Selectmen rejected an increase in sewer fees with a 2-2 vote.
JAY – Townspeople voted 52-to-1 Wednesday to transfer nearly $26,000 from a town account to a school food service account. The money is to cover the lunch program, including reinstating the school bakery that was eliminated.
In the selectmen’s portion of the meeting, board members voted to reject increasing the sewer rate by $20 to $195 per unit in a 2-to-2 vote. Selectmen Bill Harlow and Ray Pineau opposed the increase and Parker Kinney and Rick Simoneau favored it.
Selectman Barry McDonald was absent.
Selectmen also voted not to list school and town employees’ salaries in the town report this year and to put an article on the town meeting warrant asking voters if they want the salaries listed.
During the six-minute special town meeting, voters rejected taking up the school lunch program article in secret ballot.
Though voters approved transferring the $25,965.80 to the food service program, it will be up to school board members to decide if they want to reinstate the bakery and the positions eliminated as well as reduced hours to avoid a deficit in the program. More than 200 voters had signed a petition to put the issue to vote.
School Chairman Clint Brooks said the board would take up the issue at the next meeting, which is scheduled for Feb. 5.
Mark Holt, sewer superintendent, was called on to explain his recommendation to increase the sewer user fees.
Holt said that the $23,000 in new revenue would be used to offset the costs of maintaining the sewer system, meet state and federal mandates and ease some of the burden on the town’s general fund.
Sewer users only pay a portion of the sewer fees with taxation covering the rest.
Holt said if only sewer users paid for the system, the bill would be about $596 per unit annually.
Several people protested the increase, while others with septic systems claimed it was a bargain.
The sewer rate for 2004-05 is to remain at $175 per unit.
Selectmen voted 3-to-1 with Simoneau dissenting to not list salaries in the town report.
A poll of Farmington, Livermore, Livermore Falls, Wilton, Turner, Fayette and Dixfield showed that only Wilton lists salaries in town reports.
Town Manager Ruth Marden said she’s heard employees take flack from citizens for salaries listed in the book.
dperry@sunjournal.com
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