UNION – At the polls June 13, voters will weigh in on a 180-day moratorium on metallic mining, as well as a citizen-led referendum to ban industrial metallic mineral mining.

Voters will elect local officials and decide on the town’s $4.2 million 2023-24 municipal budget. Union has done away with in-person town meetings, which traditionally were held soon after the June elections.  Now all matters formerly discussed and settled at town meeting will be decided by voting via paper ballot at the polls.

Two candidates, Adam Fuller and William Packard, are running for one open seat on the Select Board. Nicole Taylor and Ed Weber and vying for one seat on the RSU 40 board. The terms for Select Board and School Board are three years. Michael Thompson and Argera Nestor are on the ballot for one trustee position for the William L. Pullen Fund. The candidate ballot can be viewed here.

The proposed municipal budget totals $4,242,050. Voters will also be asked to approve the use of $1,505,859 in General Fund and other revenues to decrease the amount required to be raised by property taxes.  The municipal ballot can be viewed here.

Voters will also see the referendum on the $34 million budget for RSU 40. More information on the district budget can be viewed here.

Industrial mining and exploration

Exiro Minerals Corp, a mineral exploration company based in Canada, first introduced itself to the town at a February Select Board meeting. In March, representatives of Citizens Against Residential Mining Activity appeared before the Select Board, explaining their intention to gather signatures to place a proposed amendment to the town’s Land Use Ordinance on the June ballot. CARMA was formed by four Union residents and three Warren residents to “protect residential areas in Maine from mining.”

The Select Board approved both a proposed mining moratorium and the citizen-initiated mining ban for the June 13 ballot.

The stated purpose of the mining moratorium is to prevent any metallic mining, including industrial mining and explorations, to give the Planning Board time to rectify inconsistencies in the current ordinances and comprehensive plan. It would be in effect for 180-days beginning March 21, 2023 if enacted by voters.

During the moratorium “exploration for and/or extraction of industrial metallic minerals, and or metallic mining whether permanent or temporary, and any activity associated with the exploration and/or mining, within the Town of Union” would be prohibited and the town would “issue no license, permit, or approval: for the prohibited activities related to metallic mineral exploration or mining.

The full text of the moratorium can be found here.

The proposed amendments to the town’s Land Use Ordinance would prohibit industrial metallic metal mining in all districts of the town. The amendments revise the Ordinance definition of mining and add new definitions for mineral exploration and extraction. The full text of the ordinance to ban mining can be found here.

The polls, are open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., at the William L. Pullen Municipal Building Meeting Room.