HEBRON — Voters voiced concern over escalating property taxes at Saturday’s annual town meeting by reducing recommended spending by almost $26,000.
About 60 voters approved a $694,137 municipal budget during action on the 63-article warrant at the Hebron Station School. The final amount was down from the recommended $721,200 spending plan.
In other action, voters:
* Agreed, in a 23-28 secret ballot, to a five-year lease of a 2010 International plow truck for $185,000. Selectmen said the appropriation would have no financial impact on this year’s budget. The truck would replace a worn-out 1994 International truck.
* Trimmed $15,000 off the requested winter road maintenance budget of $145,000.
* Heard from Selectman Dan Eichorn that the proposed budget, which does not include the SAD 17 assessment, was based on the assumption that the town will receive state revenue-sharing. If the revenue-sharing, estimated at about $66,000, does not come through this year, Eichorn said the town may go back to a special town meeting in June to make adjustments or that money would go on the mill rate. Gov. Paul LePages’s proposed state budget suspends revenue-sharing for two years.
Without that money or adjustments to the budget, the mill rate would go up by about $2 per $1,000 of assessed property value, Eichorn.
* Cut town hall spending and money for town cemeteries by $1,000 each.
* Approved developing a comprehensive plan for presentation at a later town meeting, and changed the road commissioner from an elected to an appointed position. Voters agreed to keep the Board of Selectmen as the elected road commissioners until 2014 when one will be appointed.
* Agreed to make the job of town clerk, treasurer and tax collector an appointed rather than an elected position to maintain a high quality of professionalism. The appointment process will not happen until current Town Clerk Joan Clough retires, selectmen said.
* OK’d appropriating $100,000 for summer roads and $100,000 for the tarring and paving account to be supplemented by state funds’ which last year amounted to about $39,000.
Incumbents re-elected were Dick Dean for selectman, Joan Clough for clerk treasurer and tax collector, Elizabeth Swift for Hebron’s representative on the SAD 17 board of directors and Sandra Bruno for Moody Library Trustee.
ldixon@sunjournal.com
-
- Town meeting moderator Lewis Williams and Town Clerk Joan Clough review results of a secret ballot vote on a controversial issue after a hand vote was too close to call in Hebron on Saturday.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
