Ludlow

Annual meeting voters have given town officials permission to borrow up to $180,000 to pave the last 3.5 miles of Ludlow Road.

The 38 voters at the Monday night meeting spent two hours deciding town requests and raised $8,000 more in taxes than they did for last year’s municipal expenditures.

Mary Beth Foley, town manager, said Tuesday the increased spending that required a $161,205 tax appropriation included nearly $5,000 in maintenance costs for the building housing the town office.

The town was left to assume total expenses associated with the former Moose Brook school when the Aroostook County Action Program closed its Head Start program, also located there.

General inflation costs reflected in a few of the other departments accounted for the remainder of the budget hike, said Foley.

She hopes greater withdrawals from the state revenue sharing and excise tax accounts will offset budget increases and hold the tax rate at its present level or drop it a little. However, the bills yet to be received for education and county taxes will determine the final figure, she added.

The tax rate set last year was $21.50 per $1,000 in property valuation.

Fees for insurance policies were up some but not significantly, said Foley. Contracts with the town of Houlton lowered the cost of fire protection to Ludlow by $800 and raised the cost for ambulance service by about $50.

Voters kept the roads account at $62,000 to maintain roads during the winter and at $20,000 to take care of roads in the summer.

They also lengthened the town clerk’s position to a three-year term instead of the traditional one-year period. The change will become effective after the 2003 elections.

At the afternoon polls, incumbent Darrell Barton was returned to office as a selectman for three years, defeating challenger Ted Ivey, 20-12.

Karen Beaulieu was unopposed for re-election as town clerk.

Melissa Ivey was unopposed for the three-year term on the SAD 70 board of directors.

– Compiled by Gloria Flannery