Town meetings

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Parkman

A municipal budget that requires a small increase from taxation will be decided at 10:30 a.m. today, at the Grange Hall.

The municipal budget, which does not include county and school costs, requires $215,050 from taxation compared to $211,125 from taxation last year, according to Brenda Hartford, administrative assistant.

“We’ve worked very hard to keep our budget bare bones and to keep our mill rate at an even level,” Hartford said this week.

The current mill rate is $15.80.

Town officials propose to use $94,500 this year from surplus to help reduce the tax commitment. Last year $95,900 was used from surplus.

Election of officers will include a selectman, chairman of the board, a SAD 4 director, road commissioner, a library trustee and a planning board associate.

The registrar of voters will be available at the grange at 10 a.m. for those wishing to register to vote.

Atkinson

Several officers will be elected at the annual town meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, March 17, at the Atkinson Fire Hall.

Positions include town clerk, selectman, tax collector, treasurer, constable, SAD 4 director and Hospital Administrative District 4 director.

Salaries suggested for various offices include: $2,800 for town clerk; $1,200 for chairman of the Board of Selectmen and $600 for the other two selectmen; $1,250 for treasurer; 2.5 percent of taxes collected and $4 from excise taxes per copy for tax collector; $1,000 for animal control officer; and $1,000 and 40 cents per mile each for the road commissioner and code enforcement officer.

Residents will be asked to raise and appropriate $47,000 for general government; $6,000 for fire protection; $19,000 for sanitation; and $147,000 for highways.

As they have in past years, residents will act on a $200 donation to each high school junior from town attending the Close-Up Program in May in Washington, D.C.; a $500 scholarship to each high school senior from town attending higher education; and a $300 donation to each full-time Atkinson college student in their second year of college and up. The funds for the scholarships and donations are funded through the Atkinson School Trust Funds and are not through property taxes.

Residents also will be asked if they wish to repeal the Town of Atkinson Forest Harvesting Ordinance of Nov. 4, 1997, and adopt the state’s timber harvesting standards. The Department of Conservation will provide the assistance to municipalities that adopt the timber harvesting standards.

Revenues of $175,239 are proposed to be used to reduce the 2008 tax commitment.

Monson

A municipal budget that reflects a 3 percent increase has been proposed for this Piscataquis County town.

The budget of $711,751, which excludes school and county costs, will be decided at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 17, at the Monson school.

“We tried to keep everything at a minimum because of the cost of fuel and other costs beyond our control,” Town Manager Julie Anderson said this week.

Some of the budget increase is because the town assumed debt when the North Guilford Road was rehabilitated. The five-year note that expires in 2013 calls for a yearly payment of $12,450, according to Anderson.

Transportation costs to haul the town’s garbage to the Penobscot Energy Recovery Corp. also increased by 3.6 percent.

In addition to budget adoption, residents will elect a selectman, two members of the gym committee, a member of the Monson Utilities District, two members to the Monson Planning Board and one alternate, and two members to the Monson Board of Appeals.

Brownville

The use of $80,000 from surplus for the rehabilitation of the town garage will be up for action at the annual town meeting.

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. Monday, March 17, at the Brownville Elementary School. Residents should note the change in meeting place from the town warrant.

Polls will be open from noon to 5 p.m. at the school for the election of two selectmen, a SAD 41 board member and two budget committee members.

Regarding the renovation of the garage, estimates have placed the cost of the roof at $55,000, heating and hot water at $10,000, and electrical work at $15,000.

Residents also will be asked to appropriate $9,940 from surplus to send an officer to the Maine Criminal Justice Academy and an additional $4,720 from surplus to be combined with $8,500 from the cruiser account for the purchase of a police cruiser. (Diana Bowley, BDN)