RUMFORD – Less than 50 people attended Monday night’s annual town meeting to vote on four of 56 articles.

These included electing a moderator, accepting the municipal officers’ report for the year ending June 30, 2008, setting tax due dates and penalties, and salaries of town officials.

The other 52 articles – including the proposed $7 million municipal budget and election of municipal officials – will be done at the polls at 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 9, at the American Legion on upper Congress Street.

After choosing John Patrick of Rumford as moderator, the report was accepted and the tax due dates and penalties approved. Then, confusion set in when Finance Committee Chairman Ron Russell attempted to amend the $42,300 annual salary for tax collector.

After a motion was made to accept Article 4 as read, Russell asked to amend the tax collector salary to $39,300. Patrick then sought discussion. However, before it could start, Russell made a second amendment to amend the salary even lower, to $37,300.

Participants then voted down the $37,300 amendment, and Russell repeated the same amendment, asking for $37,300.

Russell said he sought to cut the salary by $5,000 because none of the four candidates for tax collector are experienced municipal tax collectors. The amendment was approved.

Officials then took discussion on the remaining articles and were still going through Article 43’s 16 proposed ordinance amendments and new ordinances by 9:15 p.m. Articles 44 through 56 concern charter amendments.