TURNER — Residents at the annual town meeting Saturday will get another chance to vote on a Comprehensive Plan that could usher in changes to recreational areas.
The meeting kicks off at 9:30 a.m. in the Leavitt Area High School cafeteria.
Residents will decide on the annual budget as well as the Comprehensive Plan that previously failed to pass by a single vote.
The Comprehensive Plan has become somewhat controversial over its proposal to allow a higher level of activity in zones that abut the town’s rivers and Martin Stream, meant as a means to increase recreational opportunities.
Town Manager Kurt Schaub said that during the planning process, the committee behind the effort received feedback from residents interested in seeing more recreation in the area, but some residents have since become concerned for the potential for increased commercial development there.
The initial vote was held in August, but only 35 people attended, and the 200-page, state-approved document was defeated 17-16.
Mike Gotto, chairman of the Comprehensive Planning Committee, said during several forums on the plan that the committee heard a lot about outdoor recreation, including highlighting national events that take place in Turner.
“We felt that it made sense to allow for outdoor commercial activities along the resources we have,” he said. He added that the committee also felt the town’s shoreland zoning regulations should be more consistent with state minimum guidelines, which are less restrictive than what the town has in place.
Gotto said that since the planning effort was conducted over several years, the hope was to “put it in front of more people” during a regular town meeting, where turnout would likely be higher. He said since the plan was approved by the state, the committee has since listened to and understands the concerns regarding the plan, but no changes have been made.
Schaub said on the financial front, the proposed municipal budget will increase by roughly $124,000, to $3.34 million, an increase of 3.73% from this year. The budget has been recommended by the Board of Selectmen and the Budget Committee.
“Not surprisingly, the coming year’s budget will be affected most by increasing costs for fuel and electricity, as well as wage adjustments to help keep the town competitive with other employers,” he said.
Schaub said that when the budget was originally prepared in January, town officials “did our best” to estimate where costs would be a year from now based on the market at the time.
“Since then, prices have significantly advanced, in part because of the Ukraine situation,” he said.
Instead of revisiting every line and budget article that would be affected by it, selectmen and the Budget Committee agreed to increase the contingency fund by $25,000, he said. This year, the joint recommendation is for $50,000.
On Friday, voters will go to the polls to fill two open seats on the Board of Selectmen, three open seats on the Budget Committee, and one seat on the School Administrative District 52 board of directors. The town office polls will be open from 1 to 7 p.m.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.