CANTON — Canton residents will vote Thursday on a proposed budget of $1.15 million for 2020-21 during the annual Town Meeting, to be held outside at the ball field on School Street. The meeting will begin at 5 p.m. rain or shine and residents are asked to bring their own lawn chairs to the meeting.

The town office will close at 2 p.m. on Thursday in order to prepare for meeting.

Not included in the town’s overall proposed budget amount is the budget for Regional School Unit 56, which includes the towns of Canton, Carthage, Dixfield and Peru. If the district’s proposed budget of $12.97 million passes on Tuesday, Canton residents would see a decrease in their local taxes for the school budget by 0.855% and $952,834 would be raised by the town towards its 2021 school budget allotment.

Primary voting on Tuesday will take place at the Town Office from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and will also include decisions for two selectmen positions of three-year terms. Selectmen incumbents Carole Robbins and Russell Adams and school board director Natalie Sneller are each seeking re-election, all uncontested.

Adams has served as a selectman for two three-year terms, Robbins for one three-year term and Sneller has served as a school board director for one three-year term.

Town voting on Tuesday will also include a straw poll to gauge interest in a medical marijuana store or dispensary within town limits. Residents will be asked to respond with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ whether they are in favor of a dispensary.

In other business, during the selectmen’s meeting on Thursday, the Select Board voted to hire Expenet Technologies of Wilton to rebuild the town’s website.

Also, the board hired Kenneth Pratt of Greene as an alternate licensed plumbing inspector. The town is also currently seeking to fill a code enforcement officer position and a truck driver position.

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