LISBON – Voters will gather for their final town meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at the high school gymnasium.
Although there are 80 articles in the warrant, the meeting is expected to be among the shortest. Some have lasted more than a week in the past.
Because of the change to a town council, 11 articles normally authorized by town meeting have been removed from the warrant due to the start of the new town charter on July 1. The charter gives the council authority previously wielded by town meetings voters, such as the power to make decisions on line-item transfers of less than $1,000, or more than $1,000 with Advisory Board approval.
In addition, in an effort to “improve efficiency” of the meeting, selectmen and the Advisory Board have agreed to propose a single motion to accept articles 3 through 26 as presented. These are routine articles such as insurance, legal, hydrant rental, county tax, debt service, Social Security and Maine State Retirement, which are recommended by both panels and total slightly more than $1 million.
Town officials noted that if any voter wants to discuss a particular article, they may request it be removed from the motion.
If voters go along with this plan, the first article up for discussion Monday night will be Article 27, a $500,000 bond issue for public projects. It is favored by both selectmen and the Advisory Board.
For the most part, the board has given its stamp of approval for nearly all selectmen and School Committee budget requests.
Selectmen oppose a request from Lisbon Emergency Inc, a nonprofit ambulance service, that the town pay $60,900, one-half the cost of a 2006 Ford E450 ambulance. The Advisory Board favors the expenditure.
The School Committee is presenting a $14.52 million budget, and the AB recommends $14.44 million, which includes less money for elementary schools and local spending beyond the state formula match.
Voters will also be asked to enact a detailed nine-page Adult Use Establishment License ordinance, which seeks to control the location and limit the type of adult entertainment businesses such as topless dancing, among other things.
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