JAY — The Select Board has scheduled a special town meeting for June 24 so residents can vote on Central Maine Power’s proposed 145-mile transmission line, which would run from the Canadian border through Western Maine to the regional power grid in Lewiston.
The time and location of the vote have yet to be decided.
Selectpersons voted 3-1 on Thursday night to reconsider a petition signed by 217 Jay voters, and then 3-1 to accept the petition and hold a special town meeting.
Chairperson Terry Bergeron, Vice Chairperson Tim DeMillo and Selectperson Gary McGrane voted in favor of each measure, while Selectperson Tom Goding was twice opposed. Selectperson Judy Diaz abstained.
Dozens of people turned out for the meeting, although no one offered a comment or asked a question.
In a tie vote May 13, selectpersons rejected a petition requesting a town meeting be held within 60 days. Bergeron and McGrane were in favor of the vote, while DeMillo and Goding were opposed. Diaz abstained from voting, causing the motion to fail.
Town Manager Shiloh LaFreniere said before Thursday’s meeting she had checked with the Maine Municipal Association on the process for reconsidering a petition. Since the board does not follow Robert’s Rules of Order, the board used its bylaws for guidance.
According to the bylaws, the board can reconsider a decision at the same meeting or a subsequent meeting if a vote to reconsider is taken. If it passes, another vote can be taken on the matter within 30 days.
Selectpersons had voted twice previously to support the $1 billion New England Clean Energy Connect project, which would construct a transmission line from Beattie Township in Franklin County, through Somerset County and then connecting to the regional power grid in Lewiston in Androscoggin County.
Jay stands to gain more than $460,000 in annual tax revenue if the $1 billion project were completed.
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