Guilford residents facing slight budget increase

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    GUILFORD — A 24-article warrant is up for approval at Guilford’s annual town meeting on Monday, March 17 and Town Manager Tom Goulette said that he anticipates a slight percent property tax hike if all articles pass as recommended.
    The $1.55 million municipal budget is about 5 percent higher than last year, said Goulette. “As expected, our snowplowing costs were way up,” Goulette said. “We’re also facing a 5 percent increase in solid waste disposal costs every year until 2018.”

    Town officials are nominated and elected from the floor and William Thompson is the only selectman whose term is expiring.
    Voters will also elect one trustee for the Guilford-Sangerville Sanitary District, two School Administrative District 4 directors, three trustees for the Guilford Memorial Library and one director for Hospital Administrative District 4, a position occupied by Stephanie Doore.
    The current office-holders are Sanitary District Trustee Alvin McDonald Jr.; SAD 4 Directors Heidi Dow and Richard Hunt; Guilford Memorial Library Trustees Janie Lander, Lisa Martell and Michelle Dyer-Fagan; and HAD 4 Director Stephanie Doore.
    Guilford’s mil rate is $13.65 per $1,000 of assessed valuation and a 5 percent increase would hike it to about $14, Goulette said.
    In addition to the monetary issues, voters will also have two fireworks ordinances to choose from. One would ban “all use and possession of consumer fireworks except on Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve,” and they could only be ignited from 10 a.m. until 12:30 a.m. the following day.
    Another more liberal statute would also allow fireworks to be set off on Fridays and Saturdays year-round from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. in addition to the Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve hours stated in the other ordinance.
    Residents will also decide the fate of an ordinance that would allow selectmen to set building permit fees to recoup some of the administrative cost of issuing them.
    Goulette said that the average turnout at recent town meetings has been around 50 or 60 residents, but there may be more interest this year because of the fireworks articles.
    The meeting gets underway at the Piscataquis Community Elementary School cafeteria at 7 p.m.