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Jay voters elect new selectperson, reject Professional Services budget

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JAY – Voters elected two selectpersons and two school board directors at the annual town meeting Tuesday, as well as rejecting an article that would have funded professional and legal services. All other articles associated with the $6.18 million proposed municipal budget passed.

Former Selectperson Thomas Goding was once again elected to the five-member board, receiving 281 votes to incumbent Selectperson Keith Cornelio’s 166 votes. A total of 34 blank votes were cast, as well as two write-in ballots. Running unopposed, Selectperson and current Chair Terry Bergeron was reelected to the board with 420 votes, with 55 blank and 8 write-in ballots cast.

For the Regional School Unit 73 school board, Directors Michael Morrell and Joel Pike were reelected to three-year terms, receiving 273 votes and 320 votes, respectively, beating out former director Mike Schaedler’s 102 votes.

Article 9, which asked for approval to raise and appropriate $201,215 for Professional Services, received 213 yes votes and 262 no votes, with 8 blanks, and did not pass. That article funds a mixture of legal, assessing and auditing services, as well as funds for certain outside organizations that provide assistance to the town. Specifically, the article would have raised $40,000 for legal services, $25,000 for industrial valuation, $13,000 for the auditor, $32,000 for assessing services, $700 for assessing expenses and $50,000 to go into the valuation reserve. Professional Services also funds outside agencies that provide assistance to the town, including $11,800 for dues to the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments, $8,800 for Maine Municipal Association and $60 for the Chamber of Commerce. Franklin County Animal Shelter receives $10,200 – meeting the state requirement that municipalities have a receiving agency for dogs and cats – and another $9,155 goes toward paying the Plumbing Inspector and the Animal Control Officer. Another $500 is set aside to care for veteran graves, including placing flags.

At $201,215, the article was similar to last year’s $201,640. However, the article added new budget lines due to the cost center realignment, which eliminated the Buildings & Grounds cost center.

Professional Services was the only cost center that did not receive the support of the Budget Committee, who voted 5 to 6 against supporting it. Selectpersons were also split, 3 to 2 in support of the article, after a motion to cut $20,000 out of the Valuation Reserve appropriation failed to pass.

All of the other articles associated with the municipal budget passed easily, with roughly 300 to 350 votes in favor and 100 to 150 votes opposed, depending on the article. As proposed, including Professional Services, the $6.18 million budget would represent an increase of roughly $56,000 in expenditures as compared to the current fiscal year. Revenues are projected to increase to $1.77 million, resulting in $4.42 million in net expenditures or a reduction of roughly $80,000.

Last year, cost centers that were not approved were addressed through additional meetings and another round of voting.

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2 Comments

  1. Congrats Terry, shows you are not only very personable, but also very competent. Nice to have your town behind you.

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