WASHBURN, Maine — During the annual town meeting, held March 17 at Washburn District High School, citizens rejected a proposed road project by a vote of 16-10.
Article 23 of this year’s warrant asked voters to determine “what sum the town will vote to raise and appropriate for rebuilding and repairing the Everett Road from Soderberg’s pit entrance for six-tenths of a mile toward Salmon Brook.” The Budget Committee recommended $102,500.
When asked how this would affect the town’s mil rate, Town Manager Bev Turner said “if every single article passes, my guestimate would be it would mean increase of a couple of mils.”
Turner noted that even without passage of all the articles in this year’s warrant, the mil rate could still go up.
“Revenue sharing is a factor, as are the school and county budgets,” she said. “We won’t know how the county and state will impact our town’s budget until July, or the school’s for that matter.”
Turner indicated Soderberg had offered the town a $10,000 “donation toward the project,” which would help reduce the cost. Incoming Town Councilor Brad Bragg noted this wasn’t something the municipality could just award to a contractor and that the bid process must be followed. Turner said bids would be sought and the $102,500 was just a “ballpark number.”
Harold Easler, highway foreman, said the Everett Road needed repairs in that area due to rutting. Soderberg would mill the top off, the road would be shaped and the top material replaced.
“This would be cheaper to do now, than down the road,” said Easler.
Council Chair Keith Brown said 2 mils for one project was a lot.
“Remember, they (Soderberg) use the road a lot, but a lot of it is farm traffic,” he said.
Many in the audience expressed concern over raising the mil rate.
“If you don’t maintain and fix roads, how will commerce work? How will we build (the community) without repairs over time?” asked Easler. A resident responded that this was “too much to accommodate one entity.”
The question then was left to the voters, with the measure failing by a margin of two-to-one.
Voters did, however, favor re-establishing a reserve account to raise funds for the replacement of aging town equipment.
Article 24 asked citizens to determine “what sum the town will vote to raise and appropriate for vehicle capital reserves for the Highway Department and the Buildings and Grounds Department.” The Budget Committee recommended $30,000 to be distributed as follows: $25,000 for the Highway Department and $5,000 for the Buildings and Grounds Department.
“We have to have another truck. We’ve basically let things go too far; that’s the long and the short of it,” said Easler.
Turner noted Easler had done some research and “found some good vehicles in the range we need.”
“It’s easier to buy when you have money in hand,” said Easler.
Turner said the town had not had a reserve account for several years and that it was time to commit to setting money aside for needed purchases. Voters agreed.
Voters also approved all other articles presented at the meeting.
Washburn’s municipal budget for 2015 is $1,337,741.
