Crystal

The town manager has called for a special town meeting and elections to seat three people in the positions of selectman, assessor and overseer of the poor.

The polls will be open from 12:30 to 6 p.m. Thursday, May 8, at the town office. A business meeting will follow at 7:30 p.m. at the Wesleyan Church.

Joanne Cimon, who has been town manager since February, posted the notice on Monday in a special procedure to shorten the nominating process for candidates.

“We need to get someone in here as soon as possible,” Cimon said Monday. “We can’t get any business done with two selectmen.”

Last year, voters increased membership from three to five members on the Board of Selectmen.

In addition to the need for two more members to make up the larger board, Selectman Henry Joy resigned last year and Selectman Sharon Grant, who took office a year ago, resigned April 10.

At the March 31 elections, Jamie Main was elected by write-in votes to the seat vacated by Joy. Linda York, who ran for that seat, was defeated.

Main also was a successful candidate for one of the empty seats, which he declined after taking Joy’s seat.

Brian Wing was elected by write-in votes to one of the seats but declined.

Cimon explained that two one-year selectman seats remained empty after the elections. When Grant resigned last week, her two-year unexpired term also became available.

Phyllis Chambers, sworn in a year ago and re-elected last month, is the only other selectman.

“We can legally shorten the nomination period to as low as 10 days for the filing deadline for nomination papers, but still must have 14 days prior to the election,” Cimon said. “Nomination papers available [Monday] must be returned by April 23. Absentee ballots will be available on April 25.”

The 30 voters at the three-hour annual meeting on March 31 also agreed to borrow $60,000 over a five-year period at 5 percent interest and with an annual payback of $13,600.

“We have serious financial concerns and want to use the money to pay debts,” Cimon said. “The shortfall is the result of not raising enough money in taxes in past years. We need to make that up, somehow.”

Voters raised $49,605 through taxation at the town meeting. That sum with $79,445 in anticipated revenues will comprise the $129,050 budget needed to run town government, she said.

Contracts with the towns of Patten and Island Falls were renewed for ambulance service and fire protection.

The account for tax abatements was reduced from $10,148 to $5,600.

Incumbent Cindy Emery was re-elected to a three-year term on the Southern Aroostook Community School board of directors.

Cimon was unsure of how much would be required for education and county taxes.

St. Francis

Voters at the April 1 town meeting adopted a $141,632 municipal budget, up by $1,881.

First Selectman Charles Ouellette said Monday the budget included an increase of $881 in the $6,066 contract for ambulance service with the town of Fort Kent.

The increase also included $500 more for heat and utilities, bringing that budget up to $5,500.

Voters also gave the volunteer fire department another $500, for a total expenditure of $9,000 in that department.

Ouellette said voters appropriated $2,000 for upkeep of the town’s 2.2 miles of roads. The snow removal contract was $9,300.

Office expenses including supplies and equipment were budgeted at $2,300.

The salaries account, at $15,800, was unchanged from a year ago.

Town officials are still waiting for the education budget to come in. They estimate county taxes at $22,727 – an increase of $3,339.

“If there is an increase in property tax, it will be very slight,” Ouellette said. The tax rate is $13.40 per $1,000 in property valuation.

At the March 31 polls, incumbent Charles Ouellette was elected, with 197 votes, to his 13th year as first selectman. He defeated Cheryl Kelley, who had 53 votes.

Incumbent Denny Nadeau was re-elected to his 12th year as second selectman with 159 votes, defeating Chorinna O’Leary, who had 90 votes.

Incumbent Louise Martin also was re-elected, with 242 votes, to her 12th year as third selectman. She was unopposed.

– Compiled by Gloria Flannery