GARLAND – Residents will decide at the annual town meeting Saturday whether to have a state-certified professional assessor do the town’s assessing instead of a local committee of three, starting in 2006.

The article was requested by individuals who feel the work should be done by a professionally trained individual, according to Joe Baldwin, chairman of the Board of Selectmen.

Also on Saturday, residents will act on a resident’s request to form a committee to study the feasibility of building a community center.

Baldwin said a community center would be expensive to build and maintain, but said it would be up to residents to decide whether to form the committee.

The proposed municipal budget of $404,235 reflects an increase of about $3,700 over this year’s budget. Baldwin said the municipal budget likely will not affect the mill rate of $18.40 per $1,000 valuation. What will affect the budget, he said, are the school and county costs, which have not yet been factored into the budget.

Elections will include a town clerk to replace Dot Robinson, who is retiring, a selectman to replace Baldwin, who is retiring; two assessors; and a school board director.

The annual town meeting will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 12, at the Grange Hall.