RSU 18 board calls district budget meeting, approves warrants for FY27 referendum

The RSU 18 School Board voted unanimously to call the district budget meeting and to approve the warrants and notices of election that will trigger the FY27 budget validation referendum. The action authorizes board staff to prepare and deliver the required materials to the towns and to begin the statutory process that culminates in the June referendum.

Board members discussed the mechanics and timing of the process, including the statutory requirement for towns to review and sign warrants and the district practice of aligning the budget-validation referendum with statewide elections to limit local costs. The board asked administrators to prepare a one-page summary that towns can post or place inside voting booths to give voters a clear, high-level explanation of each article on the ballot.

Administrators described the steps on voting day: the board opens the district meeting, the body nominates and swears in a moderator who then runs the article-by-article votes, and one article on the FY27 warrant will require a paper vote. Town clerks and wardens will handle ballot distribution and hand counts; board staff cautioned that hand counts can extend late into the evening on a high-turnout day.

Board members stressed public outreach leading up to the meeting. "We can provide a handout for each article so voters know what they're voting on," one board member said, urging clear materials for towns. The board also agreed to circulate a concise one-page summary to towns summarizing tax impacts and the bottom-line effect on taxpayers.

Next steps: the warrants will be delivered to town officials and signed; the district budget meeting will occur as scheduled and, if necessary, the budget validation referendum will follow the process described by state statute.