CANTON — Part one of Canton’s annual town meeting balloting was resolved at the polls Tuesday in the new Town Office with voters overwhelmingly approving beginning the withdrawal process from Regional School Unit 10.
Voters had to decide 14 referendum questions, the ‘biggest’ of which was whether to start withdrawal proceedings and take $10,000 from surplus to do so. That was approved 122-18, Selectman Brian Keene said late Tuesday evening. There were also five blank ballots.
The rest of the referendum questions pertained to municipal business, such as authorizing selectmen to set the interest rate paid by the town on abated taxes; appropriating money from unappropriated surplus to meet unexpected expenses and emergencies from Canton’s fiscal year of July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016; transferring overdrafts and balances to surplus and applying $262,815 in estimated revenues for Feb. 15, 2016 against the total amount to be raised by taxation.
Keene said all of the remaining 13 referendum questions were approved, but vote tallies won’t be available until Wednesday.
In uncontested municipal elections, incumbent Selectman Donny Hutchins received 129 votes for another three years, and incumbent Budget Committee member Brian Jordan won re-election to a three-year term, garnering 130 votes.
Norris Conant won re-election as a write-in candidate, receiving three votes. Keene said there is one remaining Budget Committee seat to fill.
The second part of town meeting takes place at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 11, at the same venue to decide the remaining 30 warrant articles, which largely concern the municipal budget.
There are two proposed budgets because the Budget Committee and selectmen made different recommendations. The committee recommended $1.33 million and selectmen recommended $1.35 million. Both include 30 cents that remains to be paid for the Staples Hill road project.
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