Skowhegan Road Commissioner Jason Finley Photo courtesy of Jason Finley

SKOWHEGAN — The Board of Selectmen set the typical mid-June date for the annual town meeting, after considering debate over whether to move it to May this year.

The board set the date for Monday, June 9. The municipal election is to follow Tuesday, June 10.

Setting the date was not on the board’s meeting agenda Tuesday, but Road Commissioner Jason Finley asked the board to make a decision as soon as possible so he can send the town’s paving contract out to bid. Finley said he had no opinion about when town meeting should be held but needs to have a date to include in the request for bids because contractors are told that payment is contingent on approval of spending at town meeting.

There was uncertainty in recent weeks about when the 2025 town meeting would be held after Town Manager Dawn DiBlasi proposed at the board’s Feb. 25 meeting that the town move it to May this year, and then incrementally earlier in future years.

DiBlasi said then, and reiterated the same argument Tuesday, that getting the budget done earlier in the calendar year would free up town staff to do other important work; allow for more time to rearrange the budget before the beginning of the fiscal year July 1 if voters reject any spending; let the town send contracts out to bid earlier in the year, with the hope that would attract more bidders who plan their work far in advance; and give residents more time to anticipate their fall tax bill.

Town officials who disagreed with DiBlasi, who was hired in April 2024, also rehashed their arguments at Tuesday’s meeting.

Town Clerk and Treasurer Gail Pelotte said town office staff have a lot of work to do to prepare for town meeting, such as compiling financial information and assembling the town report.

And changing the date of town meeting, which takes place typically around the same time every year, may raise suspicion from town residents who wonder about town officials’ motivations, Pelotte said.

Skowhegan changed its town meeting date from March to June in 2007, when it changed its fiscal year to July 1-June 30, instead of following the calendar year, Pelotte said. Most towns that hold town meetings in March follow the calendar year for their finances, and operate without an approved budget for the first few months of the year.

Trisha Austin, finance and human resources director, told the select board that while she was not arguing for or against moving the date, her office is busy and moving town meeting earlier this year may be a challenge because union negotiations for town employees are ongoing. Once negotiations are complete, Austin said she has to calculate wages and benefits for 76 employees, which takes a significant amount of time.

Select board Chairman Paul York tried to entertain DiBlasi’s proposal, making a motion to set the date for May 19.

That motion failed, with a 2-2 tie, and a subsequent vote for the June 9 date passed 4-0.

In making the motion for the June 9 date, select board member Amber Lambke indicated that town officials would consider DiBlasi’s proposal to move the date earlier next year, to allow for more time to plan that change well in advance. The other members in attendance — York, Elijah Soll and Whitney Cunliffe — were in consensus.

As a related matter, the board also set its annual all-day joint meeting with the Budget Committee for Saturday, April 5. At that meeting, the board and the committee review each department’s proposed budget and then vote on the amount of money to include in each town meeting warrant article.

Nomination papers for the June municipal election are available at the municipal building, 225 Water St., and due back Friday, April 11. Candidates must collect between 25 and 100 signatures of registered Skowhegan voters.

Positions up for election are: two seats on the Board of Selectmen, one seat on the Board of Assessors, one overseer of the poor, one Coburn Park commissioner and three Maine School Administrative District 54 directors. All have three-year terms.