MONMOUTH — Voters decided overwhelmingly Tuesday to leave RSU 2, but not enough votes were cast to trigger the change, so the town will have to wait at least two years before attempting to withdraw again.
The vote to leave the school district was 537 to 399, but state law required at least 960 votes to be cast on the issue — 50 percent of the last gubernatorial vote — leaving the count 24 ballots shy.
“I thought it was going to be close. . . . It might have been the weather,” Deputy Clerk Kim Dalton said.
Despite the shortage of votes, the turnout dwarfed last year’s count of roughly 700.
Town Manager Curtis Lunt on Wednesday confirmed that the town will have to wait two years before mounting another withdrawal effort. He expressed frustration with the state’s 50 percent voting requirement, noting that the town vote was strongly in favor of withdrawal.
“It sounds like a lobster trap to me,” Lunt said of the requirement.
In other action Tuesday, voters approved all 20-plus articles making up the 2013-2014 municipal $2.8 million budget, which was essentially the same as the current budget.
They also approved an approximately $24 million RSU 2 budget, 474 to 420, which was about an 11 percent increase over the current budget.
Voters also agreed to borrow $60,000 to replace the middle school gymnasium floor by a vote of 682-236.
With six pages of ballots to pour over, Lunt said voters averaged about eight minutes in the booth.
With the vote focused on Monmouth leaving RSU 2, thoughts also turned to the recent resignation of Principal Rick Amero.
“We were shocked, I think,” Lunt said, “It’s sad news — he’s really popular.” Lunt said it will be difficult to fill Amero’s shoes.
Other election results were:
* Darlene Sanborn was elected selectman
* Tim McDonald was elected selectman
* Raymond Fletcher was elected Cumston Hall trustee
* Shawna Degen was elected Cumston Library trustee
* Daniel Niles was elected Sanitary District trustee
* Edward Phillips was elected Sanitary District trustee
* Jonathan Hamann was elected to the RSU 2 Board of Directors
Voters agreed to appropriate $10,000 from the fund balance to fund the senior citizen property tax assistance program.
The town also adopted an ordinance establishing a Conservation Commission and agreed to allow the Board of Selectmen to make decisions on waste handling for the town.
Voters also agreed to an amendment to the existing fireworks ordinance, allowing certain, low-noise fireworks to be used.
dmcintire@sunjournal.com
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