Milo town meeting set for March 9

By Stuart Hedstrom 
Staff Writer

    MILO — On the evening of Monday, March 9, starting at 7 p.m., residents will convene in the Ed Wingler Auditorium on the upper level of the town hall for the 2015 annual town meeting. During a selectmen’s meeting on Feb. 17, Milo officials began to finalize the remaining details for the town meeting.

    The town meeting warrant was nearly complete, other than adjustments to two articles, and the selectmen were scheduled to formally sign the document later in the week after each of the five had a chance to fully review the articles.
    When asked about the total budget for 2015-16, a figure of $3.2 million was mentioned if the articles are all passed as written. Select Chair Lee McMannus said this represents an increase of approximately $264,000 or 9 percent from the current fiscal year.
    Town Manager David Maynard said the spending plan has been prepared without any major cuts to a single department.
    “I have been working on ways to curb our budget for some time now,” McMannus said. “That’s not just looking at our library and not just looking at our rec or trash,” he said, with reductions being considered throughout the community. “I personally have been looking at many things and I think some other board members have as well, to see what our options are for that worst-case scenario,” he added, in touching upon the possibility of a reduction or elimination of municipal revenue sharing.
    Maynard said under the proposed budget, the mil rate would rise but this would be countered by the factored adjustment of town properties. Across the community parcels’ assessed values are reduced by the same percentage and the mil rate is increase proportionately in order to raise the same amount of property taxes as in the current year.
    In other business, a public hearing on a proposed land use ordinance was scheduled for Tuesday, March 3 at 6 p.m. before the next selectmen’s meeting. Over the last few months, the board has been looking at several matters, such as business district improvements and guidelines for maintaining properties, that fall under this type of ordinance.
    After hearing from Fred Trask of Trask Insurance, the selectmen passed a motion to allow for the installation of webcams at about a half dozen town-owned poles around the downtown area. Trask said the cameras could allow anyone around the world to go online and see views of West Main Street, Park Street and more, along with other information such as weather data.
    Trask will be funding the cameras. “So basically you just need permission to put these on the town’s light poles and the use of power,” McMannus said. He said he did not believe anyone would object to the use of the town’s electricity for the cameras in exchange for the promotion the equipment can provide for Milo.
    Another promotional tool for the town of Milo is a community website, and the selectmen are looking to discuss a potential contract with a site developer at the next meeting. Board member Bob Ade said “the possibilities are endless” in what can be done with a town of Milo website.
    “A website is definitely a cost,” McMannus said, but he added that the cost is minimal for the numerous benefits a town website can provide.