Budget being prepared for annual town meeting

By Stuart Hedstrom
Staff Writer

BROWNVILLE — With the annual town meeting taking place on the third Monday in March, in 2016 this date will be March 21, the selectmen and budget committee are working on a 2016-17 spending plan with the various town departments having submitted requested expenditures.

During a Jan. 27 select meeting, a preliminary proposal was presented by Chad Perkins to create a new line in the municipal budget for information technology (IT) rather than having technology items be included in other department expenditures. “I just think it would make it easier for me if I could put it all together,” Perkins, who volunteers his IT knowledge to the town, said.

“Hopefully when we spend IT money we are doing it wisely and for the benefit of the whole town,” he said. Perkins said purchasing power would still fall under the jurisdiction of the town manager, but having an IT account would help ensure money is spent wisely.

“There’s IT money that we could have made better use of in the past,” he said, saying he once had several town computers to work on that needed several weeks to fix that still were not compatible with some programs.

The current fiscal year’s budget has about $15,400 earmarked for IT among the various town departments, and Perkins said there could be a $1,300 savings under his consolidation proposal.

Town Manager Kathy White said her preference is to have IT items kept in the individual town department budgets. Perkins said even if his proposal is not pursued he feels better with White overseeing the technology purchases.

No action was taken on the IT proposal, but the change will be considered as the budget is readied for March.

The annual town meeting warrant will include an article concerning waste disposal as starting in 2018 the Municipal Review Committee (MRC) — which is made up of 187 Maine communities — will be no longer be contracting with the Penobscot Energy Recovery Company (PERC) in Orrington but instead to a planned trash-to-energy facility in Hampden under a partnership with the Maryland-based Fiberight LLC. Earlier in the week city officials in Brewer became the first municipality to sign an agreement to send waste to Hampden, beginning in two years on a 15-year contract.

“This is a long-term decision,” Selectman Walter Cook said, as possible options for Brownville could be continuing at PERC, using the Hampden facility or hauling its own waste to the Norridgewock landfill.

“We just need to know what we’re getting for our money and for how long,” Select Chair Dolly Perkins said. She mentioned a meeting concerning the future of waste disposal in eastern Piscataquis County is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 10 at the Milo Town Hall — time to be announced — and the selectmen can make a recommendation on what option to pursue but a decision is ultimately up to citizens via a town meeting vote.

Another upcoming meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 6 p.m. at the BJHS Alumni Hall/American Legion Post 92 , and Public Works Operations Director Kevin Black said this session will be a public hearing hosted by the Maine Department of Transportation on a project to replace the Route 11 Pleasant River bridge. Black said a temporary crossing will be up during the project as the possibility of just having a detour via Church Street was turned down, due to the potential loss in business for establishments in the Junction and with this route being posted during some months.

In other business, Perkins welcomed Stephen Dean to the board. Dean filled a vacant select seat during a special election earlier in the month and he had previously served on the board over a half decade ago.

The Jan. 27 meeting was also the first for White since being hired as town manager, after serving since the fall in an interim capacity and the town clerk for a number of years before that. “We had a town manager hired at the last meeting as Kathy agreed to stay on board,” Perkins said.

“We have saved a significant chunk of money with this new configuration,” Perkins said about some duties being shifted among the town office employees. “It seems to be working well.”

An announcement was made that the KI Riders ATV Club’s cafe, located in the former home of the American Legion next to the Brownville Jct. Post Office, would be opening on Friday, Jan. 29.