LIMESTONE, Maine — A total of 203 Limestone residents cast their ballots during a June 11 municipal election, voting in two selectmen, two school committee members, and one member of the Limestone Water and Sewer District.
For the Selectboard, newcomer James Pelkey Jr. beat incumbent Patrick St. Peter with 111 to 87 votes. James Cote, who ran unopposed, was elected to the Water and Sewer District Board of Trustees with 181 votes. For the school committee, Michelle Albert was elected for a three-year term with 145 votes, and Grace O’Neal was elected for a two-year term with 189 votes. Both Albert and O’Neal ran unopposed for these seats.
On June 12, the following day, Limestone residents held their annual town meeting in which these results were made official and residents also voted forward the municipal budget.
The meeting, according to Town Manager Elizabeth Dickerson, lasted roughly two and a half hours, beginning at 6:30 p.m. and ending at approximately 9 p.m. While most items were voted forward as recommended, many elicited a great deal of discussion among residents.
One resident motioned to cut roughly $20,000 from the police department, for which this year municipal officials recommended appropriating $337,209. The resident motioned to raise the same amount appropriated last year, or $308,225, stating that this is more than enough money to run the department.
Police Chief Stacey Mahan was then called to the stage to answer questions about the increases, which he said were partly due to materials, insurance and software, while the majority was due to payroll and raises.
This motion ultimately failed and the majority of residents agreed to go with the recommended amount of $337,209.
One resident also suggested raising the appropriation for the fire department reserve account from the town’s recommendation of $10,000 to $25,000. This motion passed, allowing the department to have more money set aside toward eventually purchasing a new fire truck.
The town also voted down a bond issue in which the town would have borrowed “an amount not to exceed $500,000” to finance road improvements and repairs.
This year’s municipal budget, not including the overlay, is roughly $1.6 million dollars, or about $117,000 higher than last year’s budget of $1,542,300. More than half of the proposed increases are a result of county and school expenses. When combined, these expenses add up to $806,132, representing a $84,607 increase over last year’s school and county expenses.
