June is when many Maine citizens weigh how much to spend on school budgets, and polls are open on Election Day for voters to cast ballots on other business, including municipal and county budgets.

The longtime tradition of a March Town Meeting was changed dramatically decades ago when education and municipal budgets adopted a July-June budget cycle. Some town meetings then went to a June schedule. The scenario has changed once again, with some towns doing away with in-person town meeting altogether, or scheduling them in May, or July or even August. Every municipality has its own schedule.

One constant remains: Voters ultimately decide whether to approve the budgets, which directly affect their property taxes. And they decide on how they want to govern their town. Many towns are busy with a variety of ordinance amendments, policy changes and developments (should Camden approve pot shops downtown? What future will Thomaston craft for its Town Green? Will Rockport approve a new community park and build a new West Rockport fire station?)

Appleton, Camden, Rockport and Union have done away with the in-person town meeting, which traditionally was soon after the Tuesday June elections. This means that all municipal business, from budgets to policy initiatives and changes in those towns will now be addressed at the polls on Voting Day, Tuesday, June 13. If voters ever decide to bring back their in-person town meetings, they can organize to change the policy.

This is not a year for political primaries, although voters in Waldoboro will be considering at the polls a race for the state Legislature. Republican Abden Simmons and Democrat Wendy Pieh are running for the House District 45 (Friendship/ Washington/ Bremen/ Louds Island Township/ Waldoboro ) seat, which was vacated by Clinton Collamore, D-Waldoboro.

And Waldoboro has even created a resourceful Voter Guide to help voters get informed.