JAY — Residents of Jay, Livermore and Livermore Falls will hear about and vote on a proposed RSU 73 budget Tuesday evening at Spruce Mountain Middle School.

The hearing begins at 6 p.m. in the cafeteria.

The 2013-14 budget is $18,579,946, which is $9,657 less than this fiscal year.

If passed as presented Tuesday and at an April 23 referendum, the impact would be:

* A tax decrease of $45.46 on a house valued at $100,000 in Jay, for a total of $756.94;

* A tax increase of $60.94 on a $100,000 house in Livermore, for a total of $992.53; and

* A tax increase of $82.77 on a house valued at $100,000 in Livermore Falls, for a total of $992.60.

The budget comes prior to all students attending Spruce Mountain High Schools in Jay and Livermore Falls moving to Jay by late August. Work is scheduled to begin in May on a $1.8 million renovation of the Jay high school, middle school and Jay Community Center to accommodate the 500-plus high school students. The academic wing of the Livermore Falls high school will be closed, while the athletic fields, cafeteria, gym and other parts of the complex will remain open for other RSU 73 uses.

While some residents believed the closure would significantly decrease the overall budget, Superintendent Robert Wall said much of those savings will be used for academic programs funded by grants that have expired, paying a portion of the state’s share of teacher retirement funds, and covering the loss of General Purpose Aid to Education.

“What we saved went into the academic program. That money went to investment in regular instruction,” Wall had said at the board’s final budget workshop.

Several positions were lost, however, because of the grant expiration, and five part-time bus monitors will be hired, if the budget passes.

At Tuesday’s meeting, voters can adjust some of the budget figures.

A budget validation referendum will be held from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. April 23 at each town office.