WALDO COUNTY - The third week in March is typically one of biggest for town meetings in Waldo County. This weekend, six towns — Brooks, Burnham, Knox, Morrill, Jackson and Thorndike — will hold elections, pass budgets and hit other high points of municipal business. If you attend only one local government meeting this year, the town meeting should be the one.

Some municipalities hold elections on the Friday before the Saturday town meeting. Some conduct elections at the town meeting taking nominations for selectmen and other municipal officers from the floor.

Brooks 

Elections: at town meeting, nominations from the floor.
Town meeting: Saturday, March 21, 1 p.m. at Morse Memorial Elementary School.

Voters will elect one member of the board of selectmen. Selectman Arthur Butler, currently in his third three-year term, holds the seat and is expected to seek re-election.

Burnham

Elections: Friday, March 20, 2 p.m.-7 p.m. at the town office (Reynolds Corner Municipal Building)
Town meeting: Saturday, March 21, 1 p.m. Reynolds Corner Municipal Building

Selectman Stuart Huff is running for re–election against Brent Chase. Huff has served 15 years on the town’s Board of Selectmen. Road Commissioner Robert “Charlie” King is seeking re-election against former road commissioner Roger Huff. Treasurer Arlene Miles, who has served in the position for 63 years, is running for re-election.

Town Clerk Stacy Patterson said there are no bombshells on the warrant this year. Several articles involve raising money for bicentennial events. There are “a couple new culverts,” she said. “Everything else is pretty much the same.”

Knox

Elections: Friday, March 20, 4 p.m.-8 p.m. at the town office
Town Meeting: Saturday, March 21, 10 a.m. at the town office

Second Selectman Jeffrey Stevens and Regional School Unit 3 director Garret Hubbard are each running unopposed for re-election.

If everything on the warrant goes through as proposed, the budget will increase some, according to Town Clerk Carol Wentworth. However, the exact bottom line won't be known on Saturday as the town is delaying a decision on snow plowing. Wentworth said the current contractor is not continuing. Town officials are expected to put the work out to bid in April and will convene a special town meeting sometime after that to award the contract. 

“Obviously for a small town like Knox, the snow plowing is a major expense,” she said. “So we won't know our final town budget until that special town meeting.”

Otherwise, the warrant is fairly straightforward, she said. There are some proposed changes to the building ordinance, along with a new FEMA flood plain management ordinance that all towns are working into their local codes this year.

“Hopefully it's going to be a quiet meeting and we'll be home by noon," she said.

Morrill 

Elections: at town meeting, nominations from the floor.
Town Meeting: Saturday, March 21, at the Morrill Community Hall. 

First Selectman Thomas Flack is running unopposed for re-election. Flack has served roughly 5 years on the board of selectmen — one partial term filling a vacancy followed by a full three-year term.

Joyce Scott, the town’s accounts manager, said the condition of roads may be a major point of discussion at this year’s meeting. Like many towns, Scott said Morrill has put off paving for lack of money. "It's because the school system has been so expensive, frankly, that we haven't been able to take it on,” she said. Last year the town’s mill rate went up roughly three points to 20.7 (dollars per $1,000 of property value).

Jackson

Elections: at town meeting, nominations from the floor.
Town Meeting: Saturday, March 21, 9:30 a.m. at the Jackson Community center.

Voters will pick one selectman on Saturday. Joe Laliberte currently holds the seat. Selectmen serve three-year terms.

A proposal to double the road improvement fund from $50,000 to $100,000 is a stand out on this year’s warrant, according to Town Clerk Brenda Dennison.

Thorndike

Elections: at town meeting, nominations from the floor.
Town Meeting: Saturday, March 21, 9:30 a.m. at the town office.

Selectman Jim Bennett said the proposed municipal budget is essentially level with last year, but noted that, as always, property taxes could be affected by the school budget.

One of the more significant items on Saturday’s warrant, Bennett said, will be a proposal to start charging interest on property taxes 60 days after bills are sent out, which is typically in July. Currently, the town doesn’t charge interest until Jan. 1 of the following year, which Bennett said unnecessarily holds up payments.

“You can’t have every big taxpayer in town paying just before that,” he said. “We need the money in the summer,” for roads and other regular municipal expenses. Bennett said banks typically pay as late as possible. As a result any tax payments bundled in escrow with mortgages often don’t arrive until the end of December.

Contact Ethan Andrews at: news@penbaypilot.com