Voters at the annual Town Meeting on Saturday will be asked to elect three selectmen to office for the coming year, to borrow money for town roads and to either amend, enact or repeal several town ordinances.

The meeting and elections from the floor of the meeting are set for 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the Thorndike Town Office.

The town has been run by two selectmen, Larry Ward and Larry Hustus, since the death of longtime Thorndike Selectman Jim Bennett last year.

Ward and Hustus decided not to fill the vacancy until this year’s Town Meeting.

Bennett died unexpectedly June 21 after he was re-elected to his seat on the board in March. The decision whether to fill a vacancy on the board is made by its members. Thorndike doesn’t have a town charter that spells out how to fill a board vacancy.

Three people will be nominated from the floor of the meeting Saturday for the three seats on the Board of Selectmen.

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The annual town budget was approved at last year’s Town Meeting at $380,892, up from the $374,392 originally proposed. Of the total budget, $183,240 was raised from municipal taxes, $197,652 from other revenue and savings accounts.

Total projected spending figures for the coming year were not available Wednesday.

Voters will be asked to appropriate from taxation $70,385 as the annual payment on current debt for road paving and to borrow money in six different bonds to pave sections of five roads: Knox Station Road, East Thorndike Road, Reynolds Road, Files Hill Road and Palmer Road.

Possible changes to 10 town ordinances, including land use, subdivisions and wind energy, also will be debated during Saturday’s meeting.

In proposed spending articles, voters will be asked to raise $37,200 for general government, including salaries for town officials; $30,737 for fire protection; $25,000 for trash collection; $65,000 for summer roads; and $165,000 for winter roads.

Doug Harlow — 612-2367

dharlow@centralmaine.com

Twitter:@Doug_Harlow


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