Minutes Board of Selectmen Meeting Town of Sweden

February 5, 2008

Meeting was called to order by Selectman Harris at 7:05 with the Pledge of Allegiance.

Present were: Selectmen Harris, Willey and Jones, DJ Curtis, John Clifford, Warren Noble, and Jane Gibbons. Minutes of the Jan. 22 meeting were approved.

Selectman Harris announced that SAD Superintendent Gary MacDonald would be attending the Feb. 12 meeting.

Ms Gibbons stated that the Feb. 1 deadline for dog registration had passed and that fees of $15 per dog will need to be charged. If warrants are sent out the law says that the fees go up to $25 per dog. The Selectman suggested that they send a letter to those who had not registered dogs mentioning the two tiers of extra fees.

Jane Forde had reported that the fees for Blow Brothers had been charged to the Conservation Commission two months ahead of the usual July-August dates for installation of the porta-potty at the Town Beach on Keyes Pond. The Selectmen decided that the early charges should be taken from Town Charges, fees amounting to $75. (3-0) Next year we will be careful to keep the installation time to July and August only.

There are missing Assessment cards and files. Ms. Gibbons is to make up a list of these.  DJ will contact O'Donnell &Associates to see if they have Sweden files that should be in the office.

The copy machine needs replacement. Warren Noble will check at the Surplus store to see if one can be procured at a discount.

DJ led a discussion of the Warrant for Town Meeting. The following are changes in the draft:

Article 8: The Budget Committee recommends $112,000. for summer roads. The estimate for Ridlonville Road is $70,000. Selectman Jones suggested that an LD-1 what if statement be added to that article. No action taken.

Article 9 “ Increase the estimate on Winter Roads from $13,000 to 15,000." (3- 0) The figures were changed to: If Article 4, LD 1 does not pass, then Selectmen recommend Appropriate 97,000 and Selectmen recommend take from surplus if needed $15,000.

Article 10 " The estimate for Trash collection is $43,000 plus $4,000 for mid Maine Waste. = $47,500 - $1,000 more than is in the Warrant.

Article 15 "Fire Station Building Plans" Selectmen do not recommend this expenditure until the Town's people express an interest in spending this money.

Article 16 “ Emergency Management"  the Selectmen voted to increase the compensation from $500 to $1,000. (2-0) (one abstained)

Article 29: Interest on delinquent taxes committed in the current year set at 11%. Moved by T. Harris Approved 3-0.

Article 31 Interest rate on abated taxes to 4 percentage points less than the rate used in Article 29. (3-0)

Article 34  Wording changed to "Too see of the Town will take either from surplus and/or raise from appropriations up to $10,000 for the purpose of funding capital projects on State Aid roads and allow the balance to carry over each year."

Article 35 Selectmen decided to keep the original wording. The budget committee had recommended taking from surplus, if needed up to.

Article 37 Selectmen changed the wording to  "To see if the Town will take from surplus and/or raise from appropriations $2,500 to fund the contingency fund." (3-0)

There will be an town-wide informational meeting on March 8th at 9 a.m. at which time the Fire Department Building Committee, the Planning Board and the Selectmen should be prepared to explain the Building plans, the zoning changes, and the necessity of raising the LD-1 limit respectively.

Article 9 “ The figures were changed to If Article 4, LD 1 does not pass, then Selectmen recommend Appropriate $97,000 and Selectmen recommend take from surplus if needed $15,000.

DJ handed out a draft of the materials for the Town report and asked all to proof read it.

Warren Noble showed a sample sign for reflective numbers to be sold and installed by the Fire Department for $15 as a fund-raiser. These would go on the mail box cross bar or post to help identify houses for emergency response. The Fire Department Association would like this in the Town Report.

Winter Roads went $1,000 over budget in 2007 in large measure due to the frequent December storms. This will come from surplus.

The Knights Hill Road property has been awarded to the Town. It will take more time to proceed with eviction.

Meeting adjourned at 8:40 p.m.

Jane Gibbons, Clerk