By Wayne E. Rivet

Staff Writer

HARRISON — With fewer and fewer residents attending the annual town meeting, new manager Tim Pellerin has proposed another option.

Pellerin saw the same trend unfold in Rangeley.

Many parents are too busy carting youngsters to sports events or dance recitals to break free and sift through a lengthy list of warrant articles.

Some seniors may find it difficult to either find a ride to the Harrison Elementary School gym or are unable to sit on an uncomfortable folding chair for two to three hours.

Last June, just 46 residents attended the annual town meeting.

Looking to increase public involvement in deciding the municipal budget, townspeople will be asked this June whether to switch to a secret ballot or retain the current format.

Pellerin pointed out that others towns such as Jay and Livermore Falls have made the switch.

Town Clerk Melissa St. John said a secret ballot approach will result in more work for staff, but in the end, she said the extra effort would be worthwhile if more residents get involved in the decision-making process.

“If you are afraid to speak out at a meeting, you can come in and take out an absentee ballot which will be available 30 days prior,” St. John said.

The ballot asks for a yes or no on each warrant article.

In Rangeley, Pellerin said voters could pick up a sample ballot and town report, and go over the material prior to voting day. Once filled out, residents often brought the sample ballot with them to the polls to be used as a guide. The material would be available 60 days prior.

“The pros that we see is that you don’t have to come to the town meeting; you can vote by absentee ballot in your kitchen or go to the polls. It gives parents a chance to vote, who might otherwise not be at the meeting because of events that their kids are involved with, as well as those who can’t drive to the meeting. It gives individuality back to the voter,” Pellerin said.

In Rangeley, the switch saw a previous participation number rise from 85 in attendance at a meeting to 341 casting votes the next year under the secret ballot method.

“You get a better representation,” Pellerin said. “The cons are you can’t go to the town floor and change a particular warrant item number. If enough people vote ‘no,’ and it is defeated, then it goes back to the selectmen and back to voters.

If an essential service is voted down, it will operate on last year’s numbers for three months while selectmen hold a public hearing, and bring back the article for a second vote.

St. John said when Harrison voters go to the polls to elect municipal officers or vote on SAD 17 items, the number hits about 350. Just 46 out of a possible 2,700 attended last year’s town meeting.

If the secret ballot were adopted, Harrison voters would decide each year whether to continue this method.

“It has to be done each year,” Pellerin said. “The biggest piece is that it requires people to come and get a ballot and information to understand it. As the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.”

Pellerin says a number of options exist for the elderly, from having staff explain the warrant and ballot to someone picking up an absentee ballot and warrant.

Budget breakdown

Although a few numbers remain unclear at this time (SAD 17 and county tax), Pellerin suspects that the proposed 2019–20 budget will check in at about a three percent increase.

Municipal operations jumped $263,929, which includes the addition of an assistant code enforcement officer, along with wage and insurance increases for town staff (the town has 16–17 full-time employees and 40 part-timers, between fire department personnel and summer rec hires).

“With that said, the municipal budget represents just 32 percent of the town’s overall budget,” Pellerin noted.

The remaining pieces of the pie are: education 47%, capital roads 8%, capital reserve 7% and county tax 6%.

The road projects remain the same at $600,000 with $300,000 paying the bond (on which the town has two years remaining), and $300,000 to current projects.

Capital Reserve remains at $500,000.

Here’s a quick glance at other lines:

Administration, $457,253, down $13,988

Public Works, $627,891, up $45,132

Fire Department, $133,909, up $16,460

Solid Waste, $266,606, up $22,540

Recreation, $129,654, up $10,153

Parks, $119,209, up $7,563

Planning/Assessing, $166,514

Insurance, $69,000, up $16,250

Public Safety, $206,929, down $5,494

Community Services, $78,800, down $1,200

Total: $2,255,765, up $263,930

“People need to understand that we are working diligently hard to keep expenses low but yet provide good municipal services. Beyond our control is the school and county tax,” Pellerin said.

If Pellerin used preliminary figures he has received from SAD 17, the overall budget would increase by 3.94%. A firmer figure will be had by the April 11 public hearing, set for 6 p.m.

Pellerin noted that the final mil rate number would not be known until officials take into account revenues and property valuations.

The municipal budget stands at $1.92 million.

“I don’t see a big increase (in the mil rate) this year,” Pellerin said. “I foresee us continuing along the same lines that taxpayers have experienced over the past three to four years.”

Currently, the mil rate is $10.80 per thousand valuation.

Pellerin often hears from taxpayers that maybe the town should consider eliminating a position to reduce taxes. To achieve a significant savings — say $100 — Pellerin would need to cut more than one position to achieve that goal. The actual cut would be about $575,000. The question then becomes what services can taxpayers live without?

“If you cut one position at $40,000, you won’t see much of a savings on your tax bill,” he said.

Pellerin watches nearby communities to see where their budgets are landing, and noted that some in both Cumberland and Oxford counties are inching into double digits, from 11 to 18%.

“That’s a lot,” he said. “I anticipate a minimal change to ours. I have been very pleased how hard the staff and myself have worked to keep the budget at a reasonable rate yet provide good service to the community. Again, the employees really make the difference. What I can’t pay the employees for is the heart and dedication they have for the customers that they serve. If I did, we all would be broke. All of the employees here go far above and beyond whatever I pay them — whether it is plowing the roads or answering the phones at the front counter — everyone goes beyond to help the customers. It’s a great value to the community.”

Ordinance changes

Presently, Harrison has no local building code. So, officials will look — with voter approval — to implement a local code — the Maine Uniform and Energy Building Code.

A quick PowerPoint that will be given at a future hearing includes these highlights:

• Who does it apply to? Towns with a population of over 4,000; any town that voluntarily adopts it. Harrison’s population is at 2,730.

• How will it affect a building project? Current inspections include septic and plumbing; added inspections would include foundations, framing, insulation and decks.

• Third party inspectors — Builder/owner is responsible to pay for, must be certified by the State of Maine.

Officials point out that MUBEC is already happening since “most reputable contractors are currently using MUBEC standards for insurance and liability purposes. Meanwhile, most lending institutions have TPI that inspect each stage of construction.

• Will MUBEC add costs to current homeowners? No, it does not require current properties to be “retrofitted.” It won’t increase property taxes. It will protect property values.

“All towns around us already have it,” Town Clerk Melissa St. John added. “Because of population, we weren’t required to have it. But with changing times, this seems to be the time to bring it in.”

Harrison is seeing an uptick in building. From April 2018 to 2019, the town issued 164 permits. In three months this year, the number has reached 240.

“As we see permits increase, this is probably a good measure to have in place to keep building in check in regards to standards and safety,” Pellerin said. “We went to a chimney fire and a person had used a culvert as a chimney. These are the types of things we need to keep in check.”