On Election Day the voters in New Gloucester have the opportunity to vote for a town charter. I encourage residents to vote yes on this important document.

I encourage the good people to vote yes in part because of the budget process the Charter Commission established. That process begins with the development of the budget. A process that was agreed upon starts with the municipal officers, then onto the town manager who, working with the department heads, develops the budget.

The budget then gets reviewed by the municipal officers and the citizen Finance Committee. The public’s first input comes at a public hearing at the Finance Committee. The budget then goes out to citizens for a vote of affirmation.

The budget is then presented to citizens at an annual town meeting, at which time there will be a motion and second for a warrant article for a budget amount. The split second that the second is made, the budget is no longer the municipal officers’ number but the citizens’ number to discuss.

The citizens can exercise the greatest right we have as Americans, and that is their freedom of speech to change the amount in the budget for a vote.

There is also a provision in the charter for a confirmation referendum vote for large single expenditure items and ordinances.

The charter lays out a process that puts forward a solid plan for a budget process involving municipal officers, town manager, Finance Committee and, finally, the citizens.

Donald Libby, former Charter Commission member, New Gloucester

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