Westbrook voters interested in supporting or opposing the town’s proposed $30,127,003 spending plan for 2018-’19 should plan to be at the Westbrook High School auditorium on Tuesday, May 15 at 7 p.m. For the third consecutive year, the Westbrook Board of Selectmen has decided to hold the annual vote on the proposed budget for 2018-’19 at a town meeting instead of in a town-wide referendum.

The combined budget for the town and the Board of Education of $30,127,003 reflecting a spending increase of 1.4 percent or $426,254 over the current year’s $29,700,749 budget.

The budget increase breakdown is as follows: Town agencies’ spending would rise by 4.6 percent or $420,344 to $9,531,915; annual debt service payments will go down by $74,994 or 2.8 percent to $2,613,269; and Board of Education spending would go up by less than one-half of one percent (0.45 percent) or $80,904 to $17,981,819.

The public hearing on the town budget is scheduled for Monday, April 30, at 7 p.m. at Westbrook Town Hall, 866 Boston Post Road and the Annual Town Budget Meeting to vote on the proposed budget for the 2018-’19 fiscal year is set for Tuesday, May 15 at 7 p.m. at the Westbrook High School auditorium at 156 McVeagh Road, Westbrook.

To help prepare town residents in advance of the evening budget vote, the town prepared and mailed to taxpayers a Citizen’s Guide to the Town of Westbrook Budget for 2018-2019. The guide

describes the budget development process and presents a summary of expenditures and revenues for the past three years and as proposed for the next year.