Marion is looking at a 3 percent budget increase this year, reported Finance Committee Chair Alan Minard.

“I think we’re in a fairly stable condition,” Minard told selectmen on Tuesday.

Voters will be asked to approve the $21,950,375 budget at the May 8 Annual Town Meeting.

Several budget increases are related to the high school, the largest being $230,000 for the Old Rochester Regional School District. The town’s budget also includes $21,800 to share the cost of the school resource officer, a police representative who works in the school. Rochester will also be asked to pay a third of the costs for the officer, who belongs to the Mattapoisett Police Department.

Minard said some things about the school budget need to be evaluated before next year. He wants to review the formula used to calculate the town’s portion of the ORR budget.

To that end, the town’s budget will also include a $5,000 appropriation to hire a financial analyst to evaluate ORR’s financial practices. Mattapoisett selectmen and town administrator brought up the idea last week and are also asking Rochester voters to approve $5,000 at their Town Meeting.

“We all kind of suspect it’s a little looser than maybe it should be,” Minard said of ORR’s budget.

Another large line item is $107,500 to set aside for possible legal fees the town may incur regarding the wastewater lagoons. The Environmental Protection Agency says the lagoons need to be lined or taken out of use, which would likely cost the town several million dollars.

During the meeting, Town Administrator Paul Dawson also said the permit requiring the work to be done is "imminent" and is expected soon.

“Looking to the future,” the Finance Committee is also proposing appropriations to help keep the town fiscally sound, including $25,000 for the “rainy day” stabilization fund. The committee also recommends $240,000 for the other post employment benefit fund, a $9.4 million unfunded liability that includes benefits for retired employees.

“Frankly, this puts us way ahead of most towns in the Commonwealth,” said Minard.

Only one group in the audience had a problem with the budget. Jason Reynolds of the Board of Health said his board wanted to increase the public health nurse’s salary above the 2 percent all employees will receive. That request was denied.

“I offered other suggestions for ways to cut our budget so that the total Board of Health budget could stay even financed,” Reynolds said.

The nurse’s contract has been held up as the board decides what to do.

Selectman Steve Cushing said it’s not a good practice to give one employee a higher raise.

“We have to keep in mind everybody else,” he said.

On Tuesday, selectmen also approved the Town Meeting agenda, which includes 51 items.