Over 100 show up at Charlotte meeting

Over 100 people attended Charlotte's annual town meeting at the fire station on August 20. There were 90 voting residents from the town. Residents eligible to vote were given a pink card that had to be held up for the ballot clerks to count. Fifty people were allowed inside the building, and some of the overhead doors were open to allow the others sitting in vehicles or chairs outside to hear. There were 37 articles to be discussed and voted on. These articles included all the articles that are usually voted on at the March town meeting and the articles on the school budget that have been voted on for the last few years at a special town meeting in July.
The voters raised and appropriated $623,528 and appropriated $125,000 from other accounts to take care of the needs of the town in approximately three and a half hours. Last year a total of $624,258 was raised and $75,000 was taken from the excise account. In total, the town raised and appropriated $730 less this year than last year.
Robert Moholland served as moderator for the meeting, and Janice Scanlon was reelected as the town clerk for the ensuing year. Under Article 3, the annual salaries for municipal officers were voted to remain the same as last year.
Ernest James and David Bibber were nominated to serve on the board of selectmen for a three-year term. James received the majority of the votes and was reelected. Angela Cook was nominated and reelected as treasurer for one year, as was Janice Scanlon to serve as tax collector for one year. Herbert Clark and David Frost were nominated as an assessor for three years, and Clark was reelected to that position. Krista Vining and David Bibber were nominated for a three year team on the school committee, and Vining was reelected. The selectmen and Kenneth Carter were nominated as the road commissioner, and the selectmen, David Frost, Ernest James and Edward Sawyer, were elected to that position for one year. Larry Colarusso was reelected as superintendent of cemeteries for one year. Jeff Orchard was reelected to the planning board for three years, Nancy Fennell was reelected to the conservation committee for three years, and Krista Vining was reelected to the zoning board of appeals for three years. It was voted that all other positions including animal control officer, code enforcement officer, plumbing inspector, bookkeeper, registrar of voters, health officer, public access officer and emergency management director may be appointed by the selectmen for one year.
Money raised and appropriated under Article 5 was $55,000 for town administration, which is the same amount as last year.
All 14 articles dealing with the school budget passed at the meeting, with one change of $200 in an article. The very first article took the longest to pass, as there were many questions, which were addressed by Superintendent Kenneth Johnson. Articles 24 through 34 asked residents to authorize the school committee to expend $479,250 for regular education, $115,676 for special education, $2,047 for other instruction, $5,400 for student and staff support, $52,507 for system administration, $33,903 for school administration, $65,330 for transportation and buses, $72,780 for facilities maintenance and $119,111 for all other expenditures.
The voters appropriated $591,410 and raised $232,312 under Article 35 as the town's contribution to the total cost of funding public education for grades Kindergarten through 12 as described in the Essential Programs and Services Funding Act, which is an increase of $3,784.
Under Article 36, the town was asked to raise and appropriate $166,239 in additional local funds that exceeds the state's Essential Programs and Services funding model, which is an increase of $44,325. It was voted to raise and appropriate $141,239 and to take $25,000 from the surplus account for this funding.
In articles 35 and 36, it was voted to raise $23,109 more than last year to support the funding of grades Kindergarten through 12 for 2020 2021.
Under Article 37, it was voted to authorize the school committee to expend $946,005, an increase of $32,752 for the 2020-2021 year.
Under articles 6 and 7, $30,000 was raised and $40,000 was appropriated from the auto excise tax account for town roads for a total of $70,000, which is an increase of $20,000; $110,000 was raised and $40,000 was appropriated from the auto excise tax account for snow removal for a total of $150,000, which is a $5,000 decrease; and $10,000 was raised for ambulance services, which is the same as last year.
Money raised and appropriated under articles 9 through 11 included $6,000 for town cemeteries, which is a $1,000 increase; $18,000 for town insurances, the same as last year; and $18,000 for disposing of the town's solid waste at Marion Transfer Station, which is the same as last year.
It was voted under Article 12 to raise and appropriate $250 for Eastern Area Agency on Aging, $425 for Downeast Community Partners, $100 for the WIC program and $300 for the LifeFlight Foundation. In Article 13, the town voted to raise and appropriated $1,477 for dues to Maine Municipal Association and in Article 14 the amount of $425 for dues to Washington County Council of Governments. It was voted in Article 15 to appropriate $20,000 from the surplus account to support the Charlotte Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department. Last year $11,000 was raised and appropriated for the department, which is a decrease of $11,000 to be raised but an increase of $9,000 for support.
Under articles 16 through 22, the selectmen were authorized to sell and dispose of real estate acquired by the town for non payment of taxes and to accept and expend on behalf of the town, federal and/or state funds, including grants and gifts. It was voted to give a 1% discount on taxes paid in full by December 31. It was voted to have February 1, 2021, as the date when interest will begin on delinquent taxes at the rate of 6%. The tax collector and treasurer were authorized to accept prepayments of taxes not yet committed. This allows people to set up a payment plan, pay by the month or arrange some other way of paying taxes before they become due. The treasurer was authorized to borrow money in anticipation of taxes with the approval of the selectmen for the ensuing year.
Article 23 asked if the town would raise a sum of money for town hall maintenance, but it was tabled until the March meeting in 2021 after much discussion.
There was no article to raise money for the contingency account this year, which is a decrease of $5,000 from last year, or the animal control account, which was $1,000 last year. Last year the town raised and appropriated $10,591 to make the fourth and final payment on money borrowed to revaluate the town, decreasing that amount to be raised this year. At a special town meeting in July the town raised $7,500 for town hall repairs, and that amount was not raised this year.