ANDOVER – Residents will gather Saturday morning in the historic, white clapboard Andover Town Hall to begin deliberation of 61 articles, including an Emergency Management Ordinance.
If all money items are passed at the annual town meeting, townspeople would raise at least $635,500, down about 5 percent from 2005, Selectman Trudy Akers said.
That figure excludes the Oxford County tax and the SAD 44 assessment. School taxes will be known sometime in June.
Akers said the expected decrease is due to the need for fewer dollars for paving this year as well as an error last year that resulted in raising more money than was needed to run the town.
Residents will be asked to approve an Emergency Management Ordinance, a first for the town. The ordinance calls for establishing an emergency management director who would prepare emergency plans for the town, submit applications to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for reimbursable funds, when needed, and provide for emergency training, among other tasks.
Akers said no money is built into the town warrant this year to pay a stipend to the director; however, since the new position and ordinance would replace Civil Defense, the stipend would likely come from that.
She said the ordinance is an effort to comply with the federal National Incident Management System.
Residents will be asked whether to raise additional money for the purchase of a new highway truck, and whether they want the town to increase the property tax limited as imposed by state law.
They will also be asked whether they want to impose a surplus cap of $80,000.
Officials will be elected by secret ballot on Tuesday. Akers has chosen not to seek a third, three-year term. Running for her position is local contractor Jeff Rainey. Selectman David Percival has resigned, leaving a two-year term to be filled. Running for that position are former Selectman Laura Hutchins and Recreation Committee Chairwoman Pamela Pace.
Incumbent SAD 44 Director Sydney Pew is being challenged by write-in candidate, Scott Owings. Incumbent Road Commissioner Marshall Meisner and fire Chief Ken Dixon are running unopposed for three-year terms.
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