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The Farmington town meeting is Monday

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Residents at a previous town meeting.

FARMINGTON –  Residents will gather for the annual town meeting and elections for town office positions on Monday, March 27.

Two seats are open on the Board of Selectmen this year, each for a 3-year term, with candidates running unopposed for each seat. Selectman Stephan Bunker will be running for reelection alongside Scott Landry. Two directors on the Mt. Blue Regional School District school board are running for reelection for their 3-year positions: Tami Labul and Ryan Morgan.

Voting will begin at 9 a.m. at the Community Center at 124 Middle Street and run until 6 p.m. The meeting begins at 7 p.m.

The town report was released this week after a ceremony for Richard Wilde, the subject of this year’s dedication. Copies of the report can be picked up at the Town Office or downloaded on the town’s website.

The largest notable increase from the 2016 budget year is the Farmington Public Library’s increased request.

The library, which is a non-town department, originally requested a 40 percent increase to its town appropriation, going from $149,500 to $209,990. The proposed increase covered the new minimum wage law approved by Maine voters at the November referendum, as well as the federally-required wage increase for salaries employees. Health insurance increased by $9,000 due to an employee becoming full-time, with the library proposing an additional .8 employee to assist with expanded usage of the library.

A special budget committee meeting was held in February to discuss a revised budget request for the Farmington Public Library of $187,094. Committee members voted to stay with their original recommendation of $165,945, an 11 percent increase from the 2016 budget, while selectmen passed a recommendation of $157,723.

As recommended by selectmen, the 2017 municipal operating budget stands at $5,616,461, which is an increase of $195,430, or 3.61 percent over 2016’s budget.

As recommended by the committee, the proposed budget comes in at $5,624,233, for a $203,202 or 3.75 percent increase.

Increases in proposed departmental budgets include an additional $81,000 in Farmington Fire Rescue’s budget, covering the cost of the full-time firefighter positions implemented after last year’s budget process. Residents overwhelmingly supported the department’s budgetary request at the 2016 town meeting, effectively adding four, full-time firefighter/EMT positions. That budget included roughly $33,000 to cover the cost of the positions for nine months; this year’s budget includes the $52,000 to cover the cost for 12 months.

The budget also includes a proposed increase of $47,000, to $75,000, in the department’s equipment reserve fund. This increase is being made alongside a $47,000 decrease in the town’s debt service due to the Tower 3 truck being fully paid off.

The Public Works Department is proposing the purchase of a new truck in two years, setting aside $108,000 each year to purchase the vehicle outright, rather than bonding it. Town officials are also recommending an increase in the funding for the five-year road plan. The $37,000 increase would protect against spikes in the cost of liquid asphalt, Hutchins said. The road plan calls for Titcomb Hill Road to be reconstructed over the next two years, as well as some associated work on High Street and North Street.

Voters will weigh in at Monday’s meeting at 7 p.m. to pass Farmington’s budget.

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10 Comments

  1. I think it’s in poor taste that Farmington decided to have its town meeting during the UMF break. The UMF student body represents a significant fraction of the population in town, they have the right to voice their opinion. If I’m not mistaken, last year’s meeting was also held over break.

  2. Why is the library a “non-town department? Any other examples of “non-town” dept.?

  3. “The proposed increase covered the new minimum wage law approved by Maine voters at the November referendum, as well as the federally-required wage increase for salaries employees.”

    Is the federally-required wage increase still in play – last I knew this was a pending case?

    On November 22, 2016, a federal court in the Eastern District of Texas issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Department of Labor from enforcing new regulations that would have drastically reduced the number of white collar employees who are exempt from overtime. The disputed regulations were set to take effect on December 1.

    Federal Judge Halts Overtime Rule: Until a final decision is reached, employers may continue to follow the existing overtime rule.”

    ************************
    3.75 percent increase.

    The tax increases never stop climbing upwards in this town!!!
    Big City Services on a Town Budget.

    Those on a fixed budget are struggling everyday, those working have less each day.

  4. I believe that you need to own property in the town to have a vote or say. Same as being a select person. Not a towns are the same, I know smaller towns are that way.

  5. The original Farmington library, facing out on Academy Street, is a stunning landmark in our town. Inside, with its winding staircase and glass floor, the building reminds us of the commitment our predecessors made to making the structure beautiful as well as useful. The renovations that created the new entrance on High Street made sure the early twentieth-century structure would remain convenient and accessible in the twenty-first century. The commitment to computer use, to videos, to on-site programs all suggest how well and how effectively the library board and staff have met the current needs and desires of our citizens.

    We wish every organization in Franklin County functioned as successfully as the Farmington Public Library to serve our town residents as well as visitors from near and far. Those who wish to inform themselves about public issues benefit immensely from the ability to have accurate sources available to them and the assistance that staff can provide to utilize these resources effectively.

    We urge those attending the town meeting on 27 March to support the library’s request for funds to enable it to continue its superb work.

    Ann Arbor and John Rosenwald

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