Town Meetings

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Alexander

When voters go to the town meeting Monday they have one warrant article to consider, in addition to electing town officials.

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m.

The article on the warrant will ask voters whether they will authorize the school committee to accept tuition pupils from other municipalities. Municipal and school budget articles will be decided at the June town meeting.

The school committee is seeking authorization so it can actively recruit pupils from the surrounding communities to attend the Alexander Elementary School.

Earlier this month, the school committee met with area residents to discuss the future of the elementary school. One of the options is to close the school and send pupils to the Calais or Woodland elementary schools. Most who were at the meeting opposed the school closure, and they urged the school committee to try to recruit pupils from outside the town.

Although the school committee members favored the recruitment effort, they learned later that voters at the June 1997 town meeting had decided to accept tuition pupils only from Crawford. If residents want to accept pupils from other communities, they will have to vote for the measure Monday.

During the town meeting Monday night, voters also will be asked to elect a town clerk-treasurer-tax collector, assessor, road commissioner and planning board member. There also are two seats on the Board of Selectmen and two seats on the school committee to be filled.

East Machias

A proposal to authorize selectmen to appoint the town clerk and tax collector and a $25,000 request for playground equipment at the Elm Street School are among 25 articles on the warrant for annual town meeting.

Voters will gather at the East Machias municipal building at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 26. Town Clerk Bunnie Wright said the article requesting a $25,000 appropriation for playground equipment at the elementary school was submitted by the Parent-Teachers Committee.

The proposal to change the position of town clerk and tax collector from elected to appointed comes from the town auditor and several residents, according to the selectmen’s report in the annual town report.

Wright has been the town clerk and tax collector since September, when her predecessor, Dale Robinson, resigned to take another job.

Selectmen say Robinson’s decision to seek other employment was in part because of the insecurity of the job, which now comes up for election every year. Frequent turnover in the position could have a devastating effect on the town office and town operations, selectmen said. Voters defeated the proposal last year, but that may have been because of a misconception of the purpose behind the article, selectmen said. Elections will take place from the floor and voters will elect a selectman, a member of the SAD 77 Board of Directors, a town treasurer, town clerk, tax collector and three assessors.

Wright said the town is changing the assessors’ board from three members to five members.

Mariaville

Residents will be asked to give the go-ahead to the purchase of the transfer station land at the annual town meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, March 26, at the Beech Hill School.

Among the more costly of motions on this year’s warrant is the proposal seeking $37,800 to purchase the land on which the town’s transfer station is located. The land is owned by residents and currently is being leased by the town.

Other issues up for approval include a motion by the selectmen to search for and appoint an assessor’s agent, as well as a proposal for $30,000 for the revaluation of the town. Also at the town meeting, residents will be asked to elect persons to fill a three-year selectmen term, a one-year selectmen term, a three-year school committee term, a three-year planning board term and a one-year term for road commissioner. For information, call the town office at 537-2107.

Princeton

The polls will open at 10 a.m. Monday, but voters at the town meeting will have few decisions to make when they consider who will fill several town offices.

Incumbent Grace Hiland is running uncontested for town clerk, and Jackie O’Neill is running unopposed for treasurer-tax collector.

Incumbent Doreen Wallace is running for one of the two available three-year seats on the Board of Selectmen. Arthur Dolan is seeking the other seat, which previously was held by Dave Gardner, who will not seek another term.

Although there are two open three-year seats on the school board, only incumbent Cathy Cilley has chosen to run. The other incumbent, Kathy LaPlant, did not return her nomination papers.

Municipal and school budgets will be presented to voters at the June town meeting.

Wesley

Monday’s annual town meeting is expected to be brief, according to Town Clerk Sheila Geel.

“Our normal meetings are about 10 minutes,” she said. “We just go in and talk someone into running for these positions.”

The meeting will take place at Wesley Elementary School at 7 p.m. Monday, March 26. Elections will take place on the floor and voters will consider a 27-article warrant, Geel said.

Whitint

A straw poll on whether to begin the process of dissolving SAD 77 to create a school union is among 39 articles voters will consider at the annual town meeting beginning at 7 p.m. Monday, March 26, at the Whiting Community Building.

Whiting Administrative Assistant Bernice McHatten said the straw poll is to determine if townspeople are interested in Whiting initiating the dissolution process for the four-town school district. The other towns in SAD 77 are Cutler, East Machias and Machiasport.

Last month, Judith Lucarelli, the deputy commissioner of education, met with residents from all four towns to explain what was involved in dissolving a school district and creating a union. Lucarelli said during the meeting that the town that begins the process covers the cost for the first two years and then is paid back by the other towns.

Whiting voters also are being asked what the town should do with the balance of the $20,000 raised during last year’s town meeting to hire a lawyer to represent the town during it’s attempt to withdraw from SAD 77. McHatten said selectmen recently notified members of the withdrawal committee that the withdrawal effort had come to an end and thanked them for their efforts. There is approximately $18,000 left in the withdrawal account and selectmen are recommending that the money be put into surplus.

Among other articles on the warrant are a proposal to raise $30,000 to repair six-tenths of a mile on the Gardner’s Lake Road leading to the Dwelley subdivision and a proposal to raise $5,000 for work on Whiting’s comprehensive plan.

McHatten said the $5,000 would be used as matching funds for a state grant to prepare a comprehensive plan. Town meeting voters approved work on the comprehensive plan last year.

Voters also will decide whether to adopt the proposed Intertidal Zone Protection Ordinance, which would require anyone harvesting seaweed in the intertidal zone to obtain written permission from the shoreland property owner. The first part of town meeting took place March 19. McHatten said Mary Alice Look was elected to the board of selectmen and Reinald Nielsen was elected to the school board.

Grand Lake Stream

The residents of Grand Lake Stream will vote for new assessors during the town meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, March 26. The meeting will be held in the Grand Lake Stream “old school house.”

The vote from the floor will select not only the first, second and third assessors, but also the positions of town clerk, tax clerk, treasurer, and fire chief. Most of the posts probably will be filled by people who occupy the offices now, according to Cathy Bonstein, the town clerk.

There are 40 articles for consideration on the warrant. “Nothing really new there,” Bonstein said. “Just the same articles that are on the warrant every year.”

Perry

The people of Perry will vote to fill a number of positions Monday, March 26, at the Perry Municipal Building. The polls will be open from 1 to 7 p.m.

Positions to be filled are two selectmen-assessors, town clerk, tax clerk, treasurer, and two slots on the Perry school board.

The business meeting is scheduled to be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 27, at the Perry Elementary School.

Robbinston

Residents will be asked to pick their town officers and consider 35 articles on the warrant at the town meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, March 26, at the Robbinston Grade School. Polls open at 1 p.m. and close at 9 p.m.

Positions to be filled include selectmen, town clerk, tax collector, treasurer, road commissioner, and two seats on the school board. Town secretary Linda Murray reported that nearly all the candidates are unopposed, but that there possibly are write-in candidates.

Cooper

Voters will gather at 7 p.m. Monday, March 26, at the Cathance Grange on Route 191 in Cooper to fill a number of governmental positions. John Reisman, Travis Hull and Jeff Crowe are expected to win seats as selectmen. Justin Day, Norman Howe and Hull are expected to fill the three assessor slots. Residents also will be asked to vote for a treasurer, tax collector, town clerk and to fill two seats on the school board.

Dennysville

Residents will be asked to vote to fill a number of offices and consider 29 articles at the town meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, March 26, in the Dennysville Youth Center.

Derek Brown is under considerable friendly pressure from his neighbors to return to his position as selectman, according to Beth Mills, who is expected to fill the position of town clerk. Also on the ballot, Alton Ward is running unopposed for treasurer, Bobbie-Jo Brown is up for property tax collector, and slots for school board and assessors – traditionally held by the selectmen – are open.

One especially important article for consideration is the financial support of the fire department rescue squad, according to Mills.

“The rescue squad now has 12 trained people as responders,” she said. “The squad is very important. As surrounding communities lose their services, they have to rely on Dennysville. It’s essential to have a local squad. And this item will go a ways to keep that service financially afloat.”