Canaan voters at Town Meeting on Saturday can expect to see modest increases in spending if all articles are passed as proposed. The meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday at Canaan Elementary School on Main Street, with voting from the floor of the meeting.
Voting for the election of town officers is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday at the Canaan Town Office. On the Monday ballot, the three incumbent selectmen — Garrett Buzzell, Jeffrey Clarke and Daniel Harriman — are up for re-election for a one-year term. Michael Gilbert Sr. is also on the ballot as the lone challenger.
On the ballot for a Canaan seat on the School Administrative District 54 board of directors is an incumbent director, Dixie Ring, the current board chairwoman.
“I have been on the board for nine years,” Ring said. “I have done a good job in those years for kids and always worked to put out a responsible budget.”
According to posts on social media, Canaan resident Scot Dunbar has offered his name as a write-in candidate for the seat. Dunbar is among those who want to revisit a recent vote by the school board to retire the “Indians” nickname for SAD 54 sports teams. Ring voted to change the name.
In Town Meeting voting last year, residents approved a budget of $1,269,177, according to Canaan Town Clerk Denise Stetkis. If all articles pass as written Saturday, that figure could increase to about $1,406,250.
The tax rate going into Saturday’s meeting is $16.30 for every $1,000 in property valuation. The final tax rate for the coming year will not be known until the county tax and school spending share are calculated in May and June.
Stetkis said the increases in spending are seen in various articles across the board, including mandated wage increases for the road crew and people who work for the town sexton in cemeteries.
Canaan residents also will be asked to vote on two proposed town ordinances Saturday.
Craig Haevey, left, and Steve Hale, right, cast their votes March 17, 2018, on an article during the Canaan Town Meeting at Canaan Elementary School. Town Meeting this year scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday at the school, and elections are set for 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday at the Town Office. Morning Sentinel file photo by Michael G. Seamans
A proposed sign ordinance would regulate the placement of business and institutional signs in Canaan to protect the general welfare of resident and visitors.
A proposed property maintenance ordinance would require all grounds to be maintained to prevent unsafe and unsanitary conditions “to avoid any adverse effect on the value of adjoining properties.” The requirements would include structures such as garages and sheds.
Proposed spending articles to be voted on include $349,601 for town expenses; a pay rate of $17.50 per hour, not to exceed $37,000 per year, for the road commissioner; $14.50 an hour for the road crew and miscellaneous labor; and $16 an hour for truck drivers and equipment operators.
Canaan residents also will be asked to spend $175,000 to continue road improvements, $35,983 to pay the lease on the 2018 plow truck and $35,000 toward the replacement or rebuilding of the bridge on Moores Mill Road, to be placed in a reserve account.
Voters also will be asked to appropriate $162,700 for winter roads, $99,900 for summer roads, $71,500 for the Fire Department and $117,200 for solid waste reduction. Residents also will vote on proposals to appropriate $375,000 from excise taxes for highway expenditures and $325,000 from surplus to reduce 2019 taxes.
Doug Harlow — 612-2367
dharlow@centralmaine.com
Twitter:@Doug_Harlow
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