China resident is Maine’s Conservation Officer of the Year

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Maine Game Warden, David Ross

by Eric W. Austin

David Ross – China resident, local game warden, and Maine’s nominee for Conservation Officer of the Year – is worried. Fewer Mainer’s are enjoying the great outdoors, especially the younger generation.

“The youth – they’re not out there. It’s my age and up,” says Ross, who is in his mid-30s. “Whether that’s parents not passing down traditions, or kids not wanting to be outdoors – too many distractions? – I don’t know what the answer is.”

Traditional pastimes like hunting, fishing and trapping in particular have seen a slow decline in recent years. That’s a problem because much of the funding for Maine’s conservation efforts comes from the sale of licenses for those activities.

On the other hand, extreme vehicle sports, including snowmobiling and riding ATVs, are increasing.

Ross, a native Mainer who grew up in the Wiscasset area and went to Unity College, spent three years as a Maine Marine Patrol Officer before moving to the warden service ten years ago. In 2012, Ross and his wife, who works for Maine’s Attorney General office, relocated to China. They have two children, six and four, who attend St. Michael’s parochial school, in Augusta. As a game warden, Ross serves six towns around central Maine: China, Windsor, Palermo, Liberty, Montville, and Freedom. His territory also includes the lakes of China, Sheepscot, and St. George.

Although Maine game wardens are law enforcement officers with the power to arrest, investigate and enforce the law, Ross sees his job as different than the typical police officer.

“[On] the direct law enforcement side, they’re primarily reactive. They get a call and they go,” he says. “I’m a pro-active law enforcement officer. I like to prevent things from happening.”

Many of the calls Ross receives are a response to residents’ interactions with local wildlife, but sometimes people panic for no reason. “Seeing a fox during the day – that’s not a big deal,” Ross advises. “You’re looking for the behavior. If you see a fox during the day that’s running in circles, chasing its tail, falling over for no reason, running into trees – aggressively attacking you – that’s cause for alarm. But seeing a fluffy-tailed fox siting on a rock, sunning itself – not a problem. That’s wildlife in Maine.”

Still, if you ever have a question, Ross is easy enough to contact. Just call the state police non-emergency dispatch at 624-7076 and ask for Warden Dave Ross. He’ll call you right back.

If you need to have a wild animal removed from your property, such as a raccoon that has gotten stuck in your garage, your best bet is to call a certified Animal Damage Control Agent instead of a warden. You can find a list of them, fully licensed by Maine’s department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, by searching Google for “Maine Animal Damage Control Agents.”

Ticks are also a growing problem in Maine and they are having a detrimental effect on residents’ ability to take advantage of the state’s best asset – the Great Outdoors.

“I’ve talked to a few hunters [about] turkey season in the spring,” Ross says. “They’re not going to go, just because of the ticks.”

The milder winters we’ve had the last few years have been a boon to the tick population. Usually, Maine’s harsh winter cold is enough to kill off the ticks each year, forcing them to reestablish their population the following spring, but as the climate warms, that’s not happening, which means we can expect ticks to become a worsening danger in the years to come. On the plus side, the milder winters mean we’re seeing other animal species expand their range into central Maine, such as opossums, which feed on ticks.

Ross deals with the tick menace by treating his clothes with Permethrin before venturing out into the woods.

When he’s not roaming the woods of central Maine looking for poachers or lost hunters, Dave Ross is at home on his hobby-farm in China where he raises chickens, pigs and tends bees.

China selectmen do semi-final review of warrant articles prior to April 4 town meeting

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by Mary Grow

China selectmen spent almost two hours Feb. 10 doing a semi-final review of the warrant articles for the April 4 town business meeting. Their work was to be submitted to the budget committee on Feb. 12 for its members’ final review and recommendations.

The selectmen intend to sign the warrant at their Tuesday, Feb. 18, meeting (moved from the usual Monday because of the Presidents’ Day holiday).

At the Feb. 10 meeting, selectmen again discussed pay increases for Town Clerk Rebecca Hapgood, Transfer Station Manager Tim Grotton and Public Works Manager Shawn Reed, the three town employees Town Manager Dennis Heath has designated as managers. Selectmen agreed on different levels of increase for each, based on amount of responsibility and length of service with the town.

Looking at the annual article setting tax due dates and authorizing interest charges on late payments, they unanimously recommended reducing the interest rate from the state maximum of 9 percent to 4.5 percent.

Two public hearings scheduled

Two public hearings on budget requests in the April 3 town meeting warrant are scheduled for Sunday, March 22, at 2 p.m. at the Albert Church Brown Memorial Library in China Village, and Wednesday, March 25, at 7 p.m. at the town office on Lakeview Drive.

The warrant includes two articles that deal with Heath’s proposal to hire a full-time town policeman.

One asks if voters want to establish the position and fund it at over $113,000 for 2020-21. The new officer would work in addition to the present part-time people, and China would continue to run its own vehicle.

If voters defeat that article, they then decide whether they want to contract with the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office for police services. In that case, Heath said about $81,000 of the current police budget could be applied to the estimated $114,000 first-year cost, because China would no longer need part-time patrolmen or a vehicle.

Selectman Wayne Chadwick voted against recommending either proposal. He was surprised to find them presented as definite plans with price tags, since in his opinion much more discussion is needed.

The warrant Heath read aloud and selectmen approved has several articles that are capped, that is, written so that voters cannot legally increase the amount to be appropriated. Among them are fund requests for:

  • China’s fire and rescue departments;
  • Social services (out-of-town agencies like the Red Cross, Senior Spectrum and public radio);
  • Community support organizations (in-town groups like the libraries, China Lake water quality groups and historic buildings, and this year including appropriations for fire and rescue that replaces the much-debated stipends); and
  • Recommended spending from China’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF) fund.

There were no capped articles in the warrant for the 2019 town business meeting.

The Feb. 18 selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in the town office meeting room.

Vassalboro planners OK replacement of power poles

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by Mary Grow

Central Maine Power Company’s plan to replace power poles and lines between McCoy’s Substation, in Vassalboro, and the Augusta East substation got approval from the Vassalboro Planning Board at a Feb. 4 meeting, but still awaits state action, company spokespeople said.

The map accompanying their presentation to the planning board shows McCoy’s Substation, on Cross Hill Road, north of Webber Pond (local maps show McCoy’s Crossing as the intersection where Cross Hill, Taber Hill and Bog roads meet). The power line runs southwest along Bog Road, the west shore of the pond and beside Church Hill Road to North Belfast Avenue (Route 3).

Seventeen of the 65 poles are in Resource Protection districts and therefore require local approval, according to the board agenda.

Both current and planned poles heights vary, but engineer Gary Emond, of Power Engineers, said on average, the new poles will be 15 to 20 feet higher than existing ones.

CMP personnel have discussed construction plans with abutters, Project Manager Nicole Harbaugh said. Deborah Turcotte said she spoke with the owner of a private airport who was concerned about higher poles and lines interfering with flight paths. A consultant recommended slightly shorter poles and colored marker balls on the lines; CMP concurred and the airport owner is satisfied.

The CMP representatives said there are no plans to move poles any significant distance, nor to expand the company’s right-of-way, nor to ask for additional easements or do additional clearing along Webber Pond.

Discontinued poles are cut off at ground height, Harbaugh said, and either given to abutters (if they want them and if they plan to use them in environmentally harmless ways) or hauled away. Pole stumps are left in the ground except in agricultural fields.

Electrical service will not be disrupted during construction, Harbaugh said. The tentative – she emphasized tentative – schedule has work beginning in May and ending sometime in the fall. However, she said, the Maine Public Utilities Commission is still reviewing new legislation that might be relevant, and Emond is still working with Department of Environmental Protection staff.

After unanimously approving CMP’s proposed work, board members also approved Codes Officer Paul Mitnik’s revised shoreland zoning permit application.

The next Vassalboro Planning Board meeting will be March 10, the second Tuesday of the month, because their usual first Tuesday evening will find the town office meeting room set up as a voting room for presidential primary elections and one state referendum question.

Meet the candidates session before special election for vacant China selectmen’s seat

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Albert Church Brown Memorial Library in China Village.

A meet the candidates session is scheduled at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23, at the Albert Church Brown Memorial Library, in China Village, in advance of China’s March 3 special election to fill a vacancy on the Selectboard. Candidates are Christopher Hahn, Janet Preston and Kevin Rhoades.

CHINA: Committee reviews budget recommendations

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by Mary Grow

China Budget Committee members reviewed the town manager’s and selectmen’s recommendations for 2020-21 municipal expenditures at their Jan. 30 meeting. Their discussion again touched on the controversial stipends for volunteer firefighters, and in other areas suggested potential disagreement with the selectmen.

Another question raised Jan. 30 is how warrant articles will be written for the April 4 town meeting. There are two types of articles.

A “capped” article has the amount to be appropriated in the body of the article. In that case, voters cannot increase it; they can approve it or reduce it.

An “open” article begins with “To see what sum of money,” with recommended amounts from the selectmen and budget committee printed below the article. Voters can increase, approve or reduce the amount(s) printed.

Town Manager Dennis Heath said he intends to cap all appropriation articles. Budget Committee Chairman Robert Batteese predicted voters would not like the format and pointed out most articles have been open for years. Heath said he would write open articles if the selectmen direct him to do so.

The firefighters’ stipends are moved out of the fire department budget into the community support agencies budget, with $10,000 recommended for each fire department and for China Rescue.

During a brief review of the proposed fire and rescue appropriation, South China Fire Chief Richard Morse told committee members he believes the line item his department calls “recruitment and retention” rather than “stipends” should be left in the fire department budget. He added that he had asked for $12,000 for 2020-21 because last year he went over budget.

Morse left the meeting before discussion of the community support lines. Budget committee member Tim Basham’s motion to recommend $12,000 for the South China department’s recruitment and retention line was not seconded.

Heath has also moved requests from the China Lake Association and the China Region Lakes Alliance from Tax Increment Finance funding to community support. He said as of Jan. 1 the town no longer does bookkeeping and payroll for the two organizations; like other organizations, they will do their own paperwork and report to him how they spend taxpayers’ money.

A major issue for budget committee members was salaries for Town Clerk Becky Hapgood, Transfer Station Manager Tim Grotton and Public Works Manager Shawn Reed. Heath proposes promoting them from hourly workers to salaried managers, saying that in his administration they are functioning as managers, for example, preparing department budgets and hiring new employees.

When selectmen reviewed the draft budget Jan. 27 (see The Town Line, Jan. 30), they proposed equal dollar raises for all three that resulted in somewhat lower salaries than Heath recommended. Budget committee members thought since Hapgood is qualified – and designated, Heath said – to step in as town manager in an emergency, she should be paid more than the other two. They voted unanimously for 10 percent raises for all three, giving Hapgood the highest pay and Grotton, who has been with the town the shortest time, the lowest.

Heath opened the budget committee discussion with a brief review of expected revenues. Since many major items, like road maintenance and town office expenses, are covered by non-tax revenues like grants and fees, he does not expect the municipal budget will need much more from taxpayers next year than this year.

As the Jan. 30 meeting ended, Heath and Batteese recommended the following schedule: a Feb. 10 selectmen’s meeting and a Feb. 12 budget committee meeting for each group to review draft town meeting warrant articles and a Feb. 13 joint meeting to make final decisions. All meetings are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at the town office.

China planning board discusses three projects on Rte. 3

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by Mary Grow

China Planning Board members continued discussion of three pending projects near Route 3 at their Jan. 28 meeting. All were discussed at the board’s Dec. 10, 2019, meeting (see The Town Line, Dec. 19, 2019). None was ready for final action at the January meeting.

Jamie Nichols’ application for a self-storage facility on Vassalboro Road just north of the car wash was postponed in December because board members found the application incomplete. On Jan. 28 they found it complete, but the project is complicated by the China Phosphorus Control Ordinance and the need for state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) permits.

Codes Officer Bill Butler expects the other two applications, from Sunraise Investments for proposed solar arrays, to be on the board’s Feb.11 agenda. In advance, board members scheduled a Feb. 8 site visit.

The lot Nichols plans to build on is part of a 2002 subdivision that already has filter beds for run-off control, Waterville engineer Al Hodson said. Board member did not know whether the beds have been maintained as scheduled.

Hodsdon had figures showing that as designed, Nichols’ project would not quite meet the requirements of China’s Phosphorus Control Ordinance, adopted in 1993 to protect water quality in China Lake and Three Mile Pond. Nichols’ lot drains into Three Mile Pond.

Board Chairman Tom Miragliuolo said reducing either roof sizes or paved area would fix the problem. Hodsdon said DEP might approve state permits anyway, because measurements have a degree of uncertainty.

Nichols said he owns other self-storage facilities and is moving his main office to South China. He plans two metal buildings, with sections for his own equipment and an office in the larger one. The proposal includes a bathroom and a holding tank.

There will be no hazardous or flammable materials allowed; on-site parking is provided; lighting will be on the buildings with down-facing sconces.

“People are getting very sensitive about light pollution,” Hodsdon commented.

Board members postponed action until DEP staffers act. If they require changes, China planners would need to do another review, Hodsdon said. If enough people show interest in the development, the China board could hold a public hearing before making a decision.

The solar site visit is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, for the property described as the field behind Michael Willette’s gravel pit. Notice of the visit says SunRaise intends to install 17,880 solar panels on about 21.5 acres.

The site walk is considered a planning board meeting and is open to anyone interested. Participants should meet at the pit entrance at the end of Heino Lane. “Heino Lane is accessed off the west side of Windsor Road and is 0.35 miles north of Arnold Road,” the notice says.

Added in capital letters is a warning that the visit will be canceled if there is “significant snow cover” on the site or if the weather is bad Feb. 8.

SunRaise’s second proposed site is farther east on Route 3, on Daniel Ouellette’s property near the South China Wash and Dry and the power line.

Board members and engineer Mark McCluskey talked briefly about plans for Phase Two of the causeway project at the head of China Lake. That topic and the Windsor Road SunRaise proposal are on the agenda for the board’s Tuesday, Feb. 11, meeting, scheduled for 6:30 p.m., at the town office.

China selectmen approve metal can purchase for transfer station

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by Mary Grow

The major decision at an unusually short Feb. 3 China selectmen’s meeting was to buy a new large metal can for waste from the new pre-crusher at the transfer station. Without it, Town Manager Dennis Heath explained, staff would have no replacement under the mixed waste hopper while a filled can is hauled away.

Heath commended Transfer Station Manager Tim Grotton for arranging to sell a can too old to use for enough money to lower the cost of the new one to $8,100. Estimates had ranged from $10,000 to$13,000.

Selectmen voted to take the $8,100 from the $55,000 contingency fund voters granted them for unexpected expenses during the 2019-20 fiscal year. Later, as Heath presented his monthly financial summary, they discovered the contingency fund has less than $4,000 left in it.

They therefore amended their vote and will pay for the new waste can from the equipment reserve fund.

After the meeting, Heath shared a summary of the $51,311 spent from the contingency fund. More than $42,000 went to install three-phase power at the transfer station, primarily to accommodate the pre-crusher. Central Maine Power Company claimed the lion’s share; Windsor electrician Dan Finley was paid for labor and materials.

Heath commented that Grotton reported a welcome increase in the price China gets for one recycled material: cardboard is now worth $100 a ton, up from a negligible amount some months ago.

The Feb. 3 meeting included an executive session to discuss an employment agreement between the selectmen and Heath. Heath reported afterward board members approved a town manager’s job description and asked Heath to submit a draft employment agreement at their next regular meeting (see below).

The next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening, Feb. 18, to avoid the Presidents’ Day holiday. Before then, selectmen have scheduled a Monday, Feb. 10, special meeting to review articles for the April 6 town business meeting, and the budget committee will meet on Wednesday, Feb. 12, for the same purpose. All meetings are at 6:30 p.m. in the town office meeting room.

Description of town manager’s responsibilities

This is the position description for the China Town Manager, approved after the executive session of the China Select Board, on February 3, 2020. The draft employment agreement will be presented at the next select board meeting on Tuesday, February 18, 2020. (Monday is Presidents Day).

The Town Manager

This is responsible leadership work as chief executive and chief administrative official of the Town. The Manager is under the direction of the Board of Selectmen. Performance must be in accordance with the Maine Statutes and local ordinances.

Employee of this class is responsible for the achievement of tangible results through people. Work involves a certain degree of urgency to produce and will require firm dealing with people to achieve results. Work involves planning, budget making, problem solving and organizing with the authority to make decisions as well as delegate to others. The work environment is relatively unpredictable and requires the ability to manage many projects at once. Although governed by policies, the Manager must frequently act without precedent.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: Examples of Work (Illustrative Only):

  • Maintains the administrative organization of the Town to ensure efficiency of operation. Oversees the accounting of all monies of the Town.
  • Makes monthly reports to Board of Selectmen pertaining to the financial status of the Town. Annually prepares a proposed budget and work program for the Town.
  • Prepares an annual report of the previous year’s activities for presentation to the Board of Selectmen and citizens of the Town.
  • Appoints, with Board of Selectmen approval, all department heads and supervises their performance on a day-to-day basis.
  • Oversees the hiring, evaluating, promoting, and disciplining of employees or establishes procedures for others to follow in such matters.
  • Recommends an annual salary schedule for the Town employees for Board of Selectmen consideration.
  • Identifies service and policy needs of The Town and brings to the attention of the Board of Selectmen with recommendations for action.
  • Maintains a sound public relations posture between the Town and its citizens, the press, and other federal, state and local governmental agencies.
  • Coordinates departmental activities, and sets attainable goals for all municipal departments. Act as purchasing agent for all municipal departments, and oversees the bid process on major purchases.
  • Maintains contact with public by handling suggestions, complaints and information requests.
  • Carries out the directives of the Board of Selectmen.
  • Attends meetings of the Board of Selectmen, preparing its agendas, providing supporting documents and information pertinent to agenda items.
  • Attends various meetings on behalf of the Town.
  • Prepares federal and State grant requests and administers grant programs.
  • Enforces municipal and State codes.
  • Ex-officio member of numerous municipal committees.
  • Performs related work as required.

Requirements of Work:

  • Thorough knowledge of municipal management and community problems.
  • Thorough understanding of administrative organization, design, and evaluation.
  • Thorough knowledge of financial administration and the design of financial accounting and reporting system.
  • Thorough knowledge of the theory and practice of public personnel administration.
  • Thorough knowledge of municipal government programs and decision-making processes. Working knowledge of State and federal programs.
  • Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing.
  • Ability to listen to others.
  • Possess conflict resolution skills.
  • Ability to direct and supervise others and to delegate.
  • Ability to organize and use time effectively.
  • Ability to give and accept constructive criticism.
  • Knowledge of road maintenance.
  • Employee must be goal-minded and possess a self-starting drive to get things done, frequently through other people.
  • Employee must be able to react quickly to changing situations which may be physically taxing.
  • Employee must be positive and direct in striving to achieve results, but must at times be able to motivate others to act through persuasiveness and the generation of enthusiasm.
  • Ability to act independently and without precedent in the face of problems.

Training and Experience Required:

  • Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university program in public administration or a related field, and at least five years experience as chief administrative officer in a municipal government; or any equivalent combination of experience and training.

Additional Duty Assignments:

  • Tax Collector
  • Treasurer
  • Road Commissioner
  • Emergency Preparedness Director
  • Agent to Overseers of the Poor
  • General Assistance Administrator
  • Public Access Officer
  • Building Official
  • Ex-Officio Member of all Committees/Boards.

Vassalboro selectmen OK RFPs for solar energy project

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by Mary Grow

At their Jan. 23 meeting, Vassalboro selectmen unanimously approved a request for proposals (RFP) for a solar energy project for the town, including the school department and the Vassalboro Sanitary District. The RFP was prepared by the Solar Energy Project Committee; committee chairman, Selectman John Melrose, said Sanitary District and school officials were consulted.

The schedule for bidders is as follows: notices of intent to bid are due by Feb. 7; a mandatory pre-proposal meeting, RFP review and site visit are scheduled for Feb. 12; town officials must respond to any comments or questions arising from the meeting by Feb. 18; and proposals are due at the town office by 3 p.m. March 9.

The solar installation is to tie into Central Maine Power Company’s service. Bidders have a choice of four sites: Vassalboro Community School land or, with an engineer’s approval, the roof of the building; the town office lot; the North Vassalboro fire station lot; and the Vassalboro Sanitary District’s East Vassalboro property that currently contains a sand filter bed, to be discontinued when the sewer connection to Winslow is finished.

Selectmen also had a request from Michael Vashon, representing the volunteer fire department, to clarify whether town funds approved by voters to match grants the department received are to be used only for state or federal grants, or whether they can match grants from private foundations.

Selectmen voted unanimously that foundation grants can also be matched with tax dollars.

Vashon said with grants and town funds the firefighters have bought and installed new mobile radios and partly funded new portable radios. They’re saving money now for a new fire truck, at an estimated price of about $365,000.

In other business Jan. 23, selectmen renewed the liquor license for Natanis Golf Course, with course owner and Selectman Robert Browne abstaining from discussion and voting.

They told resident Michael Poulin, who would like the town’s Tax Increment Finance (TIF) policy amended, that a consultant is reviewing the policy (see The Town Line, Dec. 19, 2019).

Tom Richards, Commander of Vassalboro American Legion Post #126, asked whether town funds might be used if the post helped organize a Memorial Day ceremony. Board Chairman Lauchlin Titus and Sabins said past observances have cost $300 or less. Titus suggested Richards talk with his wife, Linda Titus, head of the Vassalboro Business Association, about past and possible future events.

Sabins said repairs to the utility room and updates to the computer system are in progress, with the computer system nearly done and more time-consuming – and therefore more expensive – than expected. Once that is finished, she said, the Cemetery Committee will be able to install a much-needed cemetery record program and hire an intern to collect information to fill it.

Voters appropriated $28,000 this year for the town’s share in the maintenance of cemeteries and public grounds and for Memorial Day expenses.

The next regular selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6. They plan an initial work session on the 2020-21 budget at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11.

China planners set to visit one proposed solar development site

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by Mary Grow

China Planning Board members are tentatively scheduled to visit the site of one of two proposed solar developments in town Saturday morning, Feb. 8, if the developers are available and the weather cooperates. The site visit is considered a board meeting and is open to the public.

At the Jan. 28 Planning Board meeting, Codes Officer Bill Butler said he expects the solar applications to be on the board’s Feb. 11 meeting agenda. Planners would like to see the proposed site in the field behind Mike Willette’s gravel pit, off Arnold Road near Erskine Academy, which has been described as an open meadow with an area of forested wetlands.

The visit is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Feb. 8, with Butler and the developers to decide where to meet.

China selectmen make budget recommendations

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by Mary Grow

China selectmen made their recommendations on Town Manager Dennis Heath’s proposed 2020-21 municipal budget at a special meeting Jan. 27, so the budget committee could review them Jan. 30. Voters will make final decisions at the annual town business meeting, scheduled for Saturday morning, April 4.

The major change Heath proposed was adding a full-time police officer, which would increase the police and animal control budget from this year’s $91,498 (of which $26,535 is designated as “police wages”) to more than $207,000.

“We can’t afford it,” was Selectman Wayne Chadwick’s immediate response, followed by a motion to leave police wages and related items at the current level.

“We can’t afford it,” was Selectman Wayne Chadwick’s immediate response…

Later, however, selectmen expressed willingness to support a proposal to put the police officer’s salary and related expenses in a separate, extra-budget warrant article with a price tag, so voters could decide on April 4 whether they want the service and are willing to pay for it.

Most other changes in the proposed budget are internal moves or rearrangements of expenditure requests.

For example, Heath proposes making Town Clerk Rebecca Hapgood, Transfer Station Manager Tim Grotton and Public Works Manager Shawn Reed salaried rather than paid by the hour, because, he said, they work as managers. He and selectmen agreed on recommended salary levels that would be approximately equivalent to the three percent increase recommended for China’s hourly workers.

The town manager moved requests for money for the China Lake Association, the China Region Lakes Alliance and stipends for volunteer firefighters and rescue personnel into the article funding community support organizations, raising that request considerably while reducing planned use of Tax Increment Finance funds and the fire and rescue budget lines.

Overall, Heath said, if budget committee members and voters agree with the selectmen, the 2020-21 municipal budget will have a minimal effect on the tax rate. The municipal budget includes the annual county taxes; the school budget is separate and was not part of the Jan. 27 discussion.

According to the budget summary for the current fiscal year in the town report for the year ended June 30, 2018, the municipal budget was less than 33 percent of overall spending; the county tax was less than 5 percent; and the school budget was just over 52 percent.

The budget committee meets at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30, in the town office meeting room to review the selectmen’s recommendations for 2020-21 spending.