POLAND — The Select Board voted unanimously Tuesday night to send a letter to the editor of the Sun Journal, asking voters to maintain the budget approval process for Regional School Unit 16.

The process includes a public budget meeting and vote on each spending article, followed by a second vote at the polls in Mechanic Falls, Minot and Poland.

Chairman Stephen Robinson said, “Anything that devoids ourselves of that two-step process is inconsistent with any of the other communities that don’t even have a town meeting form of government.”

He said Auburn and Lewiston hold citywide votes after their respective school committees and city councils approve the budget.

“We’re not asking (Regional School Unit 16) to do anymore than any other community … the referendum should always be in place,” Robinson said.

On Tuesday, district voters will decide whether to approve the budget and whether to end the practice of a second vote.

Selectpersons think some RSU 16 administrators and school committee members have been advocating ending the two-vote process.

In other business, the board voted to authorize Town Manager Matt Garside to sign the letter of intent for ReVision Energy to begin installing a solar energy system to be the primary source of electricity for the municipal facilities.

The Select Board also followed Garside’s recommendation to allocate $50,000 from the town’s remaining $177,405 from the American Rescue Plan Act for the planned municipal park.

Deputy Town Manager Nikki Pratt is asking residents to serve on the Board of Appeals, which has three current members. Five members and two alternates are the recommended number.

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