Road repairs and building renovations have Rochester officials scrambling for funds.

While the town can budget for the building renovation costs over time, Town Administrator Richard LaCamera says that the $4.7 million needed in road repairs this year may require a Proposition 2 ½ tax override.

Since 1982, the state law has limited municipalities from raising the property tax rate more than 2.5 percent.

To raise taxes, Rochester voters would need to approve an override in a Town Election.

Town Clerk Naida Parker said that overrides for road repairs have appeared on previous Town Election ballots but have never been passed.

The town did pass overrides, however, for the renovations of the Rochester Memorial School as well as for the Police Station and Old Rochester Regional High School, Parker said.

LaCamera raised the issue during a meeting with the Selectmen and the Finance Committee on Monday, July 30.

The town receives $300,000 a year from the state to use for road repairs. That money has covered repairs in the past, but with costs adding up to $5 million this year, LaCamera said that the state’s allotment doesn’t suffice. Additionally, the funds are not available in the town’s current tax structure.

“I know people don’t like the discussion, but there’s no way we can keep up,” he said.

LaCamera said that the earliest the override could appear on a ballot would not be until April 2013.

This, he said, gives the town’s officials and the public time to discuss the issue.

“We will look at the possibility,” LaCamera said.

“We can continue with the $300,000 that we get from the state, but this doesn’t get us very far.”

While Rochester voters have shot down previous override requests for road repairs, Parker said that this year’s costs  need to be taken seriously.

“This is a lot more needed than other overrides. You’re talking $5 million,” Parker said.

Road repairs are just the tip of the iceberg in rising maintenance costs for Rochester.

For the past year, officials have been discussing what to do with the Town Hall. LaCamera said the building is in need of extensive renovations including new shingles on the roof, new siding and new trim inside of the building.

“This building is going to deteriorate if we don’t do anything to protect it,” he said.

While LaCamera said the Proposition 2 ½ override would not be needed to meet repair costs for the Town Hall, he added that plans for the building would need to be taken into account for the town’s capital plan.

Previous discussions with town officials have led the Selectmen to consider moving the offices at the existing Town Hall to a new building on Dexter Lane.

The proposed building would be constructed between the Police Department and the Council on Aging.

Rochester officials, including the town’s Facilities Manager Mike Meunier, have been working on site plans for the new building for the past few months.

“We’re very restricted here for expansion. The site over at Dexter Lane has four acres so it’s a fairly large area. Right now our goal needs to be to protect this building because we’re going to lose it,” LaCamera said.

Parker agreed.

She said that ignoring the issue could only raise costs in the end.

“We can’t risk getting mold in this building,” Parker said. “Even to clean it up would be horrendous.”

If repairs to the Town Hall and the new building are approved, LaCamera said the existing building on Constitution Way could be rented out once the repairs are completed.

Parker said she was confident that if the Town Hall offices were moved to Dexter Lane, the existing building would still serve a purpose for residents.

“I don’t think that this building will be left vacant,” Parker said.

LaCamera said the town’s officials would try to have a preliminary plan in place by the end of September as to how to fund both projects.