If a Sheepscot Valley Regional School Unit 12 budget draft holds, Alna would pay $937,249, a hike of $47,402 or 5.3 percent, according to information Superintendent of Schools Howie Tuttle shared in Alna April 19.

Meeting with selectmen at the fire station, Tuttle presented the district’s $21.4 million, 2017-18 draft budget, up $588,374 or 2.8 percent over this year’s budget. However, towns would collectively pay 5.4 percent more in 2017-18, largely due to cuts in state aid, he said. Unless lawmakers change anything by June 30, the district would get $40,000 less than this year but $240,000 less than the district expected to get, Tuttle said.

Ralph Hilton, one of Alna’s two representatives on the district board, said due to Alna’s fiscal year that ends every Jan. 31, the tax bills residents get this fall will cover seven months of the town’s 2017-18 tab, including about $27,000 of the increase. “So it’s not going to make a huge difference in the mil rate,” he told about 20 residents.

Tuttle, attending with other district officials, said the turnout was the biggest they had had in taking the draft around to member towns. Third Selectman Doug Baston praised the district for keeping the increase as low as possible given the changes at the state level. Among them, the state is making districts repay medicaid reimbursements, help pay retirement and fund more of their own bus replacements, Tuttle said.

“I’m always impressed with how you guys squeeze a nickel,” Baston told him. “The fact you were able to keep it to this small of an increase is pretty commendable.”

The budget faces a 6:30 p.m., May 18 special town meeting at Chelsea Elementary School; district voters can raise, lower or keep the numbers for every piece of the budget, Tuttle said. Then the final proposal heads to a district-wide vote at the polls June 13.

Tuttle encouraged residents to go to the special town meeting. Sometimes, a small group will make decisions district voters as a whole might not have wanted, he said. “So please, please attend.”

Also April 19, selectmen decided to close applications for town clerk May 5; and take bids from plowing contractors until May 24 and mowing contractors until May 5. Baston and First Selectman David Abbott explained the board changed the plowing request this year to require a contractor to have the equipment for the job within 60 days of getting the contract, instead of having to have it already.

The change will give smaller contractors a chance, letting them use the winning contract as collateral on a loan to buy the equipment, Baston said.

Resident Terry Ross said he’d like help starting a petition drive for a town vote to get the new fireworks ordinance repealed. People shouldn’t have to get a permit, or else they should be able to issue themselves the permit, he told selectmen. Members said they are following the rules the town approved, but that anyone can petition for a new vote at a special town meeting or the annual one next March.