EAST SPENCER — The East Spencer Board of Aldermen expects to pass the fiscal year 2019-20 budget in the coming month after a public hearing scheduled Monday.

The board met Thursday for its second budget meeting this month. The budget talks began during a work session on May 20.

Interim Town Administrator Phil Conrad said the board will not increase taxes. The town’s property tax rate of 66 cents per $100 valuation will remain the same.

There are, however, proposed changes in fees that Conrad said had been stable since 2008. The fees include those for development, street closings, nuisance abatement, public facility rentals, off-duty police services, control burns by the Fire Department and use of public works equipment.

The proposed budget is just over $1.5 million and includes money for a new police vehicle and employee cost-of-living increases.

Conrad said all department heads were asked to create a “wish list” of needs that would then be part of the capital improvement and needs plan for the next five years.

He said the town would use capital needs as the building blocks for its budget.

The Police Department needs to replace older vehicles, but in order to be efficient with finances, the town will replace older vehicles one fiscal year at a time, he said.

Alderman Tony Hillian asked if it would be possible to include a pay increase for Town Clerk ShaTaira Bailey.

Mayor Barbara Mallett asked whether former Town Administrator F.E. Isenhour had already included a raise for Bailey in the budget.

“No, she didn’t get it,” Hillian said.

Conrad said if it’s can be documented that she should have received a raise, then the town would have to pay her retroactively.

Conrad told the board to expect a 1.6 percent increase for utilities because last year, Salisbury-Rowan Utilities raised its rates by 2.5 percent.

The board will hold its public hearing at 6:30 p.m. June 3 at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Town Hall, 105 S. Long St.

Contact reporter Shavonne Walker at 704-797-4253.