OXFORD — Fewer than 50 residents passed all 39 warrant articles at Oxford’s annual town meeting Saturday morning. The meeting took place at Oxford Elementary School’s gymnasium.

Some budget increases brought questions from taxpayers worried about spending levels amid the coronavirus pandemic, town revenue losses from the recently reopened Oxford Casino that are approaching $500,000 and anticipated cuts to Maine revenue sharing funds. A few articles were passed with amendments to lower the approved amount, one by $40,000.

The budget as presented was $10,286,937 and most items were approved as recommended.

Article 4 with a budgeted increase of $49,633 to administration costs was the first item to be scrutinized by taxpayers. Resident Floyd Thayer spoke first, requesting an explanation.

Town Manager Butch Asselin explained the nearly $50,000 increase is mostly due to there being a 53^rd week of payroll expenses in the coming fiscal year, higher health insurance costs, contributions to Maine state retirement funds and increases in contractual obligations for technology services.

Resident Tom Cushman questioned how many times taxpayers would be expected to pay more for insurance, with other residents adding that Oxford should cap how much it contributes to employee health benefits.

Betty Wuori, who serves on the budget committee, expressed frustration that the committee had been unable to have a say on the insurance costs because it had already been contracted. She felt that the current policy of paying 100% of employee health benefits should be revised to shift some of the contribution onto workers.

“We cannot keep going and going every year and the townspeople pay for it,” Wuori said. “This is a prime example this year. We asked about cutting it because of the casino and loss of that money.

“I don’t know how we might tap it, but as a budget committee member I felt that it was a waste of my time. We basically had to say ‘that’s okay.’ It was difficult to do it (budget) through the computers anyway. I don’t think I’m the only one who feels this way.”

Oxford resident and State Legislator Kathleen Dillingham urged caution on spending, as she expects the state government is going to take a sharp look at its own budget when actual revenue shortfalls are calculated at the end of the month. Current estimates put the shortfall at $800 million.

“Looking at the increases, I understand the town’s needs,” Dillingham said. “But I don’t want anyone to have sticker shock when you get the next tax bill because you are going to have to make up the gap.”

Other residents argued that regardless of the economy, all employees, and especially those in public safety, deserved and needed their health insurance.

Select Vice-Chair Samantha Hewey argued strongly to maintain full health benefits for municipal employees.

“We all talk every day about how we support our frontline workers,” she said. “We make Facebook posts and we all say we stand with them. This is your time to support our frontline.

“If we cut this $50,000, Oxford is not going to cut insurance. We have already flat-lined the budget. (Next) we are going to cut your services. We can’t cut requirements for testing in the sewer department. If we cut maintenance on the fire truck, we have to be able to still drive the fire truck.”

Hewey also stressed that good benefits are necessary to retain employees, pointing out that a health care worker in the private sector can make $30,000 a year more than a public safety worker.

Asselin assured residents that municipal department heads worked hard to rein in costs on next year’s budget, taking it from a 6% increase in early drafts down to be overall flat with the fiscal year that just ended. He also pointed out that the impact of lower casino revenues was partially offset with increased excise tax revenue, bank dividends and cost-cutting across all departments.

Resident Paula Thayer argued the proposed overall budget is not truly flat because $400,000 in capital improvements were removed from it. But when new public safety vehicles need to be purchased in the future, the town will have to borrow money for them instead of drawing from its capital expenditures fund.

A motion to amend Oxford’s administration budget to be flat with last year’s was voted on and failed. Residents then voted to approve the selectmen’s recommended budget of $771,202.

Another contested budget item was the addition of overnight staff at the Rescue Department at a cost of $116,000. Cushman wanted to know how two positions could have a bottom-line cost of $58,000 each. Fire Chief Paul Hewey answered that even though he is adding two staff per day, it actually adds social security and other payroll expenses to salaries of four employees, as it is for seven-nights-a-week staffing.

Hewey also pointed out that rescue call volumes have increased about 10% year over year since Oxford Casino opened, with more of those calls coming during the overnight hours.

“We identified seven years ago that this would eventually happen,” Hewey said. “It’s at the point where we have to act.”

Residents then approved the Rescue Department budget to be $428,227, as recommended by selectmen.

Article 25 on the warrant, which originally called for a road improvements bond of $2,263,000, was approved for an amount not to exceed $2,222,995, a result of negotiating better terms with a different bank since the budget was drafted last spring.