For the first time, all 57 articles on the Readfield Town Meeting warrant will be decided by secret ballot June 9 at the polls.

So in order to inform the voters, the Select Board has scheduled two public hearings 6-8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday at the Town Office. Town officials also posted an informational sheet on the town’s website describing in more details the various articles and indicating whether the board and the Budget Committee are in favor of passage.

The last article is particularly crucial. It asks whether voters wish to continue with this style of voting next year.

The change in voting style is a result of efforts last year led by Eugene Carbona Jr., who is one of four candidates seeking two seats on the Readfield selectboard.

Teresa Shaw, acting town manager, said the overall budget for the town should be lower this year if all the articles are adopted as written “because they used so much of the undesignated fund balance.”

One article proposes using $250,183 from that category to reduce the total tax commitment. The Budget Committee is opposed to that. Last year, $100,000 was used.

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The selectboard and the budget committee members differ on a few other articles as well.

The Budget Committee wants to add $7,000 extra to the $43,146 already proposed to cover the category “General Government for Assessing and Code Enforcement/Plumbing Inspector/Building Inspector,” citing an anticipated increase in the demand for services.

Among the more unusual articles is one asking voters to accept and appropriate $2,700 for Readfield Trails Committee projects. The full amount was donated by resident Dana Therrien, according to Shaw.

“He said he and his wife just enjoy the trails,” she said.

The trails budget was the subject of heated discussion last year at the Town Meeting before it was adopted as proposed.

The boards differ also on a $528,838 allocation for the roads and drainage budget, with unspent funds to move into the summer roads budget, and a $35,200 appropriation for capital improvements for equipment and the Maranacook Dam budget.

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Voters also will be asked whether to appropriate funds to cover all overdrafts from the unassigned fund balance. The article is supported by the selectboard but opposed by the Budget Committee.

Shaw recommends that people allow for extra time in the voting booth. Several people who already voted by absentee ballot at the Town Office took about 25 minutes to do so, she said.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams


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