VIENNA — Voters overwhelmingly opposed on Saturday the town spending almost $4,000 to paint a double yellow line on a town road.
All of the other 54 warrant articles at Town Meeting passed with little opposition.
The only article that produced any real debate and opposition, Article 27, asked whether the town should appropriate $3,900 to paint the lines on a 6-mile stretch of Tower Road. Selectman Chris Smith said residents have complained about the speed of vehicles on the road, but he said the double yellow line wouldn’t stop that.
“There have been a number of accidents (there) and people have a tendency to cross into the opposing lane,” Smith said.
John Archard said he’s been driving on that road any many other rural roads for years, and he said he didn’t understand why the double yellow line was necessary.
The town road, which winds from Mount Vernon at its south end to where it intersects with Route 41, has been the site of two fatal accidents in recent years. However, almost everyone in attendance raised their hand in opposition to the proposal.
Overall, Vienna voters considered new requests from elected officials, including approval to appropriate $571,751 to pay the costs of running town government for another year.
While it’s too soon to what the property tax rate will be for the coming year because the Regional School Unit 9 district budget hasn’t been determined, the town’s portion isn’t expected to change much.
The 2017 tax rate is $18.45 per $1,000 of assessed value, On a house valued at $160,000, the homeowner would pay a little more than $2,700 in property tax before any exemptions.
Among the other approved items on the warrant are requests for $14,141 for debt service on the town’s firetruck, $35,500 for operating expenses for the Vienna Fire Department, and $94,000 for the paving account — $70,000 of which would be appropriated, with the balance coming from the state Local Road Assistance Grant.
In addition to fiscal matters, residents also approved two proposed ordinance changes.
The first revised setbacks in the subdivision regulations. Minimum lot sizes would remain at 2 acres, but the setback from the road would be reduced from 50 feet to 15 feet from the road right of way limits or 40 feet from existing traveled ways, and the setback from property lines would be reduced from 20 feet to 15 feet.
The second amended the town’s Shoreland Ordinance to replace “floor area” limitations with “footprint” limitations as described in the state’s model ordinance.
Moderator Steve Hayes, of Readfield, kept the meeting moving and completed the task of reading all 55 warrant items in less than an hour. More than 40 people attended the meeting at the Community Center. Voting was held Friday for four elective positions, and all four incumbents ran unopposed.
Daniel Goucher won a three-year term as road commissioner, Jeffrey Rackliff was re-elected to a three-year term as third selectman, Annie Tibbetts got a new three-year term as town clerk and tax collector, and Martha Gross was re-elected to a three-year term as treasurer. Forty-nine votes were cast, and for the first time ever, there were no write-in votes, Hayes said.
Jason Pafundi — 621-5663
Twitter: @jasonpafundiKJ
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