Penobscot
Tower moratoria on Penobscot town meeting warrant
Attend and make your voice heard, selectmen say

BY DAVID WALSH
Residents of the town of Penobscot have been notified to meet at the Penobscot Community School at 10 a.m. on Monday, March 1, to choose a moderator for the town’s annual town meeting and to elect town officers. The polls will close at 8 p.m. Candidate interviews were published in the February 18 issue.

The meeting will be reconvened Tuesday, March 2, at 7 p.m. at the Penobscot Community School to act on the municipal and school articles included on the warrant.

Town reports are in the process of being distributed in the community. This year’s report includes the usual department reports, the audit report with an analysis of the past year’s expenditures, an itemized valuation of all town properties assessed under the town’s newest revaluation, and the warrant articles with school board, finance committee and selectmen recommendations.

Selectman Paul Bowen said it is difficult to predict the overall municipal budget until voters at town meeting have determined the community’s expenditures, but the budget as recommended by the selectmen and finance committee stands at approximately $450,000, up by $15,000 over last year’s budget. The $15,000 is needed because of a payment that will be due on the school septic system in July, before the town is to receive any reimbursement fees on the project.

Other than that, Bowen said, he anticipates very little change from the previous year’s budget, with the exception of a Planning Board article requesting $3,000 in funds to complete a map to meet state requirements for a new map reflecting updated designations in shoreland zoning.

As to new items on the town warrant this year, Bowen said voters will be asked to approve or disapprove moratoria on the construction of new communication towers and on windmill farms for electrical generation (see related story this page).

In recent years funding from the state has greatly diminished. The selectmen, in addressing that issue, stated in the town report this year that “State of Maine reductions in revenue sharing, school general purpose aid and all reimbursement accounts are designed to switch the sources of those funds away from broad-based sales and income taxes to municipal property taxes. In these economic times, we know people are struggling to pay these property taxes and we encourage all of our citizens to examine carefully all budget requests for Town and School funding. Attendance at Town Meeting is essential for your voice to be heard.”

Share this page

Return to the Castine Patriot home page.

---