by Mary Grow Taxes were the last, but not the least, item discussed at the June 10 China selectmen’s meeting. The bottom line: tax bills sent out late this summer will show increases in valuation and an increase in the rate, neither dramatically large. Tax Assessor William Van Tuinen is still working on local values […]
by Mary Grow China selectmen spent most of their May 28 meeting reviewing bids for outdoor summer work, with mixed results. Their decisions annoyed a resident with a personal interest in the matter. The bid requests were in three categories, each subdivided: materials, equipment to be rented (with an operator) and mowing. Two contractors bid […]
by Mary Grow At their May 21 meeting, Vassalboro School Board members reluctantly voted to raise the bill for a full-price school lunch from $2.75 this year to $2.85 for the 2019-2020 school year. A food service memo requested the increase, explaining that it is required by the federal government, whose officials found almost a […]
by Mary Grow About a dozen China residents attended the selectmen’s May 13 public hearing on two June 11 ballot questions, focusing most of their attention on the first and more expensive one. The first question asks if voters want to authorize selectmen to spend up to $150,000 for the Hall property across Lakeview Drive […]
by Mary Grow The good news about Vassalboro’s 2019-2020 school budget, which totals more than $7.7 million, is that it is more than $26,000 lower than the current year’s budget. It will have no impact on the local tax rate, and no adverse effect on local education. Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer said the major reason for […]
by Mary Grow At their May 16 meeting, Vassalboro selectmen talked again about the speed limit on South Stanley Hill Road and about redesigning the transfer station, coming to no conclusion on either issue. State, not municipal, officials set local speed limits. Town Manager Mary Sabins said she had an email from David Allen of […]
by Mary Grow Vassalboro Planning Board members unanimously approved all three applications on their May 7 agenda, attaching a condition to one. Permits were approved for: Cornerstone Christian Fellowship on Riverside Drive to expand parking space, with work to be done in two phases. Thaddeus Clark to put a mobile home on an existing slab, […]
by Mary Grow China selectmen and fire chiefs went another round in their months-long disagreement at the May 13 selectmen’s meeting, with considerable shouting, many contradictions, some assigning of blame and eventually a partial clarification of positions, but no resolution. Town meeting voters annually approve money for the fire departments for operations and, in recent […]
by Mary Grow At their May 2 meeting, Vassalboro selectmen signed the warrant for the June 3 and June 11 town meeting and discussed a proposal it includes asking voters to spend $1,000 to improve Soldiers Memorial Park in East Vassalboro (Art. 27). Selectman John Melrose came up with the park plan as part of […]
by Mary Grow China Town Manager Dennis Heath shared information about the proposed waterfront land purchase with TIF (Tax Increment Finance) Committee members at their May 6 meeting. The local warrant for June 11 voting will include a request to appropriate $150,000, $125,000 from the lake access reserve fund and $25,000 from TIF funds, to […]