NEW SHARON — Election of a selectman, a school board member, a town clerk and a treasurer are on the warrant for Saturday’s annual town meeting.
The meeting begins at 9 a.m. March 12 at Cape Cod Hill School.
Voters nominate and elect officers from the floor. Mercy Hanson and Robert Neal have voiced interest in a three-year selectman seat. Regional School Unit 9 Director Jennifer Pooler has indicated a desire to be re-elected, as has Town Clerk/Tax Collector Pamela Griswold. Erin Norton of Starks is seeking the treasurer’s job.
Neal said his “chief concerns are the rate at which government spending is increasing at all levels in Maine, and transparent government.”
Property taxes, which fund much of education and town and county government, are rising far faster than the rate of inflation, he said.
“School taxes, especially, are in a runaway spiral,” the former school board director, turkey farmer and newspaper editor said.
In response to a recent story on interested candidates, Pooler wrote, “I have a strong working knowledge of school finance and operations, am very well versed in Maine’s statutes governing public education, am confident when expressing my opinions and am not afraid to vote in the best interest of the students and taxpayers of New Sharon.”
Selectmen recommend a municipal budget of $917,569. It does not include county or school taxes.
Among the funding articles are:
• $10,000 from taxes for a technology fund to upgrade computers, printers, software and other equipment or services;
• $7,500 to purchase a new rock rake for road maintenance; and
• $12,000 for more road salt.
The amount for additional salt will raise the ratio of sand/salt mix on tar roads, said Lorna Nichols, chairwoman of the Board of Selectmen.
“Regardless how much sand gets placed, that only provides traction. It does not result in snow melting or preventing ice buildup during ice storms,” she said.
Selectmen recommend appropriating $10,000 from surplus to cover unexpected expenses or emergencies.
An updated Site Plan Review Ordinance will also come before voters. The newer version requires less of a setback, Nichols said.
Copies are available at the Town Office.
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