ANDOVER — Voters nearly unanimously rejected all articles at Thursday night’s town meeting.
They said no to money for a property revaluation, money to build a burn pit at the transfer station and money to buy a new pumper firetruck.
Eighty-six people attended the meeting at the Town Hall.
One article proposed taking $17,229 from a land purchase account for revaluation of properties. Former Selectman Keith Farrington asked selectmen the purpose of the article.
Selectman Jane Rich said the town had hoped to have a revaluation done next year but the firm that was selected for it had an opening this year.
“Taxation is supposed to be fair and equitable and taxation the way we have it right now is not fair and equitable,” she said. The town hasn’t had a revaluation for 26 years and many properties are unaccounted for, she said.
“We need to go over every inch of land and make sure everybody is being taxed,” she said.
She said it would cost $80,000 and there is $63,000 in the revaluation account.
Resident Wayne Delano disagreed with spending money from the land purchase account.
“This (money) was set aside in case the town wanted to purchase land that became available; that’s the purpose of this account.”
Resident Dick Merrow said that in past years a revaluation was voted down.
“I think all three of these articles are bull,” he said. “There’s nothing on there that couldn’t wait until next March when we have the town meeting.”
Rich said, “I beg you (to pass this article) because I am doing all the assessing in the town and I’ve found error after error.”
Her plea was rejected and the article didn’t pass.
The second article requesting $2,000 from the land purchase account and raising $3,000 to rebuild the transfer station burn pit was also rejected.
Wayne Delano asked if the town was in violation.
Selectman Jim Adler said the burn pit has no railings and the concrete was deteriorating.
“The pit is not in violation (but) the idea was to rebuild the cement wall and metal flooring,” he said. The burn pit was unsafe and a vehicle had accidentally backed into it, he said.
Voters unanimously rejected the article.
Lastly, meeting moderator Robert Duplessie encouraged Fire Chief Justin Tibbetts to speak about the article to raise $15,000 to repair the town’s 30-year-old pumper, Fire Engine 43.
After Adler explained that the town should get 10 more years out of the repaired pumper, Tibbetts surprised selectmen, saying, “I’d like us to get a new pumper tanker. that way we would minimize the maintenance portion of it.”
His statement received applause from voters, who voted against raising the money to repair the old pumper.
mhutchinson@sunmediagroup
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