By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

NAPLES — At the Naples annual town meeting in 2017, residents voted down money for the Lakes Region Explorer bus.

So, while preparing the 2018 budget, the Naples Finance Committee decided to strike it from the budget altogether. Therefore, it did not appear before residents as a budget item during the most recent town meeting.

This upcoming town meeting, the Explorer Bus budget contribution will be presented to the voters as a warrant article.

A people’s petition was turned into the Naples town office, according to Naples Town Manager John Hawley.

The petition requests that funding for the Lakes Region Explorer bus be a Warrant Article for residents to decide upon during town meeting.

“We received a petition, certified by [Town Clerk] Judy [Whynot] that will place an article on the town meeting warrant specifically for funding for” the rural route bus operated by the Regional Transportation Program (RTP).

Hawley told the Naples Board of Selectmen during it meeting on Monday that he was making the board aware of the petition.

Chairman Jim Grattelo explained how and when the petition started. Individuals stood outside the polling place, the town gymnasium on Election Day and got signatures from voters who supported it, he said.

In related business, the town meeting will be held in late April. Selectmen decided to switch the date after a straw poll on Election Day indicated that the majority of pollers prefer April to June.