MILTON — The Milton Town Board cut more than $300,000 from its $6.6 million tentative budget Thursday night but heard a cry for further reductions from an overflow crowd.

A week ago, the budget was to increase 45 percent. The new spending plan reduces taxes by about 15 percent.

More than 75 people packed the board room Thursday, a week after the board drew lengthy criticism for planning extensive park improvements and 4 percent raises across the board for employees.

Town Board member Joseph Miranda acted as the spokesman for the five-member board.

He said employees would be given a 3 percent raise rather than 4 percent and $135,000 would be cut from the park spending lines next year.

Another $150,000 that was going to be spent on plans for Town Hall improvements was also removed from the budget.

With these cuts, the tax rate would decrease in the 2009 budget by 16 percent in Ballston Spa and 15 percent in the town outside of the village, he said.

Earlier versions of the budget would have resulted in tax increases of more than 80 percent and then about 45 percent.

Miranda said the average homeowner in Milton would pay $54.78 next year in the village and $65.04 outside of Ballston Spa.

Several speakers from the crowd said the cuts were not severe enough, and they wondered how neighboring towns like Charlton produce a budget with no town tax at all.

Several said town employees shouldn’t be expecting any raise in the new year, given the economic downturn.

Dorothy King of Finley Road said the town could start cutting costs by turning down the thermostat in Town Hall. The comment drew applause, as heat generated by the crowd had made conditions in the packed room uncomfortable.

“I’m 82 years old, and I keep the heat at my house set to 62 degrees so I can pay my taxes,” she said. “As for raises for you elected officials, you knew what the salary was when you took the job.”

Supervisor Frank Thompson said he wasn’t going to take a raise in 2009, and then each of the other board members said they would forgo the 3 percent raise as well.

Resident Michael Ertelt spent several minutes questioning line by line increases that were still in the preliminary budget. A jump in the historian’s budget from $9,600 to nearly $22,000 was among the targeted expenses.

Town Comptroller Martin Glastetter said much of the increase would be spent on new signs for cemeteries around town.

William Hart of Middleline Road said he thought the budget “could be scrubbed further. Everyone in this room is paring down their home budgets.”

He said the board had obviously given in to public pressure in making the reductions they had, and he encouraged the crowd to continue getting involved.

“Let’s start going to the school board meetings,” he said. “That’s where the real treasure chest is.”