GREENE — Voters passed all 65 articles of the annual Town Meeting warrant Saturday including a $9,858,197 budget and a long-debated solar energy systems ordinance.
In an email to the Sun Journal, Town Manager Carol Buzzell said the new budget is about 16.5% greater than last year’s $8,481.424.
The nearly five-hour meeting resolved around 2 p.m. with voters supporting a $25,000 appropriation to capital funds per budget committee recommendation rather than the select board’s $50,000 recommendation.
The solar energy systems ordinance will impose limits on small residential and large-scale solar arrays. Many audience members disagreed on the effectiveness of the ordinance which could limit some homeowners from installing panels; however, many highlighted an urgency that the town needs some guidelines to limit large-scale arrays even if the rules need to be amended in the future.
“(Ordinance language) is never perfect,” said Selectman Sheldon Bubier, “but if we don’t pass this now, we have to wait a whole year without any regulations.”
On Aug. 1, voters elected two new selectmen, Bubier and Mark Randall, and a new director for the Maine School Administrative District 52 board, Bre Allard.
Vanessa Paolella contributed to this report.
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