CASTLE HILL, Maine — Castle Hill held a municipal election and its annual town hall on March 17, deciding several budget matters and electing a new selectperson and town assessor
The town of Castle Hill held the meeting and election amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with the town choosing not to cancel the meeting even as several others across Maine chose to do so. The meeting went quickly, with residents approving all of the select board’s recommendations.
Theresa Albert had a resounding victory in the select board seat race, receiving 15 votes to Beth Pickens’ 7. Albert also won the town assessor position, this time by only one vote, receiving 11 votes to Gerald McGlinn’s 10.
The Castle Hill Select Board recommended several proposals that residents unanimously approved, primarily on tax and budget matters. The entire meeting lasted less than half an hour.
Comparing it to the meeting in Mapleton, Castle Hill Town Manager Sandra Fournier said there were few controversial issues at-hand, hence the lack of debate.
Fournier said the topic citizens are usually most interested in is a potential increase to the property tax levy limit — $98,941 going into the meeting. That limit was not changed.
The town voted to raise and allocate $15,290 for general government, $5,696 for public safety, $7,324 for community services and $48,391 for a reserve account. A 9 percent interest rate was placed on unpaid taxes, effective Nov. 1, 2020.
Six members of the general public attended the St. Patrick’s Day meeting. Fournier noted that the turnout was slightly higher than Mapleton’s town meeting the day before.
