Vassalboro select board proposes town government changes

by Mary Grow

Vassalboro select board members agreed at their June 26 meeting to propose, and seek residents’ opinions on, three changes to town government.

Board member Chris French recommends Vassalboro’s annual town meeting format be changed from the traditional open meeting (like the one held June 2, 2025) to a referendum vote. All questions would be on written ballots each voter would fill out individually and privately (like the June 10 municipal election).

French’s reason: at the open meeting, about 100 voters made decisions that will affect everyone in town for at least the coming year. The written ballot attracted three times as many voters, 299 (according to Town Clerk Cathy Coyne).

The change would require a second change: budget committee members could no longer be elected from the town meeting floor. French proposed a budget committee ordinance that would spell out a different procedure.

He would also like to see the select board expanded from three members to five, elected for staggered three-year terms.

His recommendation to put the changes to voters on a Nov. 4 ballot sparked a discussion of timing for preparation of questions and public hearings.

Select board members intend to resume discussion of a different form of town meeting, a larger select board and a new budget committee ordinance at their Thursday, July 17, meeting.

Their only August meeting is now scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 12 (changed from the usual Thursday to accommodate Town Manager Aaron Miller’s schedule). Their first September meeting is Sept. 4. They propose having Nov. 4 questions ready by then, for submission to the town clerk.

In other business June 26, in a series of unanimous votes, board members awarded bids:

— To remove trees in the Nelson Road and Farwell-Brown cemeteries, to Pro Tree Service of Vassalboro, lowest of three bidders.
— For new culverts, to Paris Farmers Union, lowest of three bidders and recommended by Public Works Director Brian Lajoie.
— For a new boiler for the town office, to Knowles Mechanical, of Vassalboro, lower of two comparable bidders (a third bidder offered a boiler they considered too small for Vassalboro’s needs).

Cemetery committee chairman Savannah Clark and member Jane Aiudi joined board members and Miller in discussing three other issues (see the June 26 issue of The Town Line, p. 2).

After inspecting the East Vassalboro cemetery, Miller agreed the erosion problem there needs attention. He and Public Works Director Brian Lajoie are considering remedies.

Select board and cemetery committee members think a survey of trees in Vassalboro cemeteries and a plan or schedule for removing those threatening damage would be useful. Miller plans to draft a request for proposals from qualified foresters.

The manager had checked town records trying unsuccessfully to find out how many members the cemetery committee is supposed to have. It currently has six; several people preferred an uneven number.

Select board members intend to appoint/re-appoint town committee members at their July 17 meeting. Miller again referred to the application process described on the town website, Vassalboro.net.

Returning to the previously-discussed topic of a town recreation director, Miller repeated his preference for a “hybrid” position: someone hired for 30 hours a week who would oversee youth sports and would fill in at the town office as needed.

The town office position would involve cross-training, so that the new person could take over when regular staff were on sick leave, vacation or merely lunch breaks. One of Miller’s main goals is to let the bookkeeper do her time-consuming job without interruption.

French wanted consideration of contracting out routine jobs – payroll was specifically mentioned – to save staff time without adding a person. Miller agreed to try to get costs.

The manager suggested another option that would be a partial solution: close the office for a daily lunch break, as some other Maine towns do.

On another topic from previous meetings, Matt Streeter from Maine Rivers updated board members on plans to enlarge the Webber Pond fishway (see the June 12 issue of The Town Line, p. 3). He said all McQuarrie Road residents have signed agreements accepting use of their road as an alternative route while Dam Road is closed during construction.

Select board members unanimously approved closing Dam Road. Streeter said the contractor planned to start preparations June 30; work is scheduled to start in earnest July 14 and must end by Sept. 30 – earlier, he hopes.

Board members returned to the much-discussed town personnel policy long enough to vote unanimously to send it to the town’s attorney for review.

Miller led another pre-year-end review of town finances and promised more information at the July 17 meeting, after the 2024-25 books have closed.

After the long delay in getting past audit reports to guide planning for 2025-26 – a problem Miller said is not unique to Vassalboro – the manager reported he expects final information from 2023 and 2024 in July, and the audit for the 2024-25 fiscal year to start soon. Select board chairman Frederick “Rick” Denico urged Miller to follow up with the auditors.

The July 17 select board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in the town office meeting room.