The Mount Vernon Select Board has appointed Kerry Casey as treasurer to fill out the balance of the term that ends June 30, 2020.
The treasurer elected to the seat, Marti Gross, died unexpectedly on May 19 at the age of 72.
Casey was the treasurer prior to Gross, from 1998-2001.
Select Board Chairman Paul Crockett said that she has really hit the ground running.
“All the elected officials are quite relieved that Kerry agreed to step into that role,” Crockett said.
During Town Meeting on Saturday, voters will be asked if they approve appropriating $10,000 from the undesignated fund balance to cover costs associated with the changeover of the new treasurer.
“Article 27 was interjected at the last minute as we struggled to recover from the loss of our treasurer,” said Crockett.
He said the town decided to change its accounting and payroll to TRIO, a municipal government software.
“While looking for a new treasurer, we found that most potential candidates were well versed with TRIO and not so much with other financial packages,” said Crockett. “In between treasurers seemed to be the time to finally make that switch.”
He expects it likely the town will need to hold a special town meeting to make up some financial differences incurred during the changeover taking place in the last six weeks of the fiscal year. Along the with software change, the town will have a fresh audit of the town books.
“If the transition-related expenses continue into the 2020 fiscal year that starts July 1, we will use some of the funds appropriated in (Article 27),” he said.
Residents will also be asked if they approve appropriating up to $10,000 from the undesignated fund balance to match Maine Department of Transportation share for culvert and drainage work on North Road, where run-off road salt and sand has been washing directly into Minnehonk Lake.
“It has become a real problem, to the point that a sand delta is forming that impedes fish from swimming up the stream, and boats must use caution,” said Crockett.
The Maine DOT was initially going to to fund the project, he said, but now has requested local matching funds. The department recently announced that it would scale back 15 percent of the projects it anticipated completing when bids came in over projections.
The proposed spending plan for the 2019-2020 fiscal year is $1,388,736.32, an increase of $96,271.32 — or 7.45% — from the current budget of $1,292,465.
Part of this spending increase will be to pay for a new roof at the Town Hall.
The town had been setting money aside for the repairs in capital reserves, Crockett said, but the need for the new roof became immediate.
“This past winter and spring have shown that we cannot wait any longer,” he said. “It was getting worse quicker than we were raising funds.”
The warrant article will ask voters for $22,000 to repair the roof. The cost would also cover a roof over the entryway, which includes a ramp, to lengthen its lifespan and ease winter maintenance.
The exact cost of the work is unknown at this time because the project has not gone out to bid.
Another article will ask the town to join the interlocal agreement or the management of the Belgrade Area Dams. Belgrade, Oakland and Rome are other members.
The Wings Mill Dam is in desperate need of repair, Crockett said.
“It got to a point last fall where the lack of rain combined with the leaking of the Wings Mill dam made it difficult to some folks to remove their boats from Long Pond,” he said.
Crockett said that when area towns purchased the dams from Central Maine Power, Long Pond did not have any significant development on the west shore, so the town declined becoming a member of Belgrade Area Dams. Now there are many valuable waterfront homes and camps there, he said.
The article asks for $6,160 for this year, which would pay for the town’s apportioned share of the dam’s maintenance. Crockett anticipates that cost will decrease next year after the dam has been repaired.
Projected revenues for 2019-2020 are $511,872, a decrease of $10,073 — or 1.93% — from the current fiscal year’s budgeted amount of $521,945.
If everything presented to voters passes, including the Regional School Unit 38 school budget validation vote on Tuesday, taxpayers are looking at a tax increase of about 4.26%.
The expected local share taxpayers will raise is $4,338,722.47, up $177,187.51 from $4,161,534.93. That figure includes Mount Vernon’s RSU 38 assessment, which is proposed to be $3,200,593 up $63,270 or 2.02% from the current fiscal year, which is $3,137,324.
The town’s current tax rate is $17.10 per $1,000 of assessed land. On a $100,000 home, taxes are $1,710 before any exemptions.
Crockett predicts the tax rate could increase to $17.20 for the 2019-2020 fiscal year, but it’s too soon to say for certain.
“We won’t know for sure until later this summer when we firm up the state’s valuation of the town and revenue sharing and then decide on the overlay for the 2020 taxes,” he said.
Voting by secret ballot will take place from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Mount Vernon Community Center. Crockett is running for re-election to the Select Board for a three-year term. The school budget will also be validated at this time.
The rest of the warrant will be decided during the Town Meeting will be at 9 a.m. June 15 at the Mount Vernon Elementary School.
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