CHESTERVILLE – At the annual town meeting Chesterville voted to dedicate and name the town office building after Dave Archer to recognize his many years of dedicated service in a variety of ways.
Residents voted not to increase the the property tax levy limit, and after lots of discussion surrounding budgeting and costs for capital roads projects in the current year, residents voted to approve a base bid budget of $399,614 that includes $58,291 from undesignated funds, $47,211 in LRAP funds and $294,112 from taxation.
Article 17 regarding Maine Public Employees Retirement System was a three-part article that needed three separate votes, which caused some confusion. Selectperson Tim LeSiege explained that the town pays in no matter what, but if an employee leaves before they’ve worked for the town for five years, then both that employee and the town loses the money the town has paid in. The town decided to fully withdraw from participating in the MainePERS because of the cost and will opt instead to work with a different retirement system.
The town voted to amend article 30 to include a vote from residents to make final determinations regarding the opening and closing of roads due to winter maintenance before it passed.
Chesterville has authorized its selectboard to enter into a contract with RSU 9 Foster Tech forestry department so students can learn healthy forest management and as a cost-saving measure for the town.
The selectboard has been given authorization to create a committee for broadband research. There was a question of whether this would cost taxpayers money, and they were reassured that research will cost nothing.
The town voted against appropriating funds for the purchase of the 2006 GMC 4500 rental truck after budget committee member Anne Lambert provided facts demonstrating that the truck has cost the town significant amounts of money in repairs and fees.
The town voted to appropriate $20,000 in ARPA funds for heating systems for both the fire department and public works buildings.
The addendum to the warrant for a proposed site plan review ordinance did not pass. There was a lot of concern that the ordinance would be too much of a restriction for potential future commercial business owners and drive the potential income away.
