FARMINGTON – Voters will consider action on 43 articles Monday during the town’s annual meeting.

A request for increased funding for the town’s library, to include the cost of employee insurance, and the proposed transfer of assets from the Farmington Cemetery Corp., are two articles that may cause more discussion, said Town Manager Richard Davis Wednesday.

The meeting will reconvene at 7 p.m. at the Community Center on Middle Street after voting polls are open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday at the Community Center.

Voters will choose two of the four candidates to serve as selectmen and two SAD 9 school board directors.

Jon Bubier is running for the selectmen position he has completed this past year on the board. Other candidates include Nancy Porter, Robert Vallette and Ryan Morgan.

Robert Flick seeks to continue his position on the SAD 9 board while Claire Andrews is running for the seat vacated by Joyce Morton.

While some articles bring more reaction, Davis wants all citizens to take part in the town’s business.

“I hope people will be concerned enough about their town to attend and ask questions about every article,” he said. “We have tried to present a budget that meets the needs of the town in a cost-effective and responsible manner.”

The Farmington Public Library has requested an increase this year. An amount of $117,989 for 2008 is requested for the library’s payroll, payroll taxes and a new expense – health insurance for employees.

The increase represents a 2.8 percent cost-of-living raise and $12,550 for the health insurance.

Last year $99,652 was appropriated for the library. The proposed increase has caused discussion at both the selectmen and budget committee levels, Davis said.

While replacing a librarian last summer, trustees realized they needed to offer insurance to attract the quality director they wanted.

The Farmington Cemetery Corp. stockholders want to dissolve the corporation and transfer two cemeteries and their assets, including a perpetual care fund of approximately $360,000, to the town.

For several years, the town has appropriated funds, $30,000 in 2007, to support the general maintenance of Riverside and Fairview cemeteries.

Daily management of the cemeteries has gone beyond the capabilities of the corporation and not knowing the identity of most of the stockholders, the corporation is deadlocked in its ability to conduct business including the ability to vote to dissolve, attorney Lee Bragg of Augusta said previously.

Neither Davis nor Bragg foresee any major change or additional expense to the town if they vote to accept the transfer.

Budgeted items for town employees include a 2.8 percent pay increase and half of a 4 percent increase in health insurance premiums.

The 2008 total municipal budget represents an increase of 4.44 percent or $185,175 over the 2007 total. In comparison, Davis said, the increase between 2006 and 2007 was $216,056 or 5.47 percent.

Some other proposed increases include one for the Municipal Building fund that represents $12,575 to replace three of the Fire Rescue Department bay doors.

The general assistance program seeks a $5,000 increase over last year to cover requests which are expected to increase in 2008 due to higher costs of heating oil.

The Recycling Department has requested an extra $10,000, most of which will cover extension of a concrete pad and retaining wall to accommodate a roll-off container for shingles.

The town will also be asked to transfer $81,892.70 from the undesignated fund balance to cover an overdraft in the Public Works Department. The overdraft resulted from expenses incurred by replacing the late Public Works Director, unanticipated road repairs, overtime expenses, buying extra road salt and higher costs for diesel fuel.