All three towns passed the vote but not without strong opposition. The following was the count per town.
Eddington: Yes = 65...No = 51
Clifton: Yes=32...No=29
Holden: Yes=135...No=71
So, for those of you who didn't vote but will be cussin' come tax time when you get your bill...you can thank the person looking back at you in the mirror. YOU are responsible for what you get.
There will be a meeting at the Holden School tonight at 6pm of the Budget and Finance Committee following a brief Ratification of the Vote. The Business Manager is supposed to provide a Finance Report. We'll see if that actually happens - and what it says now that the vote is in.
*****
There will be a Tea at the Clifton Library on Wednesday, June 24th (two weeks from today). More details to follow.
*****
The band will be playing at Clewley's Restaurant this Saturday night at 7pm. If the attendance is anything like it was two weeks ago, the joint will be full and jumping.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
June 9th - School Budget VOTE at Town Office
Today is the day. No word from the Governor on that Emergency Bill to defer for one year the penalty for those districts that did not consolidate so plan on the higher tax rate if you vote yes on the Proposed School Budget.
As for that Clifton School Board rep who telephoned the Cliftonnews.blogspot.com writer (see the comments on my previous blog) - the Clifton School Board member was not even at the June 4th meeting. Just one more reason why taxpayers should not blindly trust their reps or the Board.
Another BTW - I reported that at the June 4th meeting, Chairman Varnum announced "the Board" had requested the Interim Superintendent to extend his contract as Interim Superintendent. We will need to expect another apology from the School Board Chairman. It wasn't on the Executive Session's agenda so it didn't happen there. I was at the official public meting and I can testify it didn't happen there. So where did it happen?
Mr. Varnum has NO AUTHORITY to do such a thing on his own without the Board's full knowledge and authorization. Just one more reason why this Board needs another Chair (even though he has stated he has no intention of stepping down). Mr. Varnum thinks he has more authority than he does. Shades of the former Superintendent and isn't that how we got in this lawsuit mess in the first place?
As for that Clifton School Board rep who telephoned the Cliftonnews.blogspot.com writer (see the comments on my previous blog) - the Clifton School Board member was not even at the June 4th meeting. Just one more reason why taxpayers should not blindly trust their reps or the Board.
Another BTW - I reported that at the June 4th meeting, Chairman Varnum announced "the Board" had requested the Interim Superintendent to extend his contract as Interim Superintendent. We will need to expect another apology from the School Board Chairman. It wasn't on the Executive Session's agenda so it didn't happen there. I was at the official public meting and I can testify it didn't happen there. So where did it happen?
Mr. Varnum has NO AUTHORITY to do such a thing on his own without the Board's full knowledge and authorization. Just one more reason why this Board needs another Chair (even though he has stated he has no intention of stepping down). Mr. Varnum thinks he has more authority than he does. Shades of the former Superintendent and isn't that how we got in this lawsuit mess in the first place?
Friday, June 5, 2009
This was how the Meeting Went - Good, Not So Good
There was a fair attendance at the 7pm meeting last night at the Holbrook School for the Proposed 2009-2010 School Budget. Most of the chairs were occupied and there were probably 20 or so people sitting up on the bleachers.
The Moderator was elected (nice voice) and the session began. If you retained the mailer from the Superintendent of Schools the following should be easy to follow. If not, there are copies at your Town Office. There will be a print out at the voting area in the three Town Offices next Tuesday - the 11th - of the following for people who do not follow this blog.
Voting will be from 8am - 8pm at the Eddington and Clifton Town Offices.
Holden's hours for voting will be from 7am - 8pm.
The Motion to directly go to Article 16 was defeated so we went through each article in order.
Article 2 - Regular Instruction was reduced by $86,548. because that was the amount previous allocated for the laptop/technology program associated with the projected 312 students going to Brewer High School. (As you may know, Brewer vetoed activating that program as a cost-cutting measure in the Brewer High School Budget.) Because of Brewer's elimination of the program, the $86,548. was no longer needed in the SAD63 budget. Therefore, Article 2 was approved for only $5,251,127.
Article 3 - Student and Staff Support was approved as originally proposed at $425,503.
Article 4 - Special Education was approved as originally proposed at $1,193,749.
Article 5 - Facilities Maintenance was approved as originally proposed at $718,757.
Article 6 - Transportation & Buses was approved as originally proposed at $596,708. [NOTE: It was pointed out by Susan Shane from Eddington that there was an additional line item in the mailer for an increase of 4% in salaries & wages that had not been included in the May 13 Public Hearing. It was explained this was the pay increase given to the bus drivers. -I believe this is what occurred at the Executive Session following the last School Board Meeting.]
Article 7 - System Administration was approved as originally proposed at $288,006. [NOTE: The Business Manager stated she was not receiving any pay raise in the coming year and DID NOT receive any contract extension to her existing contract which currently expires 6/30/10. She further stated the increase noted for salaries & benefits in Central Services in the amount of $8,708. was (as I understood) for an increase in a part-time worker plus one additional day for another existing staff...no comment. The Chairman of the School Board stated the Interim Superintendent has been asked to stay on as Interim Superintendent through the next Fiscal Year and he has agreed. That accounts for a portion of the $73,500 allocated to the salaries & wages in the Superintendent's office. My information is that the Interim Superintendent is being paid $600./week. The Interim Superintendent stated it is his hope/expectation that SAD63 will form an RSU - possibly with Orrington and Dedham - within the coming year and that having an Interim Superintendent will avoid the necessity of eliminating a duplicate superintendent position since Orrington already has a Superintendent. Makes fiscal sense as long as that individual is acceptable to the individuals in SAD63. ]
Article 8 - School Administration was approved as originally proposed at $392,542. [NOTE: At this point two of us did speak out regarding the 4% pay increase scheduled for the principals and questioned why there was NO attempt anywhere in this proposed budget to cut anywhere considering the economic times and the financial hardships beings placed on so many homes in our towns. You would have thought we were asking people to cut off their arms. A gentleman asked why we had not raised that issue when the 4% pay increase for the bus drivers had been mentioned. - Personally, I don't think the bus drivers make all that much as compared to the principals and driving in snow storms on icy roads are worth something in my book. So 4% of not much is not much. Four percent of a lot is a lot. But it was obvious no one in that room was willing to give even a little for those who are experiencing hard times.]
Article 9 - Other Instruction was approved as originally proposed at $45,092.
Article 10 - Career and Technical Education was approved as originally proposed at $197,645. [NOTE: Even though I believe the official notes of the last School Board meeting will bear me out that $10,780. of this money is a one-time expense associated with a financial error in the books at UTC, the Interim Superintendent tried to explain last night that he expects this amount to be standard or increase in future years for adjustments in UTC's tuition...no comment.]
Article 11 - Debt Service was approved as originally proposed at $224,243.
Article 12 - All other expenditures was approved as originally proposed at $58,094.
Article 13 - The town by town appropriations and amounts to be raised by towns were approved as originally proposed - with discussion as follows:
1. The Interim Superintendent stated that State law required the wording and amounts shown in the mailer in order for SAD63 to receive State education funding (so the voters didn't really have any choice IF we wanted to receive any State funding) - however, these amounts were based on the expectations that SAD63 towns were going to have to pay (that the State would be taking from it's allocation) the $163,167 penalty for vetoing the school consolidation plan at the end of 2008.
As of last night, the State Legislative House and Senate had passed an Emergency Bill that would waive for one year the payment of those penalties (in the expectation that such districts as SAD63 will form an RSU within the coming year). The Bill was being sent to the Governor's desk for approval.
2. Now, IN THEORY (according to the Interim Superintendent) IF the Governor approves the Emergency Bill, the $163,167 will be recalculated into the appropriations/amounts to be raised by the towns listed in Article 13 - BUT the Bill has to be approved by the Governor BEFORE the June 9th vote in order for the SAD63 School Budget Total to be changed from the amount shown below. Look for information at your Town Office since this may help you determine your vote. You can always ask for what the total amount of the School Budget is that you will be voting for. REMEMBER: The 2008-2009 budget was : $9,248,961. Anything above that is an increase. (And that amount meant we were spending $9,767. per student in SAD63 per year.)
Article 14 - To confirm what amount the District will pay for Debt Service - approved as originally proposed - $63,000.
Article 15 - To determine the amount SAD63 shall raise and appropriate in additional funds which exceeds the State's Essential Programs and Services allocation model. This amount was changed from the original amount proposed by the $86,548 as referenced in the deduction in Article 2. The approved amount is now $956,848.11.
Article 16 - The sum total of the Proposed Budget Now stands at $9,388,372 (an increase of $139,411 - which, in theory, could be lower IF the Governor signs the Emergency Bill referenced in Article 13.) However, if we vote for the approved budget total shown here and the Governor rescinds the penalty after we vote, there is no guarantee the district won't receive the additional money AND the taxpayers could STILL be taxed at the higher level.
The remaining Articles were approved (such as they were originally written since they had already been incorporated in Article 12.)
As to the Final Voting - The majority of the Eddington voters approved the new budget total (as shown in Article 16 above) but there were some "no" votes. The same can be said for the Clifton vote. But ALL Holden votes approved the new budget total.
Be sure you know what you are voting for. Because of the unusual wording of this year's ballot, be aware of the above budget total: $9,388,373 (an increase of $139,411 over the last year's budget)
READ THE WORDING OF THE BALLOT CAREFULLY. IF IT ASKS IF YOU AGREE WITH THE DECISION MADE AT THE JUNE 4TH MEETING, YOU ARE AGREEING TO THE FIGURE POSTED HERE.
An interesting side note: At the last Budget & Finance Meeting, (my notes) there was a remark by the Business Manager of a "carry-over" from the 2008-2009 budget in the area of $300,000. That happened last year, too, which reduced the ACTUAL increase from $600,000 to $300,000. I'm wondering if/where that carry-over is in the 2009-10 budget because I don't see it reflected in the document we received in the mail.
The Moderator was elected (nice voice) and the session began. If you retained the mailer from the Superintendent of Schools the following should be easy to follow. If not, there are copies at your Town Office. There will be a print out at the voting area in the three Town Offices next Tuesday - the 11th - of the following for people who do not follow this blog.
Voting will be from 8am - 8pm at the Eddington and Clifton Town Offices.
Holden's hours for voting will be from 7am - 8pm.
The Motion to directly go to Article 16 was defeated so we went through each article in order.
Article 2 - Regular Instruction was reduced by $86,548. because that was the amount previous allocated for the laptop/technology program associated with the projected 312 students going to Brewer High School. (As you may know, Brewer vetoed activating that program as a cost-cutting measure in the Brewer High School Budget.) Because of Brewer's elimination of the program, the $86,548. was no longer needed in the SAD63 budget. Therefore, Article 2 was approved for only $5,251,127.
Article 3 - Student and Staff Support was approved as originally proposed at $425,503.
Article 4 - Special Education was approved as originally proposed at $1,193,749.
Article 5 - Facilities Maintenance was approved as originally proposed at $718,757.
Article 6 - Transportation & Buses was approved as originally proposed at $596,708. [NOTE: It was pointed out by Susan Shane from Eddington that there was an additional line item in the mailer for an increase of 4% in salaries & wages that had not been included in the May 13 Public Hearing. It was explained this was the pay increase given to the bus drivers. -I believe this is what occurred at the Executive Session following the last School Board Meeting.]
Article 7 - System Administration was approved as originally proposed at $288,006. [NOTE: The Business Manager stated she was not receiving any pay raise in the coming year and DID NOT receive any contract extension to her existing contract which currently expires 6/30/10. She further stated the increase noted for salaries & benefits in Central Services in the amount of $8,708. was (as I understood) for an increase in a part-time worker plus one additional day for another existing staff...no comment. The Chairman of the School Board stated the Interim Superintendent has been asked to stay on as Interim Superintendent through the next Fiscal Year and he has agreed. That accounts for a portion of the $73,500 allocated to the salaries & wages in the Superintendent's office. My information is that the Interim Superintendent is being paid $600./week. The Interim Superintendent stated it is his hope/expectation that SAD63 will form an RSU - possibly with Orrington and Dedham - within the coming year and that having an Interim Superintendent will avoid the necessity of eliminating a duplicate superintendent position since Orrington already has a Superintendent. Makes fiscal sense as long as that individual is acceptable to the individuals in SAD63. ]
Article 8 - School Administration was approved as originally proposed at $392,542. [NOTE: At this point two of us did speak out regarding the 4% pay increase scheduled for the principals and questioned why there was NO attempt anywhere in this proposed budget to cut anywhere considering the economic times and the financial hardships beings placed on so many homes in our towns. You would have thought we were asking people to cut off their arms. A gentleman asked why we had not raised that issue when the 4% pay increase for the bus drivers had been mentioned. - Personally, I don't think the bus drivers make all that much as compared to the principals and driving in snow storms on icy roads are worth something in my book. So 4% of not much is not much. Four percent of a lot is a lot. But it was obvious no one in that room was willing to give even a little for those who are experiencing hard times.]
Article 9 - Other Instruction was approved as originally proposed at $45,092.
Article 10 - Career and Technical Education was approved as originally proposed at $197,645. [NOTE: Even though I believe the official notes of the last School Board meeting will bear me out that $10,780. of this money is a one-time expense associated with a financial error in the books at UTC, the Interim Superintendent tried to explain last night that he expects this amount to be standard or increase in future years for adjustments in UTC's tuition...no comment.]
Article 11 - Debt Service was approved as originally proposed at $224,243.
Article 12 - All other expenditures was approved as originally proposed at $58,094.
Article 13 - The town by town appropriations and amounts to be raised by towns were approved as originally proposed - with discussion as follows:
1. The Interim Superintendent stated that State law required the wording and amounts shown in the mailer in order for SAD63 to receive State education funding (so the voters didn't really have any choice IF we wanted to receive any State funding) - however, these amounts were based on the expectations that SAD63 towns were going to have to pay (that the State would be taking from it's allocation) the $163,167 penalty for vetoing the school consolidation plan at the end of 2008.
As of last night, the State Legislative House and Senate had passed an Emergency Bill that would waive for one year the payment of those penalties (in the expectation that such districts as SAD63 will form an RSU within the coming year). The Bill was being sent to the Governor's desk for approval.
2. Now, IN THEORY (according to the Interim Superintendent) IF the Governor approves the Emergency Bill, the $163,167 will be recalculated into the appropriations/amounts to be raised by the towns listed in Article 13 - BUT the Bill has to be approved by the Governor BEFORE the June 9th vote in order for the SAD63 School Budget Total to be changed from the amount shown below. Look for information at your Town Office since this may help you determine your vote. You can always ask for what the total amount of the School Budget is that you will be voting for. REMEMBER: The 2008-2009 budget was : $9,248,961. Anything above that is an increase. (And that amount meant we were spending $9,767. per student in SAD63 per year.)
Article 14 - To confirm what amount the District will pay for Debt Service - approved as originally proposed - $63,000.
Article 15 - To determine the amount SAD63 shall raise and appropriate in additional funds which exceeds the State's Essential Programs and Services allocation model. This amount was changed from the original amount proposed by the $86,548 as referenced in the deduction in Article 2. The approved amount is now $956,848.11.
Article 16 - The sum total of the Proposed Budget Now stands at $9,388,372 (an increase of $139,411 - which, in theory, could be lower IF the Governor signs the Emergency Bill referenced in Article 13.) However, if we vote for the approved budget total shown here and the Governor rescinds the penalty after we vote, there is no guarantee the district won't receive the additional money AND the taxpayers could STILL be taxed at the higher level.
The remaining Articles were approved (such as they were originally written since they had already been incorporated in Article 12.)
As to the Final Voting - The majority of the Eddington voters approved the new budget total (as shown in Article 16 above) but there were some "no" votes. The same can be said for the Clifton vote. But ALL Holden votes approved the new budget total.
Be sure you know what you are voting for. Because of the unusual wording of this year's ballot, be aware of the above budget total: $9,388,373 (an increase of $139,411 over the last year's budget)
READ THE WORDING OF THE BALLOT CAREFULLY. IF IT ASKS IF YOU AGREE WITH THE DECISION MADE AT THE JUNE 4TH MEETING, YOU ARE AGREEING TO THE FIGURE POSTED HERE.
An interesting side note: At the last Budget & Finance Meeting, (my notes) there was a remark by the Business Manager of a "carry-over" from the 2008-2009 budget in the area of $300,000. That happened last year, too, which reduced the ACTUAL increase from $600,000 to $300,000. I'm wondering if/where that carry-over is in the 2009-10 budget because I don't see it reflected in the document we received in the mail.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Tonight's the Night - Step ONE
I'm struck by the fact that today is the 2oth Anniversary of the showdown at Tiennamen Square in China where hundreds of China's young adults were killed (and thousands imprisoned for years) for standing up for the right of individual freedom and their thirst for democracy.
Tonight we, the citizens, residents, voters and taxpayers of Eddington, Clifton and Holden must stand up to what has become an automatic disregard for our rights of fiscal accountability by this school district and it's business office.
Be at the Holbrook Middle School before 7pm. Be prepared to speak up and demand NO INCREASE in the school budget over the 2008-2009 bottom line ($9,248,961.). $9,767. per student per year is enough. If that can't provide a quality education then there's something drastically wrong in this school district and the School Board better figure it out. We can't afford - nor should we be spending $10,000. per student per year. And that's our bottom line. Period.
****
Comins Hall Public Attractions - Mark your calendar
This Saturday - June 6 ... Public Ham & Bean Supper
Sat. - Sun., June 20 & 21 ... Yard Sale (make your donations and pick up some treasures)
Sat., Aug. 22 ... Public Trash Can Turkey Supper (talk about an "interesting" label)
Sat., Sept. 12 ... Public Smothered Beef Supper (Could this be a "Crime Scene"? :-D )
Sat., Oct. 3 ... Public Harvest Supper
Tonight we, the citizens, residents, voters and taxpayers of Eddington, Clifton and Holden must stand up to what has become an automatic disregard for our rights of fiscal accountability by this school district and it's business office.
Be at the Holbrook Middle School before 7pm. Be prepared to speak up and demand NO INCREASE in the school budget over the 2008-2009 bottom line ($9,248,961.). $9,767. per student per year is enough. If that can't provide a quality education then there's something drastically wrong in this school district and the School Board better figure it out. We can't afford - nor should we be spending $10,000. per student per year. And that's our bottom line. Period.
****
Comins Hall Public Attractions - Mark your calendar
This Saturday - June 6 ... Public Ham & Bean Supper
Sat. - Sun., June 20 & 21 ... Yard Sale (make your donations and pick up some treasures)
Sat., Aug. 22 ... Public Trash Can Turkey Supper (talk about an "interesting" label)
Sat., Sept. 12 ... Public Smothered Beef Supper (Could this be a "Crime Scene"? :-D )
Sat., Oct. 3 ... Public Harvest Supper
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Odds & Ends & School Data
People interested in contacting Lore Lipkvich re: The Eddington Farmers' Market (vendors and volunteers to help organize and promote the market) can reach her at: gardenlore@rivah.net or at (207) 537-5673. Her licensed goat's milk products (cheese, soap, milk, yogurt, ice cream and kids) come from The Farm on the Banks of Tannery Brook, Mariaville, ME.
We are looking for a MEAT VENDOR, a SEAFOOD VENDOR, a BAKER VENDOR and local area farmed vegetable and fruit vendors willing to commit to be at the Market every Sunday for the 3 hours it will be open for business.
*******
Interested in knowing how much taxpayers in Eddington, Clifton, and Holden are currently paying for the education of its children/students?
Consider this: Clifton has 158 students in the SAD63 system (K-12), Eddington has 314 (K-12) and Holden has 473 (K-12). There are 2 students in the system under "Superintendents' Agreements" (which means the students come from other districts and their districts pay their tuitions to SAD63.) Within this 947 population, are 162 Special Education/Special Needs students - all paid by SAD63 taxpayers.
For the 947 students (total number), the cost per student for the year under the 2008-2009 budget has been $9,767. ($9,248,961 divided by 947 = $9,766.59)
Under the proposed budget for 2009-2010, the cost per student for the year will be $10,008. ($9,478,014 divided by 947 = $10,008.46) - Ten Thousand dollars per student for one year! They should all be ready for Harvard University at this cost!
If what I hear turns out to be true, there should be quite a showing tomorrow night at the Holbrook School (7pm). Even the Eddington Town Office sign is announcing the meeting and states "Please Attend."
I hope people do. Otherwise voters will not know how to vote the "uniquely worded" ballot on June 9. And that's a fact!
We are looking for a MEAT VENDOR, a SEAFOOD VENDOR, a BAKER VENDOR and local area farmed vegetable and fruit vendors willing to commit to be at the Market every Sunday for the 3 hours it will be open for business.
*******
Interested in knowing how much taxpayers in Eddington, Clifton, and Holden are currently paying for the education of its children/students?
Consider this: Clifton has 158 students in the SAD63 system (K-12), Eddington has 314 (K-12) and Holden has 473 (K-12). There are 2 students in the system under "Superintendents' Agreements" (which means the students come from other districts and their districts pay their tuitions to SAD63.) Within this 947 population, are 162 Special Education/Special Needs students - all paid by SAD63 taxpayers.
For the 947 students (total number), the cost per student for the year under the 2008-2009 budget has been $9,767. ($9,248,961 divided by 947 = $9,766.59)
Under the proposed budget for 2009-2010, the cost per student for the year will be $10,008. ($9,478,014 divided by 947 = $10,008.46) - Ten Thousand dollars per student for one year! They should all be ready for Harvard University at this cost!
If what I hear turns out to be true, there should be quite a showing tomorrow night at the Holbrook School (7pm). Even the Eddington Town Office sign is announcing the meeting and states "Please Attend."
I hope people do. Otherwise voters will not know how to vote the "uniquely worded" ballot on June 9. And that's a fact!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
News, News, News
Just got home from the Eddington Planning Board meeting.
Looks like the Eddington Farmers market is a GO! Should have an OPENING DAY on JULY 5 at the Eddington Town Office parking lot.
There are a few minor details to be finished up but that should be done by the end of the week. The project is being spear-headed by Lore Lipkvich from Mariaville. She is still looking for the following types of vendors (who will need to commit to participating every Sunday from 10am to 1pm - or 11am to 2pm...the hours are still being determined): a Baker (cookies, breads, cakes - sweets; a fresh seafood vendor (lobster, scallops, crab, ???), a flower vendor perhaps; and 1 or 2 (very limited) unique craft vendors. Remember this is a Farmers' Market not a Craft Faire. Vendors will need to be prepared to have sufficient wares on hand to meet the traffic which may increase as weeks pass and word spreads of the Market. Vendors will also need to have their own tables, tents, bags for sales, etc. If you (or someone you know) is interested in participating as a vendor, write your name and contact number is the "Comment" section following this blog and I will contact you. Tomorrow I will provide Lori's contact info on this blog site. There are requirements and stipulations for vendor participation so don't wait.
The Farmers' Market will provide fresh vegetables, fruits, cheeses, and more (depending on the products/vendors). It is expected the Market will draw customers from Bradley, Eddington, Holden, Clifton, Auroa, Great Pond and Sunday traffic traveling Route 9.
Seems Eddington is about to get a newsletter - tentative name: Eddington News (catchy, don't you think?). The first edition will be printed and mailed to every home in town. (Guess there's no problem with the postage costs even though it's gone up since the time of the Recycling Committee Newsletter. No further comment is needed but you can read more on that if you scan back far enough on this blog.)
The newsletter will contain articles about the Board of Selectmen, the Planning Board, periodic profiles of selectment or members of the Planning Board, the Historical Society and whatever else the Board of Selectmen approve. There may be a contest as to what other name the newsletter might have. In time it will be available in email form to residents who sign up for that form of delivery. It will save on postage that way to be sure. It will also be available via the website being developed.
As to the website - it's only going to cost $125-$150. to create it as a dot Maine dot gov (.me.gov) site and only $5.00 a month to maintain one the host server is identified. The low cost is only because Gretchen and Craig are developing it and will be maintaining it gratis. Although the original plan was to develop the website via PVCOG, PVCOG is apparantly not in very good shape. According to Gretchen, if you Google PVCOG you will get Pine Valley Church of God - not Penobscot Valley County Organization of Governments. (not so good).
When the website is up and running, we should be able to obtain the agendas of the Board of Selectmen (and the minutes after the meetings), the Planning Board (and the minutes of their meetings), the Shoreland Zoning Map, Ordinances, etc., etc. And, of course, the newsletter. Wonder if we'll be able to get anything re: the School Board....
Of course, the website and the newsletter will all be town government approved (there's another word I could use but I won't). So I think I'll still be doing this Blog. Consider it an Independent Voice.
Speaking of the School Board... The June 9th Ballot is going to be "unusual" this year. I just saw the ballot - which can't be released to Absentee Voters until Friday (after the June 4th vote at Holbrook at 7pm).
In past years, the voting ballot had two questions to be voted on. (1) Do you approve the School Budget as submitted by the School Board (or words to that effect) - and (2) Do you consider the Budget too high or too low. Well, this year there is only one issue to be voted on - AND - you better know how the vote goes (went) June 4 BEFORE you mark the ballot! (Perhaps the Board is afraid we are going to vote against the increased budget this year.)
As was explained to me - Since the voters ALWAYS vote the budget is too high, the School Board removed that as an item to be voted on. (Guess they don't want our opinion on that any more.) The only item to be voted on is Whether we agree with the action taken at the June 4th meeting (or words to that effect).
TRICK! Say you don't know the people (this Thursday) voted against the proposed budget and instead voted for a budget with no increase over the 2008-2009 budget - BUT you want to vote against the proposed budget as you read it in the document you received in the mail... So you vote NO... You just voted for the larger budget and against what the people voted down. Did you mean to vote "NO" or did you mean to vote "YES"? This year the answer is not a simple Yes or No. You want to be sure you know what happens Thursday night at Hollbrook.
Looks like the Eddington Farmers market is a GO! Should have an OPENING DAY on JULY 5 at the Eddington Town Office parking lot.
There are a few minor details to be finished up but that should be done by the end of the week. The project is being spear-headed by Lore Lipkvich from Mariaville. She is still looking for the following types of vendors (who will need to commit to participating every Sunday from 10am to 1pm - or 11am to 2pm...the hours are still being determined): a Baker (cookies, breads, cakes - sweets; a fresh seafood vendor (lobster, scallops, crab, ???), a flower vendor perhaps; and 1 or 2 (very limited) unique craft vendors. Remember this is a Farmers' Market not a Craft Faire. Vendors will need to be prepared to have sufficient wares on hand to meet the traffic which may increase as weeks pass and word spreads of the Market. Vendors will also need to have their own tables, tents, bags for sales, etc. If you (or someone you know) is interested in participating as a vendor, write your name and contact number is the "Comment" section following this blog and I will contact you. Tomorrow I will provide Lori's contact info on this blog site. There are requirements and stipulations for vendor participation so don't wait.
The Farmers' Market will provide fresh vegetables, fruits, cheeses, and more (depending on the products/vendors). It is expected the Market will draw customers from Bradley, Eddington, Holden, Clifton, Auroa, Great Pond and Sunday traffic traveling Route 9.
Seems Eddington is about to get a newsletter - tentative name: Eddington News (catchy, don't you think?). The first edition will be printed and mailed to every home in town. (Guess there's no problem with the postage costs even though it's gone up since the time of the Recycling Committee Newsletter. No further comment is needed but you can read more on that if you scan back far enough on this blog.)
The newsletter will contain articles about the Board of Selectmen, the Planning Board, periodic profiles of selectment or members of the Planning Board, the Historical Society and whatever else the Board of Selectmen approve. There may be a contest as to what other name the newsletter might have. In time it will be available in email form to residents who sign up for that form of delivery. It will save on postage that way to be sure. It will also be available via the website being developed.
As to the website - it's only going to cost $125-$150. to create it as a dot Maine dot gov (.me.gov) site and only $5.00 a month to maintain one the host server is identified. The low cost is only because Gretchen and Craig are developing it and will be maintaining it gratis. Although the original plan was to develop the website via PVCOG, PVCOG is apparantly not in very good shape. According to Gretchen, if you Google PVCOG you will get Pine Valley Church of God - not Penobscot Valley County Organization of Governments. (not so good).
When the website is up and running, we should be able to obtain the agendas of the Board of Selectmen (and the minutes after the meetings), the Planning Board (and the minutes of their meetings), the Shoreland Zoning Map, Ordinances, etc., etc. And, of course, the newsletter. Wonder if we'll be able to get anything re: the School Board....
Of course, the website and the newsletter will all be town government approved (there's another word I could use but I won't). So I think I'll still be doing this Blog. Consider it an Independent Voice.
Speaking of the School Board... The June 9th Ballot is going to be "unusual" this year. I just saw the ballot - which can't be released to Absentee Voters until Friday (after the June 4th vote at Holbrook at 7pm).
In past years, the voting ballot had two questions to be voted on. (1) Do you approve the School Budget as submitted by the School Board (or words to that effect) - and (2) Do you consider the Budget too high or too low. Well, this year there is only one issue to be voted on - AND - you better know how the vote goes (went) June 4 BEFORE you mark the ballot! (Perhaps the Board is afraid we are going to vote against the increased budget this year.)
As was explained to me - Since the voters ALWAYS vote the budget is too high, the School Board removed that as an item to be voted on. (Guess they don't want our opinion on that any more.) The only item to be voted on is Whether we agree with the action taken at the June 4th meeting (or words to that effect).
TRICK! Say you don't know the people (this Thursday) voted against the proposed budget and instead voted for a budget with no increase over the 2008-2009 budget - BUT you want to vote against the proposed budget as you read it in the document you received in the mail... So you vote NO... You just voted for the larger budget and against what the people voted down. Did you mean to vote "NO" or did you mean to vote "YES"? This year the answer is not a simple Yes or No. You want to be sure you know what happens Thursday night at Hollbrook.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Is it Hunting Season?
This evening around 8:10 ca flock of geese landed on the NW section of Davis Pond. I know this because my brother who lives in that area heard them and made it a point to call me thinking I might see some of them if I went out on my front deck. He also commented he'd heard a gunshot shortly after hearing the geese land - but he wasn't sure of the location of the gunfire.
I went out on my front deck. Being on the Eddington side (North) I found it more than disconcerting to clearly hear six shots from the SE side of the Pond - the Holden side. I could also hear children's voices on the SW side of the Pond. Don't know what the shooters were trying to hit - deer, geese, ducks or ? (we have deer in these woods) but it seems to me this isn't hunting season for anything. Anyone knowing the Warden or Code Enforement Officer in Holden might suggest a bit of night patrol is in order.
I went out on my front deck. Being on the Eddington side (North) I found it more than disconcerting to clearly hear six shots from the SE side of the Pond - the Holden side. I could also hear children's voices on the SW side of the Pond. Don't know what the shooters were trying to hit - deer, geese, ducks or ? (we have deer in these woods) but it seems to me this isn't hunting season for anything. Anyone knowing the Warden or Code Enforement Officer in Holden might suggest a bit of night patrol is in order.
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