PARIS — The town of Paris is one of the few in Oxford Hills that has something other than the three statewide issues on the Tuesday, Nov. 3 ballot, which is the proposed Land Management Ordinance.

The polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Paris Fire Station, 137 Western Ave.

The ordinance was amended by the Land Use Committee, which met in September to reduce the rural residential lot size minimum requirements to one acre and 150 feet of roadside frontage, which previously was two acres and 250 feet.

It would divide the town into five land use districts, including the General Growth District, South Paris Main Street District, Rural District, Paris Hill Historic District and Route 26 Corridor District.

Before the Land Management Ordinance could be brought to a vote, the town’s Comprehensive Plan had to be amended to the same dimensions, which was approved by voters at town meeting in June.

Town Manager Amy Bernard previously said the two documents needed to jive before the proposed Land Management Ordinance could be put to a vote. Hearings were held on the matter and a compromise was struck last fall with the current dimensions.

One group of people wanted to see the town’s rural nature protected and championed larger rural residential lot sizes, and another worried that larger lot sizes would stifle development in Paris, favoring smaller requirements.

A second hearing on the proposed ordinance was held Monday evening where business owner and resident Scott Buffington asked if someone in the Rural District would be able to open up a machine shop in the garage.

“There is certain list you can do in each zone,” Selectmen Chairman Robert Wessels answered, “if you wanted to do something not on that list, you would not be able to do so.”

Buffington wondered if exceptions were allowed. Dennis Creaser, who was a member of the original Land Use Committee that crafted the bulk of the document two years ago, said he believes the Planning Board has the final say and could make exceptions.

Also on the ballot is a citizens initiative titled, “An Act to Strengthen the Maine Clean Election Act, Improve Disclosure, and Make Other Changes to Campaign Finance Law.” The question asks, “Do you want to change Maine law to allow publicly financed state candidates to qualify for additional funds under certain limits and rules in the Maine Clean Election Act, to improve the disclosure of who pays for political ads, and to increase penalties for violations of campaign finance law?”

The first bond asks voters if they want to approve a $15 million bond for “the construction of new energy efficient affordable homes, the adaptive reuse of structures for homes, and repair and weatherization of existing homes for low income seniors which will create jobs and be matched by over $26 million in private and other funds.”

The second bond is for $85 million for “construction, reconstruction, and rehab of highways, bridges, and facilities and equipment related to ports, harbors, marine transportation, freight, passenger railroads, aviation, transit, bicycle, and pedestrian trails to be used to match an estimated over $121 million in federal and other funds.”

The last day to file an absentee ballot in Paris is today, Thursday, Oct. 29.

Also at their meeting Monday, selectmen voted 4-1 to ask voters via paper survey questions regarding the best time for town meeting and to weigh in on potential budget cuts and services during Tuesday’s election. Selectman Janet Jamison said she thought it was a waste of time before casting the only dissenting vote.

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