Town meetings

Castle Hill

Residents filled three open municipal seats and approved a $220,811 municipal budget during their annual elections and town meeting on Tuesday night, according to Town Manager John Edgecomb. Herman G. Condon, a previous selectman, and incumbent Robert A. Vigue were elected to two available 3-year terms and Maylen C. Kenney garnered a 3-year term as assessor, Edgecomb said Wednesday. During the annual town meeting, voters passed the municipal budget, which had a $4,961 or 2.2 percent increase from last year. With revenues of $199,026, about $196,134 needs to be raised in taxes. Edgecomb said that the main reason for the increase in the 2006 municipal budget was that an in-house revaluation was being conducted for the towns of Castle Hill, Chapman and Mapleton, and that each town was helping to pay for it.

Mapleton

In an annual town meeting that took less than an hour, residents passed a $767,011 municipal budget, which was up about 5 percent from last year, according to Town Manager John Edgecomb. Edgecomb said Wednesday that most of the increase was due to an in-house revaluation which is under way. With the municipal budget up about $38,348 and with the revenue side at $603,145, it leaves $163,866 to be raised through taxes. Edgecomb said that if the town was not going through a revaluation, most residents would have seen approximately the same tax bill they received last year. He added that growth in residential homes helped to offset the budget this year. On the election side, Edgecomb said that residents voted in six people to open municipal seats. Joseph F. Powers garnered a one-year term to the Board of Selectmen. Barry A. Buck and Bonnie L. Steeves ran unopposed and took the two 3-year terms to the Board of Selectmen. Keith E. Doyen was elected to a 3-year term as an assessor. Robert A. Bagley garnered a 3-year term as a sewer district trustee and Jennifer S. Farley was elected to a 2-year term as a trustee.