Town meetings

Washington

After more than a decade serving as selectman of Washington in Knox County, Douglas Daniel was knocked out by a competitor.

At the polls Friday, newcomer Kathleen Ocean defeated Daniel, 195-119, according to Town Clerk Cheryl Ten Broeck.

Ocean has been active in community and library activities, Ten Broeck said. She owns Washington Village Massage & Wellness Center.

Ten Broeck, who also serves as the town’s treasurer, was re-elected to a one-year term by a 217-80 vote against Christine Luce, who ran as a write-in candidate.

One of several land-use ordinance amendments failed at the polls.

A change to the mining ordinance, which would have increased the amount of material that could be excavated, was defeated, 196-107, according to Ten Broeck.

About 80 people attended the Saturday town meeting. Essentially, the 2005 proposed budget remained intact when voters approved the warrant. Several money items had minor adjustments, mostly due to typographical errors.

The roughly $712,700, which includes spending $124,904 for the town’s share of Knox County costs and $51,168 for road improvements, was approved.

The road costs will be paid for through a block grant. The town’s share of SAD 40 expenses is not yet known. Last year, Washington’s share of education costs was roughly $984,542.

The amount of general fund revenues to be applied to the budget to reduce taxes is $376,301.

The town’s 2004 tax rate is $16 per $1,000 of assessed value, Ten Broeck said, noting the 2005 rate will not be known until July. (Leanne M. Robicheau, BDN)

Franklin

Residents rejected a measure Saturday that would have allowed for the hiring of a full-time administrative assistant during Franklin’s annual town meeting, which lasted nearly six hours.

Town Clerk Robert Fernald said the proposal was defeated by roughly 20 votes. The position was suggested as a way to keep up with the demands of a growing town, First Selectman Steve Walton had said.

About 100 people attended the meeting, which carried a 74-article warrant.

Residents also voted to raise $237,861 in property taxes for the 2005-06 municipal budget. A separate meeting to appropriate school funding will be held in June.

One of the more controversial items on the warrant was the contract for snowplowing and sanding, which was awarded to City Line Sand & Gravel in Hancock for the first time.

The five-year contract is worth $62,500. It had been held for the past nine years by Gerard Goodwin of Franklin.

Fernald was re-elected town clerk, a position he has held since 1993. Both his father, Lloyd, and his mother, Dorothy, previously served as clerks to the town.

Douglas Hitchings defeated Vena “Teddy” Giles for the third selectman’s spot. Bruce Carter and Emery DeBeck will continue as tax assessor and treasurer, respectively. Nancy Glista received 47 write-in votes for a three-year term on the school board. Robert Grindle was re-elected fire chief and Carol Young was re-elected tax collector.

Voters also agreed to authorize selectmen to apply for a Community Development Block Grant of up to $400,000 on behalf of Seabait LLC. If received, the grant would be used to build a new business facility on Salmon Road.

They also approved spending $90,000 for property revaluations. The funds will come from a surplus in the 2004-05 budget, meaning the expense will have no effect on property taxes this year.

Residents agreed to spend $5,000 to repair the Macomber Mills Road and gave $1,200 instead of the requested $600 for the town’s annual Memorial Day services.

A proposal to build a records storage vault at the community center was tabled. (Wendy M. Fontaine, BDN)