PARIS – Voters approved a municipal budget of nearly $2.9 million at the annual town meeting Saturday, rejecting only one of 29 warrant articles brought forward.
Approximately 50 residents attended the nearly two-hour meeting at the Paris Fire Station.
A request to transfer up to $150,000 from an unappropriated surplus account for improvements to High Street was rejected overwhelmingly, by a show of hands.
The improvements would have included new pavement and sidewalks on one side of the street from a railroad track crossing to the Maine Veterans’ Home. The work would have benefited the planned Paris Elementary School.
“I am glad we are going to have a new school up there,” said Bruce Hanson, an outgoing member of the Paris Board of Selectmen. However, he said, after negotiating with officials from SAD 17 and Maine Department of Transportation, the town expected the road improvements to include work on Nichols Street.
When asked, a majority of the selectmen said they were disappointed by the plans excluding Nichols Street. Hanson suggested waiting for the state to conduct regularly scheduled maintenance on High Street, as expected in a few years. “I don’t think it’s going to hurt to wait and see what’s going to happen, versus throwing money into this school now.”
The school groundbreaking is scheduled for Tuesday. The work is not supposed to be completed before the end of 2006.
There was also some discussion Saturday about a request to raise and expend $58,000 from the unappropriated surplus to purchase land and a building owned by Annie Shorette. The property at 9 Church St. would be raised to make way for more parking behind the town office.
When asked why voters had not previously heard about the town’s negotiations on the property, Selectman Barbara Payne apologized. “You’re right, it should have come to the attention of the public,” she said.
Hanson said that while former Town Manager Steve McAllister negotiated the price on the property, interim Town Manager Elisa Whitely and current Town Manager Sharon Jackson, as well as the board of selectmen, were informed of the deal. The negotiations were carried out in executive session, as allowed by state law, he said.
Maine’s Freedom of Access law does allow real estate negotiations to take place behind closed doors. However, public bodies are supposed to state the “precise nature” of their business before voting to enter an executive session.
The selectmen discussed in open session the possibility of purchasing the property at an Aug. 9 meeting, as reported in the Sun Journal. The board at that time voted 5-0 to authorize McAllister to pursue negotiations on the property, which was listed at a value of $73,500. It was agreed then the matter would be taken before the public at the annual town meeting.
Town Farm Road came up briefly during discussion Saturday. A warrant article that permits intermittent maintenance on public easements and private ways passed. But the board explained the article only authorizes emergency work, such as snowplowing to give fire trucks or ambulances access to a property.
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