RUMFORD — Residents will vote on nine articles at the annual town meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, June 1, including one asking if they wish to have the Oxford County
Sheriff’s Office provide police coverage.
The meeting will be held in Muskie Auditorium at Mountain Valley High School.
Article 7 asks residents if they wish to enter into an interlocal agreement with Mexico to abolish their respective police departments and contract with the Sheriff’s Department to cover both towns.
Since September 2013, the towns’ officials have been looking at ways to consolidate services and save money. They hired Municipal Resources, a consulting company from New Hampshire, which said both towns could save money by merging.
During a Nov. 24, 2014, meeting in Mexico, Oxford County Sheriff Wayne Gallant presented a two-year contract proposal to serve both towns. He said it would cost the towns more than $1.3 million for the first year and $1.18 million the second year. The proposal would provide 12 deputies to cover both towns.
Many residents said voting on the article at the business meeting, rather than at the polls on Tuesday, June 9, would mean a lower voter turnout.
Town Manager John Madigan said that the town charter limits the issues that can be decided at a secret ballot referendum to election of officers, ordinance amendments and the annual budget appropriation. However, Madigan said the issue can be worked around if someone from the floor of the business meeting asks that the article be moved to the polls June 9.
Article 9 of the warrant asks for the town to lease three parcels of land to zip line developer Wow-Za! Ziplines LLC, allowing it to install zip lines across the Androscoggin River.
Other items of business being voted on Monday include setting the due date of the town’s property tax commitment, setting the salaries of various town officers and whether to allow the tax collector to continue running an eight-month payment plan for taxes known as the Rumford Tax Club.
The remaining articles focus on department budgets, initiated article requests, ordinance amendments and charter revisions. They will be decided at the polls from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 9, at the American Legion on Congress Street.
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