OXFORD — Selectmen agreed last week to move the location of Oxford’s annual town meeting from Oxford Elementary School to Municipal Headquarters at 127 Pottle Road, in its newly renovated conference meeting wing. Town meeting will be June 1, starting at 10 a.m.

Two conference rooms and a corridor were rebuilt into one larger space large enough to accommodate 120 or more seats. Oxford elections will also be held at the town office going forward.

Selectmen reviewed a draft of the annual town warrant presented by Town Manager Adam Garland. A handful of articles, including #27 on a solar moratorium; #33 on updating shoreland zoning; #24 on road repair; as well as a discussion about rebuilding Rabbit Valley Road, are still being worked on. The board will vote on the finalized warrant during its May 2 meeting.

Selectmen also discussed the future of in-person annual town meetings versus shifting to ballot referendum. Their preference is to continue open meetings but invite voter input on the subject.

Selectman Floyd Thayer stated it is important for more than 50 citizens to decide on municipal budgets at $50 million; he would like to see increased voter participation. The board determined to conduct straw polling at the June 1 town meeting and also during election day on June 11.

Oxford’s assessing office continues to process abatement requests following last year’s property tax revaluation. This month, selectmen were presented with a dozen applications. Nine, totaling $5,966.02, were approved in amounts from $4.40 to $3,482.

Three were rejected, including one for an off-grid camp on Marshall Pond that came before selectmen for the second time.

Deborah Page, of Arlington Mass., had disputed the assessment of her Oxford property, saying it is only accessible by boat and is basically a seasonal shack. It is surrounded by conservation land and has no access road.

Last month selectmen voted against granting an abatement on the property. Assessing Agent Colleen Halse then conducted an additional site visit and analysis, using comparable values of other hard-to-access properties on Marshall Pond in Oxford and Hebron.

She confirmed to selectmen that her analysis did not differ from the revaluation. While the camp has no vehicle access, Page’s easement across the conservation land surrounding it allows her to have a road constructed. Halse also said the two-story building is in excellent shape. She recommended rejecting Page’s request.

During last week’s vote selectmen split on Page’s rebate appeal. Board members Sharon Jackson and Caldwell Jackson voted in favor of the rebate while Chairman Dana Dillingham, Vice-Chair Scott Hunter and Selectman Floyd Thayer voted against it.

In other business, selectmen voted to sell a little-used 2003 ambulance via bid, the second time the proposal appeared on the board’s meeting agenda. Previously Hunter had opposed taking it out of service and the board tabled selling it, along with a smaller fire truck, but agreed to advertise them to see what kind of offers they attracted.

Fire Chief Ashley Wax-Armstrong spoke during Thursday’s meeting that she is in favor of selling the ambulance, as some of its equipment is no longer serviceable and could cost up to $70,000 to replace.

The board voted four to one to accept the highest bid of $6,700 for the ambulance, with Hunter voting against the sale.

Copy the Story Link