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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING HELD
Nasty weather forecasted for Town Meeting Day, March 2, 2009 left many wondering if the meeting would take place. "Old-timers" commented that Town Meeting is never cancelled, so despite a forecast of snow, ice, sleet, and rain, the meeting took place as scheduled beginning at 9AM in the school gym. |
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| Attendance at the start of the meeting seemed low, but slowly more residents filed into the school as the meeting progressed. About 75 people participated in making decisions for this year's budget.
The selectmen, Sonny Sprague and Dexter Lee shown here, along with Nancy Carter, presented a very lean budget for the coming year taking into consideration the current economic situation facing taxpayers. The final budget approved for the operation of the Town, excluding the school budget, resulted in a decrease of about 2% from the 2008 budget.
A sign of the changing times on the island were this year's vote counters. Jeanne Hoyle and Deb Schwabe, two recent additions to the year-round community were enlisted by Town Clerk Gwen May to count the votes cast for the various warrant articles.
Other highlights of the meeting included the approval of $71,000 for law enforcement plus an additional $6,000 to be used to purchase a breathalyzer. Despite a vote prohibiting alcohol sales on the island just three days earlier, residents felt that alcohol abuse is an ongoing problem and wanted to give the Swan's Island Police Department the necessary tools to fight drunk driving and other alcohol-related crimes. Selectmen suggested raising the funds to purchase the breathalyzer through other means, but Josh Joyce made a motion to fund it through the law enforcement budget. Mark Stanley seconded the motion and it was approved with no opposition. Most of the warrant articles passed without much discussion and the selectmen's recommendation for funding were not questioned. The total expenditures approved at the Annual Town Meeting totaled $441,600, a decrease from the $450,750 approved in 2008. The Town appropriation of the school budget, $892,346, will be approved or rejected at a special vote in June. Read Town Clerk's Report... |
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| MESSAGE FROM THE LIBRARY BOARD The Swan's Island Library Board is moving forward with plans to rebuild. While the building was insured, we will need additional funds to complete the library rebuilding project. If you would like to make a donation, click below. Your donation will be deposited into a PayPal account which will be used to fund temporary library services on the island and towards our rebuilding project. Checks made out to Swan's Island Library Fund can be sent to: Swan's Island Library Fund c/o The First 102 Main Street Bar Harbor, ME 04609 Thank you for your support at this time of need. ~Swan's Island Library Board |
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