BUCKFIELD — Selectmen voted unanimously Tuesday night to have the town manager send a survey to taxpayers and registered voters about town departments, the annual town meeting, Community Day and topics they want addressed.
Town Manager Cindy Dunn asked the board who should get the survey. She previously suggested sending it with tax bills in mid-October to save money on postage, but wanted to know if the survey should include a larger group of residents.
“If they go in the tax bill, doing the tax bill will not hit all voters, and vice-versa. Polling all voters will not get all taxpayers,” Dunn said.
“I like the idea of voters specifically because it does include renters, which I think a fair amount of them are voters as well,” Selectman Maida DeMers-Dobson said, noting she was approached by residents who wondered if renters would be included.
Board of Selectmen Chairwoman Cheryl Coffman suggested sending it with the tax bills and having surveys available at the Municipal Building and on the website.
“If you put it up on the Web page one person can answer it 20 times,” Dunn said. “My intent was to code these in a manner where to duplicate it would be difficult.”
She also wanted to know if one survey should be sent per household or for each taxpayer and voter.
“I think that’s the way it’s been in the past — one per household,” Coffman said. “I think it’s the simplest way to do it.”
“You’re not going to make everybody happy,” Selectman Scott Violette said.
The first part of the survey asks residents to rate the town departments on a scale of one to five and add comments, concerns and suggestions. The second section asks the best time and day for the annual town meeting and if residents support close-ended warrant articles. Also requested are ideas to enhance Community Day and town-related topics selectmen and the town manager should address.
Coffman made a motion for Dunn to send one survey to each household with the tax bills and to cross-reference those with a list of registered voters for a separate mailing. The motion passed unanimously.
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