GREENWOOD – Residents approved all money articles, and a little bit more, at Saturday’s annual town meeting, resulting in a $1.7 million municipal budget for 2006-07.
But tops for discussion was a decision on a fire department ordinance.
The ordinance, the first for the town, makes several changes to the operation of the department, including who can serve and how the chief is chosen.
Town Manager Kim Sparks said the ordinance was necessary to help meet Occupational Health and Safety Administration requirements and to protect the town from possible liability issues.
She said the department is a municipal department, and volunteers are considered town employees who receive an hourly wage.
But Ray Seames, current chief and nearly 40-year member of the department, said the 20-minute distance home and work limit put on volunteers could reduce the pool of available firefighters.
“This concerns me. This could create a problem for the lower end of town,” he said, adding at the end of the meeting, that the department needs all the people it can get.
Firefighter Jeff Harren said he has heard that several members of the force will resign if the ordinance passes.
Seames also disputed the change that allows selectmen to choose a fire chief, rather than the position being chosen by firefighters as it is now.
Sparks said the town was looking to the future by setting up two-year terms approved by selectmen.
Following a 30-minute debate, residents voted 25-20 to enact the ordinance.
Residents also approved a change in the town’s general zoning and land-use ordinance that allows the code enforcement officer to issue permits for nonshoreland zoning applications.
Prior to Saturday’s vote, all applications went before the Planning Board.
They also moved $50,000 from the requested amount for repairs to the Greenwood Road to the account for building the Howe Hill Road.
Residents added $1,500 to the facilities and repair article so that Dunham Park can be restored.
Loretta Mikols ran unopposed for her first, full three-year term as selectman. She finished out a term begun by Ivan Roberts. Walter Brough won re-election as one of three representatives to the SAD 44 school board. He was challenged by painting contractor Jerry Broomhall.
Sparks said she anticipated a tax hike to about $18 per $1,000 valuation, up about 3 percent from the current rate of $17.45. She said the final figure is contingent upon the adopted school budget for SAD 44. The rate will be set in June, with taxes due without penalty by Dec. 30.
About $1.2 million of the adopted budget will be paid through property taxes. The remaining half-million will come from state and federal revenues and excise tax.
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