RANGELEY – Voters will be considering a $3.89 million municipal budget, four ordinance proposals and whether the annual town meeting should be changed to referendum style at Thursday’s meeting. The annual town meeting will start at 6 p.m. at the Rangeley Lakes Regional School.
Municipal elections were held last night, taking advantage of the state primary. Two positions were filled on the Board of Selectmen, with Shelly Lowell and James Carignan winning the seats with 207 and 147 votes, respectively. A third candidate, Donald Nuttal, received 136 votes.
James Jannace and Kash Haley were elected to three-year terms on the Park Commission, receiving 194 and 191 respective votes compared to Linda Henderson’s 98 votes. They will be joined on the commission by Lindsey Savage, who ran unopposed for a two-year term.
Ethan Shaffer was elected to the Sewer Commission for a two-year term, while Elizabeth Eastlack, Richard Walker and Joann Chapman were elected to the school board. Christopher Farmer, Thomas Haggan and Keith Savage were elected to the Water District.
Residents will be asked at Article B20 to vote on all warrant articles by secret ballot instead of the open forum meeting now in practice. If approved Thursday night, voters would go to the polls next year to decide the articles at town meeting. A public hearing on the proposed warrant articles would be held in advance of the town referendum vote, with those in attendance offering recommendations which would appear on the June ballot.
According to Town Manager Tim Pellerin, the change is being proposed in a bid to include more taxpayers in the town meeting process. Typical Rangeley town meetings draw approximately 60 people, Pellerin said, which was a relatively small group to be making decisions for the entire town. He noted that the town of Jay had seen a significant uptick in participation when it went to a referendum-style town meeting.
“We’re trying this to give a better opportunity for taxpayers to be heard,” Pellerin said.
Those in favor point of the secret ballot town meeting vote it will increase the number of people who will be deciding the issues. It also provides for absentee ballot with a 30-day window for submitting the vote.
The proposed $3.89 million municipal budget is down by $74,752, or 1.88 percent, from the current fiscal year’s budget. Pellerin said that town officials had worked “diligently” to keep the municipal budget as fiscally conservative as possible.
Decreases are proposed for General Government and Public Safety articles. Included are $250,000 for Capital Road Projects, $151,000 for Capital Vehicles and Equipment and $70,904 is proposed for undesignated fund account reserves. The current budget dedicated $180,000 for the fund reserve.
The four ordinances to be decided are amendments to the vendors license ordinance; to enact a nuisance/noise ordinance; rules and regulations for the town’s cemeteries and an ordinance which provides a process for recalling elected officials. Details of the ordinances can be found here.
