Temple voters show support Saturday to return the annual town meeting to the second Monday in March. The meeting has been held on Saturday at Town Office since COVID-19. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser

TEMPLE — Voters will gather for the annual town meeting next year on the second Monday evening in March.

The decision was made in a 14-11 vote at Saturday’s annual town meeting.

Town officials proposed holding the 2026 meeting on the last Saturday in March, which has been the case since COVID-19. However, Toni Andrews made an amendment to return it to the second Monday in March.

“We always had our town meeting on the second Monday of March until I think the pandemic,” Andrews said. “It was always held on Monday night. As you can see, we’ve got a selectman who isn’t here because he is visiting some friend of his somewhere. I would like to amend that to have the annual town meeting on the second Monday of March at 6:30.”

One resident asked what the advantage would be. “I was under the impression we moved it to Saturday because people just couldn’t make it on Monday night,” he said.

“We always had a full town meeting before COVID,” Andrews said. “Annual town meeting should be held as it always was.”

Selectman Dean Collins said the meeting was changed to Saturday in 2021.

Andrews’ amendment passed 16-6, and the amended article passed 14-11.

Election process

Also debated was whether nomination papers for elected offices should have been filed.

A woman said people voted at the 2023 town meeting to file nomination papers, which wasn’t done this year. She wondered how elections could be held since papers weren’t completed.

Collins said, “This was brought up last year. Since we do not have a special election all nominations can still come off the floor.”

“I feel like last year’s vote was with nomination papers,” the woman said. “Somebody brought up the fact that nominations had always come from the floor and we said, ‘Oh no, we voted last year that we had to have nomination papers.’ To me there is a disconnect here.”

Collins said nomination papers would be needed if elections were held prior to the town meeting with results announced at town meeting.

Moderator Tom Saviello of Wilton suggested electing officials on a temporary basis and checking with Maine Municipal Association on the matter. If voters wanted to wait for MMA input or if MMA determines more is needed, a special election would have to be held, he said.

“The easiest way to explain it is, we don’t have an election for these positions,” Road Commissioner Erik Hellgren said. “We elect people at our town meeting but we are not holding an election. So if you are not holding an election you can’t have election rules is what it boils down to.”

Collins was reelected to a three-year term and Hellgren to another two-year term. Greg Kimber was elected to a three-year term on the Regional School Unit 9 board of directors.

A woman asked why the road commissioner is elected rather than appointed like the town clerk and treasurer. She was told an article on it would have to come before voters at a town meeting to decide.

Other business

Voters amended an article on refunds of snowmobile registrations so they would go to an area snowmobile club rather than Shiretown Riders Snowmobile Club in Farmington.

Hellgren said Shiretown no longer grooms trails in Temple. There are not enough people in Temple to have a club so snowmobilers join one from another area, he said. An agreement with the Wilton club is being looked into, he said.

Treasurer Sue Cantrell said annual registration revenue is about $218-$220.

Requests to fund social service agencies

Voters approved requests for $500 from Community Concepts and $100 from Kennebec Behavioral Services, providing those agencies do not receive funding from Franklin County commissioners.

A request for $300 for the Gary Owen House in Bangor was denied. The facility is for unhoused veterans. One resident expressed doubt that anyone from Temple would qualify and how they would get there if they were.

Other agencies and amounts approved were:

• LifeFlight of Maine, $596.

• Maine Public Radio/Television, $100.

• Andwell Health Partners (formerly Androscoggin Home Healthcare + Hospice), $500.

• Care and Share Food Closet in Farmington, $500.

It was suggested that in future a letter be sent to agencies requesting money to verify they are not receiving county funding. Saviello recommended also asking how many people the agency serves, how much in matching funds the donation will leverage, and how many people in Temple and Franklin County are employed by the agency.

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