Swan’s Island Annual Town Meeting

March 2, 2009

There were 70-80 people present at town meeting. Ballot clerks were Deborah Schwabe and Jeanne Hoyle.

Article 1. Moderator. Terry A. Staples was elected as moderator.

Article 1-A. Town Clerk. Gwen J. May was voted in for a three-year term and will receive $3,000 plus fees annually.

Article 2. Selectman. Myron A. “Sonny” Sprague was voted in for a three-year term and he will receive $17 per hour.

Article 3. Assessor. Upon the recommendation of the selectmen, it was voted to indefinitely postpone this article by a vote of 12-0.

Article 4. Overseer of the Poor. Upon the recommendation of the selectmen, it was voted to indefinitely postpone this article by a vote of 10-0.

Article 5. Treasurer. Monica L. Cease was elected for another three-year term and will receive $5,000 yearly.

Article 6. Administration. The selectmen recommended raising$70,000. Passed.

Article 7. S.A.D. 76 Directors. Abigail J. Dy and Tammy E. Tripler were both re-elected for a three-year term.

Article 8. Planning Board Members. John Follis and Carol Loehr’s terms were open for re-election this year and ran unopposed for another three-year term.

Article 9. Planning Board. A recommendation was made by the selectmen to raise no money for this article. Passed.

Article 10. Municipal Buildings. It was voted to raise no funds but transfer $62,263 from surplus. This amount is to pay the notes on the Town Office and Medical Clinic plus $5,000 to be spent on the Lighthouse.

Article 11. Insurance. A vote passed to raise $32,000.

Article 12. Social Security, Medicare and Unemployment Taxes. A vote passed to raise $12,000.

Article 13. Department of Public Safety. A vote was taken to raise $44,000 and transfer $43,813 from surplus, some to be earmarked for the fire truck note.

Article 14. Law Enforcement. It was voted to raise $59,000, transfer $15,000 from motor vehicle excise tax and transfer $3,000 from watercraft excise tax, $6,000 to be used to buy an intoxilizer.

Discussion: The recommendation that the selectmen brought to the table was to raise $53,000, transfer $15,000 from motor vehicle excise and transfer $3,000 from watercraft excise but after a discussion, the amount to be raised was upped to $59,000. Carlton Joyce asked, at the beginning, if $71,000 was going to cover costs. Dexter Lee, selectman, said they were on a tight budget and Jerry Michaud, Police Chief, had agreed to an unpaid vacation. The $71,000, Dexter said, would go toward the payroll for Jerry and David LeMoine (the other policeman, Kenneth LeMoine III refuses pay and Adam Joy has resigned), health insurance, dispatch fees, telephone, equipment, ferry fares, vehicle maintenance, gas (estimated to be around $4,000) and training. The vehicle is fully paid for. Mark Stanley asked what the cost of a breathilizer was and wondered if the police could administer it. Jerry Michaud answered that over the past few years the State has allowed the purchase of the breathilizer by police forces. The device cost $6,000 and needs a dedicated phone line and training. He recommended getting it. Mark asked if it was in the budget. Jerry told him that it wasn’t and the department couldn’t fundraise for it but another group could fundraise for them and give them the money. Donna Wiegle asked why the town couldn’t give them the money if the people felt it was necessary. Sonny Sprague told her that the town’s people need to give them direction. Jerry explained the science of alcohol, telling the crowd that the legal limit for drinking in Maine is .05 but the courts won’t prosecute for that small amount but they will for a .08 level. He explained that four 12 oz. cans of beer in a person’s system would bring the level to .08. The body can only eliminate .02 per hour so if someone on here was to be picked up with a .08 level, by the time it took to get the person off island and to Ellsworth to the hospital or jail to have an intoxilizer test, their level would be .04 and the trip would have been for nothing. Carol Loehr asked that if they had an intoxilizer, could the person stay here over night and not have to be taken off. Jerry answered yes. He would take them home and make the family be responsible for the offender. The person would be arrested and have a bail hearing but they would be able to stay here on their own personal recognizance. Jerry was looking for a bondsman. Joshua Joyce made a motion to raise an extra $6,000 for the intoxilizer. Mark Stanley heard the motion and seconded it but wondered about training. Jerry told him that the department is already signed up for training in April. The class is one day a week for 3 weeks and then they will be certified. The motion was restated at this time to raise $59,000, transfer $15,000 from Motor Vehicle Excise and transfer $3,000 from Watercraft Excise and that included $6,000 for the intoxilizer. It passed 34-0.

Article 15. Roads. A vote was taken to raise $25,000 and transfer $35,000 from Motor Vehicle Excise, which includes striping. Passed.

Article 16. Snow Removal. A vote was passed to raise $53,000 for snow removal.

Article 17. Solid Waste Disposal. A vote was passed to raise $68,000, which is down from last year.

Article 18. Nursery School. $16,000 was raised for the Nursery School by a vote of 25-0. There are 7 students this year.

Article 19. Health Services. Upon a recommendation of the health committee, $15,500 was raised for the Clinic and its services.

Article 20. General Assistance. $12,000 was raised for general assistance.

Article 21. Senior Lunch Program. No money was raised this year upon a recommendation by those who head it. They reported that a good deal of donations had been received that will cover costs for the coming year.

Article 22. Cemeteries. A vote was taken and passed to raise $8,000 for cemeteries. Seth Joy is going to be working on the old stones again this spring and is looking for volunteers so contact him.

Article 23. Library & Museum. It was voted to raise $10,000 and transfer $10,000 from the Municipal Building account.

Discussion: Candis L. Joyce, Librarian and Director, spoke. She let the crowd know that there would be some fund raising coming up and reported that the cost of the square footage is not pretty. The building is 3,500 square feet at a cost of $338 a square foot. That makes it near the $1,000,000 mark. She asked for help with fund raising and said that they are looking for another board member, either a parent or a community member.

Article 24. Shellfish Conservation Committee. Voted to raise $100 per State law.

Article 25. Recreation. A vote was taken and passed to raise $4,000.

Article 26. Floats. Voted to raise $8,000 and transfer $2,156 from Watercraft Excise.

Discussion: The selectmen reported that Bass Harbor had requested $2,000 for the use of the float at the ferry terminal and that amount is included in the amount recommended. There was a discussion about putting a railway in near the boat ramp at the ferry terminal to save on the wear and tear of the floats as they are hauled in and out each year.

Article 27. I.O.O.F. Hall. It was voted to transfer $7,000 from surplus for the building.

Article 28. Island Fellow. No money was raised on this article upon the selectmen’s recommendation.

Article 29. Taxes due and payable. Taxes are due June 30, per recommendation of the selectmen.

Article 30. Interest rate and due date. The vote was made to have interest due 60 days after commitment at the rate of 9%. The bills usually go out the first part of August.

Article 31. Authorize the Selectmen to sell and dispose of tax acquired property. Upon a motion made and duly seconded, this article passed 25-0.

Discussion: Sonny Stanley wondered why the article is brought to a vote and passes yearly but nothing is ever done. Dexter replied that this year there would be something done. Donna Wiegle asked if there was a plan in place to which Dexter replied that the properties that are not occupied will be put up for bid.

Article 32. Authorize the treasurer to sell liens. This article passed.

Article 33. Authorize the selectmen to borrow temporarily. Passed.

Article 34. Increase property tax limit. The selectmen recommended postponing this article because the amount raised wasn’t over the limit set by the State. So moved.

Meeting adjourned 12:38 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,

Gwen J. May

Town Clerk