LEEDS – Town meeting voters will decide the fate of their old town house and also figure out when they want to hold future town meetings.
The current tax rate of $17.65 per $1,000 of valuation is expected to increase, said Jane Wheeler, the town’s administrative assistant. But town officials will not know by how much until they set the new mill rate in July, she said.
Voters will consider a proposed municipal budget of $756,909, Wheeler said. That marks a rise of $90,269 from the current town budget of $666,640. Voters will also consider a proposed school budget of $1,359,220, Wheeler said. That marks a 6.2 percent increase from the current school budget of $1,280,217.
One warrant article asks voters to raise a sum not to exceed $44,000 for a new one-ton highway department truck. Another article asks voters to raise a sum not to exceed $12,000 for paving the parking lot and driveway of the new Town Office. The parking lot will have about 40 parking spots, Wheeler said.
And another article asks voters to decide the fate of the old town house. People have talked about keeping the building in its current location and allowing the Leeds Historical Society to use it; or moving the building to an as-yet-undetermined location for the society to use; or just tearing down the building, Wheeler said.
“It’s their decision what happens to that building,” she said of voters.
One article asks citizens to vote to hold town meeting on the first Saturday in June beginning in 2004.
At a special town meeting last winter residents voted to move the date of town meeting to the last Saturday in March effective 2004. Selectmen stated their opposition to the move, and now the issue is back on the table.
All uncontested
All candidates in Friday’s election are unopposed:
• Incumbent Abe Additon is running for a three-year term on the Board of Selectmen.
• Incumbent Glenn Holt is running for a one-year term as fire chief.
• Incumbent Robert Addison Jr. is running for a one-year term as road commissioner.
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