Town meetings

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Athens

Voters will decide today on a budget that represents a $19,821 decrease from last year’s $387,578 expenditures.

Voters will decide on buying a new $160,000 plow truck. Half of the money for the purchase has been raised.

Even with the approval of every proposed article, Athens would be well under the state spending cap on municipalities.

The town meeting will be at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, March 10, at Athens Elementary School.

Carmel

About 130 people attended the annual town meeting March 3, passing a $1,374,248 budget with $639,000 to be raised through taxes. The budget increased $132,272 from last year.

Voters authorized selectmen to allow the Fire Department to spend no more than $80,000 on a used fire engine.

Joshua Devlin (83 votes) and Douglas Small (73 votes) were elected to three-year terms on the five-seat Board of Selectmen, and Tracy Smith ran unopposed for a spot on the SAD 23 board.

All 35 articles passed, including appropriation of $531,250 toward the public road fund and $44,710 for community activities.

Clifton

Two people are running for the open three-year selectman’s seat; one is running for the school board; and one is running for a one-year selectman’s seat, with one known write-in candidate.

The seats will be decided at the annual town meeting March 17.

The one-year selectman’s seat vacancy is to fill the remaining term of Robert DeChaine, who died in January.

Incumbent Selectman Brian Melvin and resident Lorin LeCleire are running for the three-year term on the board, and Linda Goodrich is the lone person who is running for the open three-year SAD 63 board seat.

Resident Cynthia Grant will be on the ballot for DeChaine’s vacant post, and resident Frances Peasley has decided to be a write-in, administrative assistant Janice Tutt said.

The town’s proposed budget, which will be presented to residents for approval, includes $118,387 for town expenses, administrative salaries and town office expenses; $17,100 for professional services; $21,250 for fire hydrants, streetlights and fire protection through neighboring Eddington; $90,000 for winter road and general road maintenance; $64,293 for waste disposal; and $6,080 in general assistance and club-organization allocations.

Residents will choose a moderator and elect the town leaders between 8 a.m. and noon March 17 at the Clifton Municipal Building. At 1:30 p.m., residents will be asked to gather again at the building to vote on the remaining articles.

Residents will consider whether to change three ordinances. A proposed noise ordinance, a shoreland zoning ordinance, a building site plan review ordinance and a planning board change will be decided at the meeting.

A copy of the proposed ordinances or updated ordinances is available at the Town Hall for review.

Corinna

The annual town meeting is set for today.

Voters will decide whether they want to spend $200,000 on paving expenses and whether they want to change some zoning restrictions to allow senior housing.

The overall budget is about $160,000 more than 2006, but because of increased valuation, the mill rate should remain stable.

The meeting will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 10, at the Corinna Elementary School cafeteria.

Palmyra

The annual town meeting will be held today.

Issues that voters will determine will include siting a dog park, funding road reconstruction and completing renovations to a portable town office.

The renovations include installing a septic system, restroom facilities and a safe. At a special town meeting last summer, voters elected to use the building, which was formerly a portable classroom at Palmyra’s elementary school, as the town office. The main reason was increased space.

Voters will also decide about borrowing $775,000 for improvements to gravel roads or creating a five-year plan that would be funded from surplus.

Another key issue is whether the town’s commercial development ordinance will be changed to require developers to pay for their own solid waste and recyclables.

The $675,440 budget is an increase of $140,000 from last year.

The meeting will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 10, at the Palmyra Consolidated School on Route 2.