As Standish residents consider a bond question for the June 10 ballot to fund town services, the $500,000 Standish Town Hall expansion portion of the question has drawn criticism and praise.
The $1.2 million bond would pay for an ambulance, pavement maintenance, rehabilitation of the ball field, and other items. All nine items in the proposed bond are grouped into one referendum question.
“I’m extremely bothered by this question two,” said Standish resident Cara Childs at the Town Council meeting Tuesday, adding that she supports most of the items in the bond, but does not agree with the $500,000 municipal building expansion. “I’m really concerned about the economy,” Childs said.
Councilors were split in their response to Childs’ words. Councilors Philip Pomerleau, Terence Christy, Louis Stack, and Margaret Spencer have stressed the need for the expansion and said that the council has been lumping capital expenditures for years.
Councilwoman Carolyn Biegel, however, said that after looking at the charter she came to the conclusion that “lumping them together is wrong,” and that the expansion should be its own referendum vote. She is concerned that items in the bond could be jeopardized by grouping them together.
Childs mirrored Biegel’s concern by asking the council, “What if it’s voted down because of this $500,000?”
Town employees moved into the current Town Hall in 2001. Construction of the $1.8 million structure was paid for with surplus funds.
Town officials started talking about expansion from the beginning, according to Standish Town Manager Gordy Billington. “Space needs were identified early on,” said Billington Wednesday, adding that the original structure overlooked space for the recreation and planning departments.
The 5,000 square foot expansion would include office and storage space, as well as a place for voting, a multi-function room and a training room for joint meetings.
“This has been on our capital plan for four years. The addition here is way over needed,” Pomerleau said. Stack added the even with the addition the proposed budget would increase residents’ taxes by only 1 percent.
Childs questioned the necessity of the expansion, saying that in every town she has lived in, voting has taken place in schools.
Billington said it is common to place all capital expenditures into one bond to get a better rate on the bond and reduce legal preparation fees. He said that according to town attorneys, the referendum question is consistent with the charter.
Town residents will vote for the bond in the referendum on June 10 and during the annual town meeting on June 14. If it passes the referendum vote, residents would still be able to amend or deny the expenditures at town meeting.
“At the town meeting you can recommend that the budget be reduced by a certain amount of money but can’t pinpoint a particular item,” said Stack.
Though the Town Council designates where specific cuts are made, an amendment reducing the general spending on an article at town meeting would block how much money for capital improvements such as Town Hall expansion is raised.
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