MEXICO – Selectmen and the Budget Committee will continue to work their way through the budget development process Wednesday beginning with a closed-door session by the selectmen.

The board and the committee cut more than $14,000 from social service agency requests last week, resulting in the funding of only five special agencies or projects. Board Chairman Reggie Arsenault said at that time that selectmen and the town manager would take up municipal departments at Wednesday’s meeting.

At 5 p.m., selectmen plan to meet in a closed-door session to hear a proposal by Town Manager Joseph Derouche for running the town office. They will also discuss the contracts for the highway and police departments, and Derouche’s contract proposal.

In a brief selectmen’s meeting at 6 p.m., a public hearing will be held on the renewal of a pawnbroker’s license and the board will discuss a piece of town-owned property.

At 6:30 p.m., the Budget Committee and selectmen will meet in open session to continue work on the 2003-04 municipal budget.

The board directed Derouche at a meeting earlier in the year to develop a budget that would not exceed the current operating budget of $1.6 million. That figure, together with the tax liability for school and county taxes, required a mill rate of $30.80 per $1,000 valuation.

Selectmen are trying to reduce the tax rate.

eadams@sunjournal.com