DIXFIELD — A resident asked selectmen Monday night to research his questions on road construction, delinquent taxes and snowmobile registration fees and provide the answers at the annual town meeting in May.
Among Dan McKay’s questions were the following:
* How are road reconstruction projects prioritized and when and why were the criteria for prioritizing developed.
* Is the town required, by law, to vote each year on an interest rate charged for delinquent taxes.
* Why is there no longer an article asking voters to decide whether the town should give collected snowmobile registration fees to the local snowmobile club.
“I’m not putting you on the spot here tonight and expecting you to answer them now,” McKay said. “I’d like for you to do whatever research is necessary, so by at least town meeting time, I can re-ask these questions and get an answer.”
Later in the meeting, Selectman Hart Daley suggested to the board that they assign certain questions to certain selectmen so they can begin answering them.
“I’d like to see Dan’s questions addressed on the next agenda, so it’s not just sitting on the back burner,” Daley said. “Some of them can be answered pretty quickly by asking the right people the right questions.”
Chairman Mac Gill asked McKay whether the board could research the answers and give them directly to him instead of waiting until the town meeting.
“I think there’ll be an interest for the people who attend the town meeting to hear the answers too,” McKay said. “Is there a problem with that?”
“Well, we could put the answers in writing and you could pass it out,” Gill said.
“There is a problem with that,” McKay replied.
The board discussed McKay’s questions for about 20 minutes before Selectman Bob Withrow said he thinks McKay deserve answers, “but I’m not convinced we need to put it before the people at the town meeting.”
“You’ve proven my point right now,” McKay said. “These questions have brought up 20 minutes of discussion amongst you. Don’t the people deserve to be involved with the discussion?”
“These are your issues right now, not the town’s.” Withrow said.
“I think that since this has proven to be such a discussion, the people in this town should enjoy having a discussion too,” McKay said.
“Don’t hide things from the taxpayer. Let’s try to be transparent,” he added.
“Excuse me, this is our discussion right now,” Gill said.
“OK,” McKay said, “I’m sorry. I’m in your meeting no longer today” and he walked out.
The board agreed to research the questions and to attempt to answer them at the next meeting.
In other business, the board unanimously voted to invite Oxford County District 2 Commissioner Dave Duguay to moderate the annual town meeting in May.
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- Town Manager Eugene Skibitsky, left, and Selectman Hart Daley look over a list of questions presented by Dan McKay at Monday night’s board meeting. McKay asked the board to provide answers at the annual town meeting in May.
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