OXFORD — After years of debate, Oxford has finally decided — officially — to get new municipal headquarters.

Voters overwhelmingly approved a proposal to purchase the 6,500-square-foot office space at 127 Pottle Road from Stephens Memorial Hospital, which most recently housed its accounting department there.

The $750,000 sales price will be financed through Androscoggin Bank for a 10-year term. Including interest, the total loan is expected to cost taxpayers $808,123.50.

The building would need to undergo some renovations to make it more conducive for residents to conduct business. Other modifications include building out space for committee, board and other public meetings. Updates will be paid for with Oxford’s town office reserve fund, which contains about $294,000 currently.

Voters had rejected selectmen’s previous attempts to vacate the existing Town Office at 75 Pleasant St. in favor of temporary leased space; once during a special town meeting in March 2021 and again at the annual town meeting last June.

Despite continuous flooding, black mold and disintegrating structural conditions at Pleasant Street, residents were adamant that town officials follow the recommendations of a facilities committee that concluded, after two years of research, to either build new or add on to the public safety building on State Route 26.

However, when the building at Pottle Road was vacated earlier this year, Town Manager Adam Garland pursued the acquisition based on a tip from a resident. The property was never put on the market; Oxford and SMH agreed to terms in late March.

Moving to an established office will save taxpayers at least $2 million over building new, a proposal that faced virtually no opposition and about five minutes of public comment before voters approved the purchase.

The only question posed to the select board about moving from Pleasant Street to Pottle Street came from resident Chuck Howe, who wanted selectmen to state whether the Helping Hands Food Pantry would be given a home at the new town office.

The food pantry is co-located with the town’s administrative departments at the Pleasant Street office. Selectmen had not included the pantry’s future while reviewing different options and locations, other than briefly considering establishing it in a barn at the Kay House Museum next door or the Center Meeting House on King Street, neither of which have heat or running water.

Moderator Henry Jackson polled board members on their positions ahead of townspeople voting, as Howe’s statement that he would not vote to approve the purchase without an answer resonated with other residents.

Chair Caldwell Jackson said that as a co-founder of Helping Hands he is in support of keeping the food pantry within the town office. Selectman Dana Dillingham agreed, saying there is enough space at Pottle Road to accommodate the community group. With Floyd Thayer joining Chair Jackson and Dillingham to form a majority, moderator Henry Jackson called for a vote on the article. Only a few voters raised their hands in opposition. Once the moderator announced that it was a vote, applause broke out to celebrate the outcome.

All other articles on the town meeting warrant easily passed during the meeting, which lasted barely an hour. Oxford’s budget for fiscal year 2022-23 will be $5,382,915. The town’s share of Maine School Administrative District 17’s budget for next year is expected to decrease slightly. All eight communities within the Oxford Hills School District will vote on the school budget during June 14 statewide elections.

The only issue that generated any debate was a proposed adjustment to the town’s marijuana ordinance, which had been passed during March 2022’s special town meeting. Many residents spoke up to complain about the volume of recreational cannabis stores that have opened and the smell emanating from them.

Voters were asked to revise the ordinance to give selectmen more leeway in granting, renewing and charging for retail cannabis licenses. The current ordinance is worded so that as long as growers and sellers meet state statutes they are granted approval. The new ordinance would also close a loophole that has allowed at least one medical grow/dispensary to be established in a residential neighborhood, which was never the intent.

In 2020 and 2021 as selectmen and the town’s ordinance review committee worked to expand marijuana regulations from medicinal to a recreational business model, they followed former Town Manager Bruce Asselin’s and then-Codes Enforcement Officer Joelle Corey’s recommendation to not limit the number of stores and let free market practices determine outcomes. Corey’s assessment that no more than four businesses could operate was based on a review of Oxford’s commercial zone and available spaces.

But the opposite has happened and residents stated they are fed up with the booming business.

Howe was first to the microphone and referenced a comment made at last week’s selectmen’s meeting by a marijuana business owner that Oxford should consider lowering licensing fees as some other towns have. Currently cannabis license fees vary from $1,000 to $5,000 depending on the type of facility.

“One fellow was upset that Oxford is noncompliant with other towns as to the cost,” Howe said. “I really don’t care what other towns charge. We should charge what we want.”

“All these licenses,” said another resident. “Are we going to have any restrictions on how many? Or are we going to have 25 of them? What’s happening? We’re getting kind of sick of smelling all of it. These places are popping up everywhere. … Enough is enough. Are we going to become ‘pot-central USA?'”

Several people chimed in to agree and gave applause to that speaker’s comments.

Garland answered that while the revised ordinance does not limit the number of licenses issued, unlike the current one it does allow the Select Board to consider more than correctly checked boxes on an application.

“In this ordinance, it allows (the board) to see the broader picture when considering licenses,” Garland told residents. Currently, “if (an applicant) is a prohibited person with a criminal history, they can’t take that into account and deny the license.”

Dillingham pointed out that residents had voted for the ordinance with no restrictions and invited all who wish to now limit the number of licenses to circulate a petition and present it to the board.

Residents voted to approve the ordinance as revised in the warrant.

To date, revenue from licensing medical and recreational marijuana businesses in town over the last year is $26,500. There are three cannabis cultivator and four stores holding licenses and more in planning phases.

At the start of the meeting, Select Chair Jackson presented retiring police Chief Michael Ward with a plaque recognizing his 35-year career in law enforcement.

District 72 Rep. Kathleen Dillingham of Oxford presented Ward with a public service award and also presented public safety Chief Paul Hewey with the Spirit of America award for Oxford’s Fire and Rescue Department on behalf of the Maine Senate and Legislature.

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