Westfield

The 46 residents who attended the 50-minute annual town meeting last week changed the way members of the board of appeals take their positions.

In the past, members were elected to the board. Now they are appointed by selectmen to three-year staggered terms as stipulated in the town’s land use ordinance.

Voters elected Jim Kinney to a three-year term on that board.

First selectman Richard Watson said the town might need an additional $12,000 to $15,000 in taxes, or three-quarters of a mill, to support budgets for town government, education and county taxes.

“Last year we went up a quarter of a mill, but before that, we kept it steady for four years, or went down a little,” he said Tuesday.

The tax rate of $18.25 per $1,000 in property valuation might go to $19, he said.

Voters took $15,000 less from surplus this year, instead of the $65,000 they transferred last year, leaving $104,000 in that account.

The municipal budget of $486,555 included about $4,000 more for summer road work and the equipment reserve accounts.

Voters re-elected Watson to his position for three more years and Susan Fulton to third selectman for three years.

Blaine

At the annual town meeting March 24, voters elected incumbent Stephen Stiles and Peter Cheney to three-year terms for selectman, assessor and overseer of the poor.

Shawn Gillen was elected to a three-year seat on the SAD 42 board of directors.

During the 55-minute session, 44 voters appropriated $176,958 to run their town government, a sum that is up about $3,800.

As member-users of the W.T.A. Hansen Memorial Library in Mars Hill, voters gave $2,700 more this year, totaling $5,200 toward expenses there. The budget also reflected a small increase in the fuel account.

With the completion of two town projects last year – constructing sidewalks and the veterans memorial – voters didn’t need to transfer as much from the surplus fund as in the past.

Delmar Clark, town manager for a dozen years in this community of 820 people, doesn’t expect any change to the tax rate of $18.50 per $1,000 in property valuation.

Education costs should be about the same as last year’s $250,799, he said. The county tax, which was $24,250, may be up a little, he added.

– Compiled by Gloria Flannery