Select board, school committee seats highlight Islesboro Aug. 25 town meeting ballot

Mon, 08/24/2020 - 3:15pm

    ISLESBORO — The Town of Islesboro will be holding its annual town meeting Tuesday, Aug. 25. 

    Voting will take place at the town office meeting room from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. 

    Absentee ballots are available by calling the town office or visiting the town office window on the porch. No electronic absentee ballot requests are being accepted. 

    Below is what residents will be voting on. 

    Select Board (Vote for Two) 
    Shey V. Conover
    Archibald L. Gillies

    School Committee (Vote for Two) 
    David A. Dyer
    Skylar A. Purdy
    Kenneth N. Smith 

    Article 3. School Budget

    To see if the Town will vote to appropriate the sum of $2,678,613 and to raise the sum of $2,389,540 for the FY 2021 school budget. 

    Voter Information: The Islesboro school budget submitted in this Article 3 total $2,678,613. It includes locally raised funds in the amount of $2,389,540. The locally raised amount exceeds the maximum state and local spending target by $1,384,718.88. This budget includes these expenditure cost centers and amounts: 

    Regular Instruction: $1,254,000
    Special Education: $262,060
    Career and Technical Education: $35,367
    Other Instruction: $107,619
    Student and Staff Support: $151,556
    System Administration: $119,516
    School Administration: $186,616
    Transportation and Buses: $65,177
    Facilities Maintenance: $257,620
    Debt Service and Other Commitments: $171,910
    All Other Expenditures: $67,172
    Total Summary: $2,678,613

    School Committee recommends a YES vote. 

    Article 4: Additional school budget transfer authority

    To see if the town will vote to authorize the school committee to transfer amounts exceeding 5% of the total appropriation for any cost center to another cost center or among other cost centers for the FY 2021 fiscal year, provided that (i) any such transfers shall not be permitted to increase the authorized total school budget, and (ii) any such transfers are first approved at a properly called public meeting of the school committee. 

    School Committee recommends a YES vote. 

    Article 5: Adult Education Program

    To see if the town will vote to appropriate all fees and other additional, incidental, or miscellaneous receipts received for the Adult Educational Program in the interest and for the well-being of that program. 

    School Committee recommends a YES vote.

    Article 6: School Reserve Accounts

    To see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate $64,000 for school reserve accounts, including $4,000 for the school bus reserve account, $40,000 for the school capital improvement reserve account, and $20,000 for the solar capital reserve account, and to authorize the school committee to expend these respective sums and all other sums previously appropriated for the designated purposes of these school reserve accounts. 

    School Committee recommends a YES vote. 

    Article 7: Region 8 Career and Technical Education

    To see if the town will vote to approve the regional career and technical operating budget as approved by the Region 8 Cooperative Board for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021 in the amount of $5,644,046 with the local share from the town being $3,674.01. 

    School Committee recommends a YES vote. 

    Article 8: Region 8 Adult Career and Technical Education Program

    To see if the career and technical region will appropriate $228,723 for adult education for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021 and raise $86,750 as the local share with authorization to expend any additional, incidental, or miscellaneous receipts in the interest and for the well-being of the adult education program with the local share from the town being $1,308.97. 

    School Committee recommends a YES vote. 

    Article 9: Municipal Budget

    To see if the town will vote to appropriate the sum of $4,022,118.50 and to raise the sum of $3,073,516.50 for the Town of Islesboro FY 2021 municipal budget as detailed below. 

    General Government: $665,290
    Public Safety Services: $200,944
    Health and Welfare: $765,206
    Public Works: $638,300
    Waste Removal: $210,490
    Recreation: $179,685
    Provider Agencies: $13,530
    Unclassified: $370,922
    Capital Reserve Accounts: $590,000
    Debt Service and Miscellaneous: $387,751.50

    Select Board recommends a YES vote. 

    Article 10: Municipal Budget

    To see if the town will vote to appropriate $948,602 from revenues and unassigned fund balance and thereby decrease the amount to be raised by taxation as follows: 

    Excise Taxes (Estimated Revenue): $155,000
    Non-Tax General Fund Revenues (Estimated Revenue): $164,150
    Unassigned Fund Balance: $545,000
    State Revenue Sharing (Estimated Revenue): $39,052
    Homestead Exemption Reimbursement (Estimated Revenue): $948,602

    Select Board recommends a YES vote. 

    Article 11

    To see if the town will vote to authorize payment of the overdrafts which may occur in the town’s operation during the fiscal year ending June 30,2020 by appropriation from unassigned fund balance. 

    Select Board recommends a YES vote. 

    Article 12

    To see if the town will vote to set the following as the due dates for taxes: 

    First Tax Bill - Due date of Sept. 30, 2020, with the rate of interest on unpaid taxes as of Oct. 1 at 8% per year

    Second Tax Bill - Due date of Feb. 28, 2021, with the rate of interest on unpaid taxes as of March 1 at 8% per year

    Select Board recommends a YES vote. 

    Article 13

    To see if the town will vote to authorize the select board to carry forward, and assign fund balance accordingly, to FY 2021 any appropriated but unexpended funds at June 30, 2020 fiscal year end, provided that the funds are used for the same purpose as originally appropriated. 

    Select Board recommends a YES vote. 

    Article 14

    To see if the town will vote to accept pre-payment of real estate and personal property taxes not yet due or assessed, with no interest to be paid on the same. 

    Select Board recommends a YES vote. 

    Article 15

    To see if the town will vote to authorize the select board to expend such sums of money as it deems necessary from the capital reserve accounts for the designated purposes, recognizing that these expenditures may be reflected outside of the town’s approved budget. 

    Select Board recommends a YES vote. 

    Article 16

    To see if the town will vote to authorize the select board and the treasurer, on behalf of the town and any of the town’s departments, to accept gifts, real estate, donations, and other funds, including trust funds that may be given or left to the town, and to grant the select board the further authority to expend such sums of money as it deems necessary from these donations for their designated purposes, recognizing that these expenditures may be reflected outside of the town’s approved budget. 

    Select Board recommends a YES vote. 

    Article 17

    To see if the town will vote to set the interest rate to be paid by the town on abated taxes at 4% per year for FY 2021 and to authorize such interest paid or abatements granted to be appropriated from overlay funds or, if necessary, from unassigned fund balance (surplus). 

    Select Board recommends a YES vote. 

    Article 18

    To see if the town will vote to authorize the select board to apply for state, federal (including Community Development Block Grants) and other grants on the town’s behalf for purposes deemed by the select board to be in the best interests of the town; to accept such grants, including, when necessary, signing contracts and related documents and accepting conditions of approval; and to expend such grant funds for any purpose for which the town has appropriated funds. 

    Select Board recommends a YES vote. 

    Article 19

    To see if the town will vote to authorize the select board, on behalf of the town, to dispose of any personal property regardless of how it was obtained and any real estate acquired by the town for nonpayment of taxes on such terms as it deems advisable and to execute quit-claim deeds, if applicable, for such property; provided that property to be disposed of shall be advertised and sold by sealed bid except for the purpose of clearing title or conveyance of real estate to a prior owner, except that the select board shall use the special sale process required by 36 M.R.S. § 943-C for qualifying homestead property if it chooses to sell it to anyone other than former owner(s). 

    Select Board recommends a YES vote. 

    Article 20

    To see if the town will vote to authorize the select board to resolve any disputes with parties having an interest adverse to the town which do not involve the expenditure of public funds or where there are sufficient funds in budgeted accounts to allow payment of any claim which is to be settled. 

    Select Board recommends a YES vote.