Biddeford Maine Biddeford News – BIDDEFORD GAZETTE

By RANDY SEAVER | Editor

School Supt. Jeremy Ray is expected to make his annual presentation of the proposed school budget before the Biddeford City Council this evening, March 17.

The city council is already wrestling with a proposed municipal budget that was presented last week by municipal department heads. That early proposal – subject to rigorous public review and likely cuts — reflects an increase of more than 11 percent over last year’s budget.

**JEREMY RAY** | *Biddeford School Superintendent (LinkedIn photo)*

It is important to note that both the municipal and school budgets will likely be trimmed as the annual budget process begins in earnest later this month, including public hearings.

It is also important to note that the proposed city budget – even in its early and preliminary stage (which is likely to change significantly) — represents an increase over last year’s approved budget, not the actual spending that has been impacted this year by staff shortages and increased employee overtime costs.

Biddeford Schools | Challenges & Opportunities

According to documents already available for public inspection, Ray will be giving councilors a detailed preview and assessment of the school department’s needs over the next fiscal year.

Ray’s planned presentation will include discussion of various “cost drivers” impacting the school department’s FY 2027 budget. Those increasing costs include salaries, increasing health insurance costs and the need for new positions.

Ray is also expected to detail the impacts of the state’s current school funding formula and review proposed legislation that would benefit communities such as Biddeford, where rising property value assessments trigger a requirement for a larger local share of public education costs.

Tonight’s Biddeford City Council meeting begins at 6 p.m. and can be viewed remotely online, or via the city public access cable television station.

Ray’s slideshow presentation is included below as a PDF file.

FY27 Budget Presentation Biddeford Download

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Former Biddeford Mayor Alan Casavant — now the vice president of the non-profit Biddeford Cultural and Heritage Center — appeared before the Biddeford City Council Thursday to present his organization’s annual funding request.

Before the meeting started, Casavant was seated next to me in the back row of the council chamber. We made some small talk as we were waiting for the meeting to begin.

We both agreed that this is going to be a brutal year for budget making in Biddeford. We both agreed that we were glad that neither of us were sitting on the other side of the council dais.

We both listened as presenter after presenter approached the podium to make their various pitches for some municipal funding. Representatives from McArthur Library, the Heart of Biddeford, the Biddeford Mills Museum, Seeds of Hope, Biddeford Community Gardens, La Kermesse and so many others each waited for their turn to explain why they should receive some modest funding from the city.

*Casavant (left) and I chatting during his 2011 mayoral campaign*

This part of the annual budget process is called the “social services” portion of the budget. These are organizations that are not part of city government or operations. These are all non-profits struggling to keep pace with inflation in an uncertain economy.

” “I also believe it is important — critical — that city government
try to find ways to bring people together . . .
to chat, to laugh and to find commonality.
— Alan Casavant

It’s easy to say we cannot afford these things, but ask yourself: can we afford to lose these things?

Laura and I are feeling the same economic pinch as many other families are feeling all across the country. We are in the process of trimming some fat from our own household budget. We really don’t have much of a choice in the matter, but there are some things that may look like fluff but are actually essential to our quality of life.

When it was his turn to speak, Casavant approached the podium with a certain amount of gravitas. He is the second-longest serving mayor in Biddeford’s history, first elected in 2011 and then re-elected five more times before stepping down last year,

Casavant reviewed details of his organization’s request, but it was his summary that caught me off guard and left me wondering if maybe I should reconsider some of my own thoughts about this year’s city budget.

“I realize you are facing a very difficult budget year,” Casavant said. “”But I also believe it is important — critical — that city government try to find ways to bring people together . . . to chat, to laugh and to find commonality.

“They’re not gonna find that from social media. They’re not gonna find that from their cellphones.

“People need things like festivals, musical events, historic awareness and social interaction to bring everyone together; to build community, which is also the responsibility of this council,” Casavant added.

The room erupted with vigorous applause, and I saw a glimpse that made me think: Biddeford is much more than a city. It is a community. So the question becomes, what is the value of community?

I honestly don’t know, but it’s something worth thinking about.

Disclosure: I served as Casavant’s campaign manager in 2011 and 2013.

Randy Seaver is the editor of the Biddeford Gazette. He can be reached at randy@randyseaver.com

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