Former selectman says draft ballot ordinance limits voters’ control

MEXICO – Former Selectman Monique Aniel believes the town is trying to limit the effectiveness of a secret ballot proposal that would change the way residents approve spending. First Selectman Barbara Laramee believes the proposed referendum ordinance is virtually the same as that presented at a traditional town meeting.

In June, voters approved a citizen-initiated referendum question to allow for secret ballot voting on all warrant articles.

The secret ballot process would begin next June, eliminating the need for an annual town meeting, if a proposed ordinance is passed in November.

Town officials are in the process of drafting an ordinance to enact the secret ballot voting,

Laramee said town officials have concluded that consolidating the warrant articles by category onto three pages of two-sided paper ballots is needed. For instance, fire and police may appear together as a “public safety” budget item. Administrative costs may be grouped together instead of separated by salaries and other costs.

Aniel believes each article should be presented separately on the ballot so voters have an opportunity to approve or decline specific spending.

“They have changed the format to vote on groups of articles, not separately,” she said Thursday, which limits how precisely voters can reject or approve budget items.

“That takes a lot of power away from the people,” said Marjorie Richard.

“Consolidation of articles is not meeting what people wanted,” said Aniel. “We were told it was not doable to vote on so many articles. The town made the decision, basically telling people they aren’t smart enough.”

A review of the 2006 annual town meeting warrant, which contained 37 articles, revealed that most articles of like substance were grouped together. For example, all public safety departments are grouped together, as are all public works warrant items, all solid waste articles and all recreation-related items.

“Every article will be voted on, same as what we do at the regular town meeting,” Laramee said Thursday.

Presenting each item individually on a written ballot would cost the town at least $10,000 in printing costs, said Laramee.

She said some of the articles that deal with non-fiscal items that people have voted on at open town meeting would be removed from the written ballot. These would include all items that didn’t directly raise funds, such as allowing selectmen to accept gifts and donations on behalf of the town, authorizing selectmen to deposit state road assistance funds in the town’s road construction and maintenance account, or authorizing selectmen to open or close roads for winter maintenance.

A section of the town’s proposed ordinance would grant selectmen the right to act on those so-called administrative articles without town meeting approval.

Other provisions of the tentatively proposed ordinance include a method to handle defeated articles and the length of time the change would be in effect.

Laramee said the proposed referendum election ordinance is currently under review by the Maine Municipal Association. She said the organization’s opinion on the proposed ordinance should be released next week.

Public hearings will be held on the proposed referendum ordinance prior to the November election.