RUMFORD — Residents will have a chance to discuss the town meeting warrant at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 21, at the Rumford Falls Auditorium.
The first eight articles will be voted on at the June 1 business meeting in the Muskie Auditorium at Mountain Valley High School.
The remaining 35 articles focus on department budgets, initiated article requests, ordinance amendments and charter revisions. They will be decided at the polls June 9.
Article 41 asks residents to consider five ordinance amendments, repeals and proposals, including:
* Amend the Board of Library Trustees Ordinance to allow trustees to decide which months they meet.
* Amend the General Business Provisions Ordinance to allow the Board of Selectmen to change the hours and days the Town Office is open, and to allow the town to issue an order to temporarily close municipal buildings for emergency circumstances.
* Repeal the Unoccupied and Abandoned Buildings Ordinance and replace it with a more comprehensive one.
* Repeal the Consumer Fireworks Discharge and Possession Ordinance and replace it with one that prohibits the use or sale of any consumer fireworks in town, except for people who are issued a fireworks display permit by the state for commercial displays.
* Adopt a Disorderly House Ordinance that would fine and penalize building owners if their building receives multiple complaints within a 30-day period.
Articles 42 asks residents if they wish to approve revisions to the town charter as proposed by the Charter Commission; Article 43 ask to repeal the charter.
The nine-member commission, chaired by Christopher Brennick, was formed in 2013 to review the 1951 document and recommend changes. Among the changes are eliminating separate budget hearings and recommendations by selectmen and the Finance Committee and establish a Finance Committee comprised of the all selectmen and five elected residents.
The Charter Commission also proposes changing the positions of town clerk, treasurer and tax collector from elected to appointed.
mdaigle@sunmediagroup.net
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