HARRISON — A special town meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Friday at Harrison Elementary School to vote on several budget articles that voters rejected at the annual meeting June 14.
The amended warrant is available on the town website, www.harrisonmaine.org.
Selectmen are recommending that on Article 27 voters approve zero dollars for a full-time fire chief and two per diem EMT/firefighters. If it passes it would table an issue Fire Chief Dana Laplante cautioned about during a budget presentation this year: possibly a loss similar to what Paris saw when a 5-year-old perished in a house fire last November.
The administrative budget presented June 14 called for $740,406, an 18.5% increase from 2021-22 total of $624,999.
The codes enforcement budget of $196,498, which was about $17,000 more than the current year, was also rejected.
Selectmen held a public hearing Friday at the Town Office to a full meeting room, plus residents standing outside and several attending online. After close to four hours of input, selectmen announced they recommended voters approve an administration budget of $662,498.
The board also recommended that the codes enforcement budget, the comprehensive capital reserve account and the $3.4 million town garage construction bond be passed with no adjustment from the original articles.
The bond was approved on Election Day last November but was found to contain inconsistent language. The question was rephrased and put to voters again last week, where it failed to pass.
During the June 14 election, voters rejected funding the town comprehensive capital reserve account.
They also rejected Article 26 asking voters whether to continue voting by secret ballot. The vote was 263 against and 245 in favor.
All other items passed, including Maine School Administrative District 17’s 2022-23 budget of $47.6 million.
If money to operate the town government is not approved by June 30, the Town Office will close and employees will not be paid, Town Manager Cass Newell said.
Following the June 14 voting, town officials contacted Maine Municipal Association and were advised to schedule a public hearing as soon as possible and a special town meeting one week later to revote on the rejected articles.
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