding Public Safety Assistant Ricky Plummer’s increase from 20 to 30 hours a week. The added money would also go toward recruiting and retaining new firefighters/emergency medical technicians, Diffin said.

The Board of Selectmen must vote on the budget by April 18. It will then go before North Yarmouth voters at Town Meeting on June 16.

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

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