WARRANT FOR THE ANNUAL TOWN MEETING
OF THE TOWN OF MOUNT VERNON
June 6, 2009
Article 1:To choose a Moderator to preside at said meeting.
Richard Thompson was chosen.
Article 2:To conduct all State and local elections, for which purpose the polls will be open at 8:00 AM and close at 8:00 PM
Passed
Article 3:To see if the Town will adopt the rules of the “Maine Moderator’s Manual” as the official rules of this meeting.
Passed
Article 4:To see if the Town will allow the following non-residents to speak at the Town Meeting in order to answer any questions or to provide any other necessary information: Martha Gross and Rachel Meader.
Passed
Article 5:To fix the pay of the following Town officers and employees as recommended below:
Reading waived. Passed as amended with Selectmen recommendations.
- Selectmen, Assessors and Overseers of the Poor: $3,100 each, plus $1,000 for the Chairman, and $750 for the General Assistance Administrator. Annual Salary: $11,050.
- Assistant to the Selectmen: Up to $12/hour.
- Town Clerk/Tax Collector/Excise Tax Collector (Annual Salary):
Selectmen Recommend: $28,764
Requested:$29,267
- Deputy Clerk/Tax Collector/Excise Tax Collector: Up to $11/hour up to 1144 hours/year (Annual Wages):
Selectmen Recommend:$12,584
Requested:$12,804
- Treasurer (Annual Salary):
Selectmen Recommend:$13,500
Requested:$13,736
- Election Warden:
Selectmen Recommend:$10.00/hr
Requested:$10.18/hr
- Ballot Clerks: $7.25/hour
Selectmen Recommend:$7.25/hr
Requested:$7.38/hr
- Code Enforcement Officer: Up to $28/hour. Annual Wages: up to $12,992.
- Code Enforcement Officer (80K Proceedings): $30/hour
- Civil Defense Director: $18.12/hour
- Road Commissioner: $18.12/hour (Equipment at State rate or negotiated price).
- Cemetery Supervisor: $11.50/hour (Labor and Equipment at State rate or negotiated price).
- Cemetery Workers: Up to $9.50/hour (Labor and Equipment at State rate or negotiated price).
- Lawn Maintenance Workers: Up to $9.50/hour (Labor and Equipment at State rate or negotiated price).
- Transfer Station Manager: Up to $14/hour
- Transfer Station Assistant: Up to $9.00/hour
- Animal Control Officer: $200/month
- Animal Control Officer: Dog Warrant$12.00/hour: Up to $600
- Animal Control Officer at Court Proceedings: $12.50/hour
- Newsletter Editor (Annual Salary):
Selectmen Recommend:$1,200
Requested:$2,000
- Fire Chief (Annual Salary): Amended to $2,500
Selectmen Recommend:$2,000
Requested:$3,000
- Deputy Fire Chief: Annual Salary$1,400
- Assistant Fire Chief: Annual Salary$1,100
- Rescue Director: Annual Salary $600
- Assistant Rescue Director: Annual Salary $300
Article 6:To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the following sums for General Government:
Passed
Recommended:
6.2Administration$96,029
6.3Code Enforcement$14,900
6.4Comprehensive Plan Review$500
6.5Contingency Fund$5,000
6.6Elections$3,500
6.7Legal Fees$1,000
6.8Maine Municipal Association Dues$2,199
6.9Municipal Building: Capital Improvements $2,000
6.10Municipal Building: Office Equipment$2,700
6.11Municipal Building: Operations$12,150
6.12Municipal Lawn Maintenance$5,500
6.13 Tax Abatements $8,000
6.14Tax Assessor$14,500
6.15Town Newsletter$7,000
Article 7:To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the following sums for Protection & Health:
Passed as amended
Recommended:
7.1Ambulance$9,906
7.2Animal Control$4,800
7.3Dispatch: CMRCC$8,641
7.4Dispatch: PSAP$2,667
7.5Dispatch: Winthrop$2,286
7.6E-911 (signage)$100
7.7Fire Department & Rescue Unit$74,370
Amended to $74,870
7.8Fire Dept: Equipment $3,800
7.9Fire Dept: Equipment II $5,000
7.10Fire Dept: Waterholes$1,000
7.11 General Assistance$2,500
7.12Insurance$24,500
7.13Kennebec Valley Humane Society$2,423
7.14Street Lights$4,200
7.15Transfer Station$105,000
Article 8:To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the following sums for Public Works and Highways:
Passed
Recommended:
8.1 Roads: Bridges & Culverts$9,682
8.2Roads: Bush Account$9,064
8.3Roads: Construction & Paving$128,750
8.4Roads: Maintenance & Ditching$41,200
8.5Roads: Salt & Sand Stockpile$55,000
8.6Roads: Signs$1,500
8.7Roads: Social Security/Medicare$2,000
8.8Snowplowing Contract$165,200
8.9Snowplowing Contract: Off-Road$14,000
8.10Roads: Snowplow Supervision$1,500
Article 9: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the following sums for Recreation/Community:
Passed
Recommended:
9.1Athletic Department$2,873
9.2Beach Department$2,600
9.3Community Center$3,300
9.4Library$21,000
9.5Masonic Hall Parking$300
9.6Mount Vernon Public Access TV7$1,800
9.7Watershed Association (30-Mile River)$500
Article 10: To see if the Town will vote to appropriate the first $500 of snowmobile fees reimbursed from the State of Maine for the Mount Vernon Ridge Riders Snowmobile Club.
Passed
Article 11: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the following sum for Cemeteries:
Passed
Recommended: $8,500
Article 12:To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the following sums for Debt Service:
Passed
Recommended:
12.1Maine Municipal Bond Bank $50,149
12.2T.D. Banknorth $24,156
Article 13:To see if the Town will vote to appropriate the following sums from estimated revenues and the undesignated fund balance (surplus) to reduce the total tax commitment:
Passed as amended
Recommended:
Animal Control Fees$2,000
Bank Interest$3,000
Boat Registration Fees$400
Cable TV Franchise Fee$5,500
Code Enforcement Permits$6,000
Excise Tax: Boat$4,000
Excise Tax: Car/Truck$240,000
Fire and Rescue: Vienna$3,500
General Assistance Reimbursement$1,250
Lien Income$3,000
Lincoln Walton Trust Fund$26,000
Municipal Revenue Sharing$77,895
Amended to $80,511
Newsletter Ad Fees$400
Planning Board Fees$200
Snowmobile Reimbursement $500
State Park Fee Sharing$2,800
Tax Interest$16,000
Town Clerk Fees & State Agent Fees$8,000
Transfer Station Fees & Revenues$10,000
Tree Growth Refund$5,000
Undesignated Fund Balance$0.00
URIP: Local Road Assistance$50,000
Total:$465,445
$468,061
Article 14:To see if the town will vote to authorize the selectmen to reimburse all town officials and employees for necessary travel at the rate of $0.42/mile.
Passed
Article 15:To see if the Town will authorize the Town Clerk or Deputies to charge a State rate of $30.00 for the receipt of checks with insufficient funds (up from $20.00).
Passed
Article 16:To see if the Town will authorize the Selectmen to expend the revenues of Special Revenue funds.
Passed
Article 17:To see if the Town will authorize the Selectmen to expend the income earned by the Cemetery Trust Funds, Noah A. & Nellie E. Clough Trust Fund, Dr. Gilman Trust Fund, Dr. Shaw Memorial Library Trust Fund, and the Robert George Weis Memorial Fund for the purpose specified by each trust fund.
Passed
Article 18:To see if the Town will direct the Board of Selectmen to lapse all General Fund accounts to the Undesignated Fund Balance (Surplus) at the end of the fiscal year, with the exception of Special Revenue funds, non-expendable trust funds, and accounts required to be carried by law, effective June 30, 2009.
Passed
Article 19:To see if the Town will vote to direct the Board of Selectmen to not authorize any payments that would overdraft an account (a budgeted expenditure), unless these payments are required by law, approved by voters at a Special Town Meeting, or are the result of a natural disaster. Excess revenues are not considered part of the budgeted expenditures voted on at Town Meeting.
Passed
Article 20:To see if the Town will authorize the Selectmen to issue orders for the closing of roads to winter maintenance.
Passed
Article 21:To see if the Town will authorize the removal of $32,271.87 from the special account titled “North Road Improvement Project” to be placed in a non-lapsing special projects account to be used for necessary road maintenance and/or construction improvement projects as recommended by and approved by the Road Commissioner and Board of Selectmen.
Passed
Article 22:To see if the Town will vote to make property taxes payable, one-half on September 26, 2009 and one-half on February 27, 2010 and that interest be charged on overdue taxes at the rate of 9.0% (or the maximum amount allowed by State law, whichever if that is greater) per annum after those dates.
Passed with amended wording
Article 23:To see if the Town will authorize the Selectmen to sell and convey property belonging to the Town by reason of matured tax liens, by sealed competitive bids to be opened in public at an announced time, to the highest acceptable bidder, retaining the right to accept or reject all bids at their discretion, after first posting notice of such sales in the same places that Town Warrants are posted. The Selectmen are to give not less than ten days notice of such sales in a local newspaper, with a description of the properties to be sold. Selectmen are to allow delinquent taxpayers the opportunity to redeem their former property until such time as a bid is accepted from another person on the advertised day of sale, by paying back taxes, administrative costs and interest to the day of sale.
Passed
Article 24:To see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate a sum for The Family Violence Project. (By Petition).
Passed
Requested: $1,645
Article 25:To see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate a sum for the Central Maine Area Agency on Aging, Spectrum Generations. (By Petition).
Passed
Requested: $966
Article 26:To see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate a sum for Hospice Volunteers of Waterville Area. (By Petition).
Passed
Requested: $800
Article 27:To see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate a sum for Kennebec Behavioral Health. (By Petition).
Failed to Pass
Requested: $1,911
Article 28:To see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate a sum for the Sexual Assault Crisis & Support Center. (By Petition).
Failed to Pass
Requested: $572
Article 29: To see if the town will vote to increase the property tax levy limit of $344,648 established for the Town of Mount Vernon by State law in the event that the municipal budget approved under the preceding articles will result in a tax commitment that is greater than the property tax levy limit.
Passed (written ballot, 29 yes; 5 no)
Article 30: To see if the Town will vote to increase the property tax levy limit only in the circumstance and only to the extent that projected State of Maine revenues for the fiscal year 2009-2010 including, but not limited to, municipal revenue sharing and homestead exemption reimbursement, are adjusted downwards between the annual town meeting and the date of commitment, and the result of those adjustments is that the property tax levy calculated at the date of commitment will be greater than the property tax levy calculated at the time of the annual town meeting.
Passed over
ORDINANCES
Article 31:To see if the town will vote to adopt the changes to the Mt. Vernon Zoning map as proposed by the Ordinance Review Committee.
Passed
Article 32:To see if the town will vote to adopt the changes to the Mt. Vernon Land Use Ordinance as proposed by the Ordinance Review Committee.
Passed
Article 33:To see if the Town will vote to adjourn until 8:00 AM on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 at the Mount Vernon Community Center.
Adjourned at 12:47pm until 8am June 9, 2009