SEARSPORT - A vote Saturday on what was arguably the biggest item on the warrant at Searsport's annual town meeting — an allocation of up to $762,000 for a new North Searsport fire station — had to be rescheduled after town firefighters were called away to a fire.

Town Manager James Gillway said he and several others had spoken about the fire station appropriation and a related vote on the land for the new building when a call came in for a possible wood stove fire. The vote was pushed back in hopes that the firefighters might return, but was ultimately rescheduled to a special town meeting to be held in June.

"It could have been very involved so we didn't know. Some of them did get back by the end of the meeting, but by then other people had left," Gillway said.

Another big ticket item on the warrant was a request to use $300,000 as matching funds for a Small Harbors Improvement Program grant. Gillway said resident Steve Tanguay motioned to up the sum to $600,000 and the new figure was approved. The understanding, the town manager said, was that Searsport might not get the grant and would need the money for either the wharf improvements or the new fire house.

Voters also approved an $84,000 expense to remount the town's ambulance box onto a new chassis.

The bottom line on the budget was up less than 2-percent over last year, Gillway said.

Several updates were approved to the town ordinance defining the fire department designed to reflect the current hierarchy and to give the authority over fire chief appointments, previously the job of the town manager, to the Select Board. 

The Searsport meeting was attended by 120 residents, a figure Gillway said was unusually low. 

"Last year was a record, over 500," he said. "This year we set a record in the other direction, unfortunately.”

Residents approved a revised ordinance for signs that change automatically based on a new sign at Hamilton Marine. State law allows signs to change every 20 minutes unless municipalities approve a different standard. Searsport brought the interval down to once every 20 seconds, which Gillway said is consistent with many other municipalities.

“At 20 minutes, they don’t change at all. The passerby ... the driver doesn't get to see anything different,” he said.

Gillway noted that his favorite article was the last of the meeting, which called for an $850 appropriation for a plaque commemorating World War II veterans. Before the vote, Gillway said town historian Charlene Farris announced that a campaign to raise the money, started in December, had met its goal and hence the article was no longer necessary.

Gillway said the plaque will be installed in Union Hall and get an official unveiling on July 3 as part of Independence Day festivities.

The town held its municipal elections last week. After the votes were tallied and recounted, Meredith Ares defeated Travis Otis by a single vote 155-154 for a seat on the Select Board held by Roland Lareau who did not seek re-election.

Swanville's annual town meeting was also held on Saturday.

PenBay Pilot was unable to obtain bottom line figures and election results on Monday morning, however Selectman Brian Thompson provided some details on the meeting.

Thompson said the discussion, as in past years, was on roads and social services. Swanville stopped giving money to outside social service agencies several years ago in favor of a donation option included with resident's tax bills.

"Many people in town don’t think it’s right to make taxpayers contribute to social services they don’t agree with," Thompson said, describing the town's move away from funding social services.

Thompson said the optional contribution feature of the tax bill was dropped after the first year when a total of $1,300 was collected and it was deemed too expensive to manage for the amount of money coming in.

Swanville received a total of $17,369 in requests from 15 organizations this year including the Waldo County YMCA, Waldo Community Action Partners, New Hope for Women, MPBN, the Belfast Free Library, Habitat for Humanity, Lifeflight and the Swan Lake Association. 

The Select Board and budget committee each recommended no funding for any of the organizations and voters agreed.

Thompson confirmed that the town appropriated money for road repairs but said he did not have a figure on hand.

“They raised money for roads," he said. "Not enough, but they raised money.”

Ethan Andrews can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com