Special town meeting in Dixfield

DIXFIELD — There will be a special town meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19, to present information on whether to disband the Police Department, effective Dec. 31, and to enact a revised wind energy facility ordinance.

The meeting will be held in the community room at Dirigo High School.

Both issues will be voted on at the polls Nov. 7.

If voters do away with the Police Department, the town would rely on Maine State Police and the Oxford County Sheriff’s Department for service at no additional cost to the town.

The updated wind energy ordinance is intended to improve, strengthen and clarify language; remove unenforceable zoning language; add oversight authority of operations, complaints, enforcement and decommissioning by the Board of Selectmen, including a Code of Conduct and Ethics; add authority for review of, including the approval or denial of, all applications by the Planning Board; and add a defined complaint process.

The audible sound limits remain unchanged at 42 decibels at night and 55 during the day; however, daytime and nighttime are redefined as 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., respectively.

The town website has information on the estimated tax impact if an eight-turbine wind project were to be built in Dixfield. The information was provided by Maine Revenue Services. There has been no official confirmation of how many turbines, if any, will be erected in Dixfield.

The special town meeting will reconvene Nov. 7 with voting at the polls from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at American Legion Post 100, 23 Main St.

bfarrin@sunmediagroup.net