Dexter officials preparing for Election Day

DEXTER — Less than two months before voters head to the polls and absentee ballots are due, Dexter officials are busy preparing for the election on Tuesday, Nov. 3. One of a number of needed steps was taken during a Sept. 10 council meeting when councilors voted to close the town office that day with the polls open.

Town Manager Trampas King reported that town office staff have been very busy fulfilling absentee ballot requests, and he thanked them for all their hard work.

“We asked the VFW if we could do the election down there,” he said, saying organization officials will be meeting to make a decision.

“We need an entrance and an exit,” King said, to help with social distancing.

Town Clerk Susan Page said that the voting location needs to be finalized 20 days before the election.

The Ridge View Community School had been mentioned, but this may not be viable with students present for classes on Nov. 3. During the July primary the pupils were on summer vacation so the school was used as a polling place.

In addition to the presidential, congressional and local races, Dexter residents will also help determine the direction the town should go in terms of permitting marijuana-related businesses or not via a pair of advisory referendum questions.

Residents heading to the polls/voting absentee will be asked if they are in favor of the Town of Dexter allowing a medical marijuna business and if they are in favor of the town allowing a recreational marijuana business?

Town officials had said they anticipate a very high turnout for the presidential election, perhaps double the 684 ballots cast (about 30 percent of registered voters) in the July primary. The referendum question results will be taken into consideration by the council in the decision-making process after early November.

The council is developing a fact sheet pertaining to the two referendum questions, which will be finalized in time for absentee voting in several weeks. The information will be posted at www.dextermaine.org.

In other business, the council authorized King to bid $6,000 on four acres of tax-acquired land in proximity to a town gravel pit located in Dover-Foxcroft off the Coombs Road. The $6,000 bid was the highest of six received by the Dover-Foxcroft board of selectmen when these were reviewed during their Aug. 17 meeting.

“What you worry about is someone buying that land and being a headache for us,” King said. “Let’s take our liability out by buying it.”

The town manager said at the end of the year the source of the $6,000 purchase price will be determined, such as the highway account or general fund.