FARMINGTON — Voters approved nearly all articles at the March 23 annual town meeting, adopting a six-month municipal budget and a range of financial and administrative measures, while rejecting a proposed Local Food Sovereignty Ordinance.

 Total appropriations approved amounted to $7.45 million, with about $1.58 million in revenue and roughly $5.90 million to be raised in taxes. The estimated tax rate is $5.49 per $1,000 of valuation.

Articles 1 through 32 were approved, covering elections, departmental appropriations, tax provisions and financial authorizations. Article 33, which proposed the Local Food Sovereignty Ordinance, failed.

The warrant centered on a six-month fiscal year 2026 budget as the town transitions from a calendar year to a July-to-June fiscal year. Articles 3 through 19 appropriated funding across municipal departments and services.

Approved spending included for code enforcement, police, fire, public works and recycling, as well as parks and recreation and the community center. The budget also funded fixed assessments, which consolidate townwide expenses such as payroll taxes, benefits, insurance, IT services and software into a single category.

Additional appropriations included funding for the Farmington Library and the Gay Cemetery, as well as a snowmobile trail reimbursement program distributing funds to the Shiretown Riders, Northern Lites and New Sharon Snow Riders based on trail mileage.

Voters also approved measures related to municipal finances, including setting revenue estimates to offset taxation, authorizing the reallocation of unexpended budget funds, and allowing the use of unassigned fund balance if needed to stabilize the tax rate.

Other articles authorized the acceptance and use of revenues such as cable franchise fees and addressed required payments, including debt service obligations and contracted services such as the Franklin County Animal Shelter.

Two reserve accounts, including the legal reserve and Americans with Disabilities Act reserve, were reduced to zero for the six-month budget as part of efforts to limit tax impact during the fiscal transition.

The rejected Article 33 would have allowed direct producer-to-consumer food sales at the site of production without state licensure or inspection, except for meat and poultry products, which would remain subject to state regulation.

In balloting for Selectmen Richard Morton and Dennis O’Neil were reelected to three-year terms with 116 and 114 votes, respectively.

Ruth Gauvin and Iris Morgan were elected to fill two, three-year seats on the Regional School Unit 9 board of directors by write-in votes. Gauvin had 74 and Morton had 67.

Director J. Wayne Kinney and Christina Lynch Bobrow had sought the seats, but lost. Kinney received 65 votes and Bobrow had 56.

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