In what could be a record, Standish’s Annual Town Meeting held last Saturday morning at the Town Hall took a total of eight minutes from opening gavel to adjournment. Choosing a moderator took up the majority of that time with debate and the vote lasting a total of three minutes.
With 27 votes cast, Moderator William Dale presided over the meeting with about 35 resident voters in attendance. A motion was made to hear the budget as one item and all but a handful present raised their hands in affirmation, mostly as a protest that the budget was taken as one item.
Voters, about half of whom were fire department employees, approved a town budget representing a 16 percent spending increase (from $5.1 million to $5.9 million) offset by an increase in state subsidy meaning Standish voters will see a 1.5 percent decrease in their overall property tax bill.
While much of the eight-minute-long meeting went smoothly, resident William Orr tried to block the residents from voting on the budget as a whole. Orr preferred to go through the budget item by item to foster debate.
“I think the people come here to analyze or question these articles one by one and I think it’s a special interest when a town employee takes that opportunity away,” he said.
Because the total estimated tax base or property value in Standish has increased from $882 to $947 million, the mill rate is expected to drop from $10.75 to $9.96 per thousand of valuation. The final mill rate is subject to change pending commitment from the assessor’s office.
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