Roxbury firefighter Matthew Patneaude, left, is congratulated by Fire Chief Raymond Carver for his 22 years of service with the department, retiring a firetruck operator. Patneaude was elected a selectman at Sunday’s annual town meeting. Bruce Farrin/Rumford Falls Times
ROXBURY — Voters at Sunday’s annual town meeting approved money for a electronic sign, the building repair account and emergency generator repair.
The three items were among the 82 articles approved by 25 voters.
The sign for the Town Office will be paid in part with $10,000 voters approved from the town’s allotment of the federal American Rescue Plan Act.
“We expect that to be around $27,000 to $30,000,” Board of Selectmen Chairman Tim Derouche said. “We raised some monies, so this should be enough to do the job this year.”
Voters also approved adding $24,000 to the town building repair account to pay for fixes to the Town Office.
“We have a boiler issue with the heat system,” Derouche said. “Because of that boiler, it’s damaged the roof. We’re going to have a full inspection of that and repair whatever is needed on both issues.”
In the third town building issue, voters approved $2,900 to repair and maintain the emergency generator, which was installed last year.
Selectmen were given authority to apply for state financing to replace the floating dock access on Ellis Pond, with the town raising $25,000 for all or part of the local share.
Derouche said the town is also looking to raise more money for the tax collector/treasurer position, which is held by Renee Hodsdon, as well as an assistant for Town Clerk Brittany Gordon.
“We just can’t run the town efficiently right now, so we’re looking for seven more hours for Renee,” Derouche said. “She’s only getting 25 hours right now.”
As an administrator, Derouche said Hodsdon would be given additional training and be the grant writer for the town.
Hodsdon said the municipal budget for 2022-23 is $573,475, a drop from last year’s $671,809 largely due to the final $110,000 payment for a road bond in November.
It does not include assessments for Oxford County and Regional School Unit 10.
Matthew Patneaude, who recently retired as a 22-year member of the Roxbury Fire Department, was elected to serve the remaining two years on Rodney “Bing” Cross’ term. Patneaude is also the town’s Emergency Management Agency administrator.
Derouche and Hodsdon were re-elected to three-year terms.
The 2021 Town Report was dedicated in memory of Cross, who moved here 2009 and was elected selectman in 2015. He served seven years until his passing on Dec. 4, 2021.
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