WALDO COUNTY - Democracy is messy as the adage goes, and the kind practiced at annual town meetings around Maine is no exception. Some towns have become known for hot debates on a particular issue, while others make a safe bet any year for a squabble or a perennial feud inflamed (and yes, some sail through without much to talk about).

But even at their ugliest, town meetings don't have the political party struggles that bog down the democratic process at the state and federal levels. In the town offices and grange halls, every citizen has a voice. In this way town meeting democracy is downright clean.

You can even bring your knitting for the boring parts. 

On a serious note, though, the town meeting is where the whole year's business comes to a head. To miss it would be a shame. It's a few hours on a Saturday but arguably the purest form of democracy in government today.

Following is a list of town meetings in Waldo County through the end of March.

Saturday, March 16

Brooks - 1 p.m. Morse Memorial Elementary School
Elections: Nominations from the floor at the town meeting. One position on the Select Board will be up for consideration. The seat is currently held by Mike Switzer
Big Issues: Residents will be asked to consider borrowing $300,000 to build a new sand and salt shed.

Burnham -  1 p.m. Reynolds Corner Municipal Building
Elections: Friday, March 15, 2 p.m. - 7 p.m. at Reynolds Corner Municipal Building
Budget: Bottom line is down by $20,000

Jackson - 9:30 a.m. Jackson Community Center, Village Road.
Elections: Nominations from the floor. Residents will vote on the Select Board seat currently held by John Work. Elections for other municipal positions are held annually.
Big Issues: Voters will be asked to weigh in on requiring the local food pantry to sign a lease for use of space in the Jackson Community Center. The food pantry currently operates out of the building and does upkeep and repairs, according to Town Clerk Brenda Dennison. A number of other articles relating to the Community Center could also generate debate, Dennison said, including the creation of a new paid facility manager position for the building, a job previously done by a volunteer.

Knox - 10 a.m. Town office.
Elections: Friday, March 15, 4 p.m. - 8 p.m. at the Town Office. The seat held by First Selectman Galen Larrabee is on the ballot.
Big Issues: The town meeting warrant doesn't include any standout issues, according to Town Clerk Dorrit Emerson. But the town may have to meet again at a special town meeting, she said, depending upon what happens with proposed cuts at the state level that would shift costs to municipalities. “Until we know what the governor has decided we can’t go ahead with any of that,” she said.

Morrill - 9:30, Community Building
Elections: Nominations from the floor. Up for consideration will be the second selectman's seat, currently held by Randy Place.
Big Issues: Residents will be asked to consider changing the town's budget cycle from a fiscal year that currently runs through January to a calendar year. Accounting Manager Joyce Scott described the current system as “really is problematic for reporting” and said the switch to a calendar year would mean the next tax bill would be for 11 months, "which will probably quite welcome," Scott said. 
Budget: Scott was hesitant to speculate on mill rate in the coming year, noting that about 85-percent of a Morrill resident's tax bill comes from outside of town government. Additionally, she said, regular sources of revenue from the state like municipal revenue sharing and General Purpose Aid to school districts have been unpredictable in recent years.

Thorndike - 9:30 a.m. Town Office
Elections: Nominations from the floor. Municipal offices, including all three seats on the Select Board are voted upon annually.
Big Issues: According to First Selectman Jim Bennett there shouldn't be any issues, but not everyone in the town is happy. The bottom line of the town's budget is much the same as in past years past years, he said, noting that the warrant hasn't changed much in the past five years. “I see nothing on the warrant that’s in there to fight about,” he said. A group of residents has leveled charges against the town, often directed at Bennett specifically, ranging from gaps in the town's accounting to an allegation that the town did not have proper permits to burn the old town office. Bennett said the allegations are false, that he has the paperwork to back it up, and plans to do so at the meeting. “We’re gonna have that stuff with us we’re gonna address it and we’re gonna move on,” he said.

Monday, March 18

Belmont - 7:30 p.m. at the Town Office
Elections: Nominations from the floor. All town positions carry one-year terms and are voted upon at the annual town meeting.
Big Issues: Belmont has become known for its brief and uncontentious town meeting, and Deputy Town Clerk Kristin Waterman said this year's warrant has nothing out of the ordinary.
Budget: Subject to voter approval, Waterman said the town's budget is generally down from last year.

Saturday, March 23

Liberty - 9 a.m., at the new Liberty Community Hall on Route 220 South (Pinnacle Road), 1.5 miles from the intersection with Main Street, next to Dave's World.
Elections: Nominations from the floor. Voters will choose one selectman. The seat is currently held by First Selectman Jim Caldwell who is expected to seek re-election. 
Big Issues: Town Clerk Gail Philippi noted several items on the warrant including a vote on whether the town should issue two tax bills per year instead of one, and a vote on acquiring the new Community Hall. 

Troy - 9 a.m. at Troy Central School
Elections: March 22, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m., Town Office, 129 Rogers Road.
Big Issues: An official at the Town Office said she anticipated nothing in the way of big ticket purchases or known hot-button issues.

Saturday, March 30

Montville - 10 a.m. at the Town House.

Prospect - 9 a.m. Prospect Fire House
Elections: March 29 at the Town Office 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. Diane Terry is running unopposed for re-election to the Select Board. 
Big Issues: Voters will be asked to weigh in on updates to the town's subdivision ordinance, made to match state laws that have changed since the existing ordinance was enacted in 1989, according to Town Clerk Lisa Donna.

Unity - 10 a.m. Unity Elementary School Gym
Elections: March 29, noon - 8 p.m. at the Town Office
Big Issues: Residents will be asked to consider borrowing $250,000 for construction of a new town office, next to the current office on the site of the old high school. "We already have the authority to do it," said Town Clerk Sue Lombard, referring to a vote last fall. "Now we need the money to do it.”
Budget: Lombard said the total budget is up from last year but the amount to be raised through taxation is down.

Ethan Andrews can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com