Residents approve near $4.59M budget

By Stuart Hedstrom
Staff Writer

DOVER-FOXCROFT — All 11 referendum articles were passed by a majority of the 418 residents at the polls on June 14. The financial articles make up a 2016-17 budget of $4,585,075, just over $346,000 or 8.17 percent more than for the current fiscal year. The spending plan includes a little more than $1.9 million in non-tax revenues — 0.81 percent less than in 2015-16 — for a net amount of $2,660,365 to be raised through property taxes. The difference in the amount to be raised is $361,954 more than in 2016.

By a 245-157 vote, Dover-Foxcroft residents agreed to increase the property tax levy limit of a little more than $2.5 million established for the town under state law (LD1). This item needed to be passed in order for $310,000 to be raised and appropriated for local road improvements — to go along with an anticipated $90,000 in state funds for travelways. The separate article concerning town roads was approved 331-75.

Residents, via a 294-106 count, approved the continuation of Dover-Foxcroft’s membership in the Municipal Review Committee (MRC) and the signing of a municipal joinder agreement concerning a solid waste disposal facility being developed by Fiberight, LLC of Hampden for after 2018 when the MRC contract with the Penobscot Energy Recovery Company (PERC) expires.

The selectmen were authorized — via 319 “yes” votes to 71 “no” votes — to sell, lease or otherwise convey the police station at 182 East Main Street with proceeds being used for capital improvements at the town office. The Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Office had looked into the property as a possible location for the department’s administrators, and while a transaction between the two parties is no longer being pursued town officials have the power to act should any developments arise.

The establishment of a charter commission, for the purpose of revising the near decade-old municipal charter, was approved 248-136. The six seats on the commission will be filled by George Barton, Erin Callaway, Phyllis Lyford, Christopher Maas, Susan Mackey Andrews and David Perkins as the half dozen committee members were elected on June 14.

An amendment to the land use ordinance was OKed at a count of 311-79. The amendment now permits 12 hens, instead of six, in the residential and village zones of town.

Board of selectmen incumbents Jane Conroy and Gail D’Agostino were both re-elected to three-year terms to fill the two seats up in 2016, with respective vote totals of 266 and 283. Keith Brown received 142 votes.

Incumbent Marc Poulin was re-elected to a three-year term on the RSU 68 school board with 345 votes. Current RSU 68 Vice Chair Jenny Chase was re-elected for three years with six write-in votes to fill the other vacancy for Dover-Foxcroft on the board.

Incumbent Christopher Clukey will serve another three-year term on the HAD 4 board of directors. Clukey had 243 votes to fill the one open position while Scott Wellman received 105 votes.

Amy Fagan-Cannon was re-elected to the Thompson Free Library executive committee with 356 votes, to fill another one-year term.

The full results of the Dover-Foxcroft referendum can be found at www.dover-foxcroft.org.