LEWISTON — There are no lines or waiting today at the polls at Longley Elementary School gym. The polls are open for a second vote on the Lewiston school budget.
Approval would allow the city to use state money that was not in the first budget when approved by voters in May.
A low turnout today is expected, but there’s no minimum number of votes needed for the budget to pass.
“All we need is 1-0,” Superintendent Bill Webster said last week. Webster was an early voter Tuesday as the polls opened at 7 a.m. Webster tweeted he was the first to vote.
Residents are being asked to vote on a $58.8 million school budget for 2013-14, even though they approved the budget in May. The second vote is needed basically to accept more money from the state for education.
Voters approved the budget before legislators passed the state budget in June, which had an additional $409,000 for Lewiston. According to state rules, Lewiston voters need to approve any additional spending not in the previous budget.
Voter approval would let the school department use the money; property taxes would not be impacted, Webster said. It will reset the school’s spending plan for the 2013-14 fiscal year at $58.8 million and local property taxes for education at $17.1 million.
Polls close at 8 p.m.
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- Early voter Lewiston School Superintendent Bill Webster casts his vote in the school budget referendum after the polls opened Tuesday morning. Voting will be all day today at the Longley Elementary School gym. A second budget approval by voters is needed because after voters approved it in May, state lawmakers gave more money for education that was not in the May budget.
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