FARMINGDALE -- Taxpayers are facing a projected tax increase of about 7 percent if they approve all articles on the town meeting warrant Saturday.

Eugene Proulx, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said the budget would increase $116,112, to a total of $999,303, if voters make no changes to the spending proposed in the board's plan. He said the total spending figure includes money from the town's surplus accounts.

"It looks like a minimum one mil increase (or $1 per $1,000 worth of taxable property), although at this point I'd say 11/4 mil ($1.25 per $1,000 worth of taxable property) to be safe," Proulx said. "And that's just for the town. We have no idea what we'll get from the school."

The town's current tax rate is $17.75 per $1,000 worth of taxable property. The increase Proulx projected would bring it to $19 per $1,000 worth of property, although he cautioned that figure could change if voters make spending changes at the town meeting.

The meeting is to begin Saturday at 1 p.m. at Hall-Dale High School. Municipal elections are Friday from noon to 7 p.m. at Hall-Dale Middle School gym.

Voters will be faced with a series of articles to guide selectmen in dealing with the former Sheldon Street School property, and proposals to purchase property for a new Maine Avenue fire station and possible Town Office.

Proulx said residents will be asked if they prefer to attempt to sell the Sheldon Street School building and if they wish to retain some of the 61/2-acre property for park or other use.

If they decide not to sell the property, selectmen want to know if funds should be raised to demolish part or all of the building, and whether they should develop a land-use plan.

Selectmen also have asked for $2,000 for continued maintenance of the property, down from $3,500 last year.

"That's going to be a hard one," Proulx said. "If they vote to keep the property, how much do they want us to keep? We have to have some direction what to do with it."

In addition, Proulx said, selectmen are asking if voters want them to move ahead to appoint a committee to identify land available for a new fire station -- or combination fire station and Town Office --along the Maine Avenue corridor between Bowman and Maple streets.

Selectmen also have asked for authority to deposit proceeds from the sale of any town-owned property into the capital improvement account; to spend $5,000 to place options on possible land purchases; and to spend $5,000 to conduct as many as two real estate appraisals.

Finally, the board asks that voters continue the practice of putting $20,000 a year in the capital improvement account, which currently holds about $137,000.

Town officials have asked voters to identify the source of as much as $100,000 to build a new Litchfield Road fire station approved by voters last year. Proulx said the existing station is too small to house modern fire trucks.

"It was approved last year, up to $100,000, but there was no direction where (the money) would come from," he said. Selectmen suggest half the money come from the capital improvement account and half be borrowed.

Other town meeting highlights include:

n Selectmen's request for $15,000 for library services in Gardiner and Hallowell. Last year, they paid $4,000 to Gardiner and $7,000 to Hallowell's Hubbard Free Library. That amount would not meet the Gardiner request for more than $12,000 assessed after a surge in use last year.

n Selectmen's request to reduce the general administration budget from more than $81,000 to $68,700. "We took $10,000 out of the legal budget," Proulx said. "Last year, we knew we were facing some actions that this year we did not."

n State request to increase the town's assessment for dispatching services from about $700 last year to $22,000.

n And, selectmen's request to increase the General Assistance budget from $500 to $2,000, because of increased need.

Selectmen also want to discuss a request for $7,250 for maintenance of the Kennebec River Rail Trail. Proulx said town officials were promised they would not be responsible for maintenance of the trail when it was planned.

Gary Remal -- 621-5642

gremal@centralmaine.com