Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Annual Town Meeting topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Pownal Select Board finalizes draft Town Meeting warrant, sets hearings and approves municipal appointments
Summary
At its March 24 meeting the Pownal Select Board reviewed and edited the draft Annual Town Meeting warrant (setting June voting dates, striking and resizing multiple articles), approved accounts payable and payroll warrants, and unanimously appointed Crystal Hall to three deputy municipal roles; a Cumberland County emergency-management coordinator offered local training plans.
The Pownal Select Board met March 24 and approved municipal payments while finalizing changes to the draft Annual Town Meeting warrant ahead of scheduled public hearings.
Chair Jon Morris opened the meeting at 6:00 p.m. and reviewed the draft warrant and associated Select Board recommendations. The board confirmed that voting will begin on June 10, 2025, at 7:45 a.m. at Mallett Hall with polls open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and that the Town Meeting session is scheduled for June 23 at 7:00 p.m. at Pownal Elementary School, with Mallett Hall listed as an alternate location. The board set the first public hearing on the warrant for April 14 at 5:30 p.m.
During the warrant review the board voted to strike Article 13 for this year (deferring a $300,000 CAP request) and to reduce Article 15 after concluding the Teen Port Center no longer exists. Article 14 was edited to add $3,500 to the Select Board stipend. The board left Articles 10 through 23 unchanged. For Article 24, which would fund professional architectural services for a combined Public Works/Public Safety building, members asked whether the expense should be covered by taxation or by undesignated funds and agreed to consult the Town Attorney before adjusting the article language.
Other warrant adjustments included reducing Article 25 (Village District rezoning/consultant and water-system questions) to $20,000 and reserving funds for Article 26 (revaluation) despite no responses yet to the town's RFP. The board noted revenues are up about 1% for Article 27, struck Article 28 (Impact Fees/Conservation Commission), and left Articles 29 through 38 unchanged. On Article 30 the board discussed a dormer repair estimate of roughly $46,000 to $50,000; Selectperson Becky Taylor-Chase said she will check whether remaining AARP funds could cover part of the cost.
A motion to move forward with the draft warrant, with edits pending Town Attorney review, was moved, seconded and passed unanimously. The board reiterated that the first public hearing will occur April 14 at 5:30 p.m.
On routine business the board approved FY25 Accounts Payable Warrant #21 for $415,777.39 and Payroll Journal #359 for $12,493.50, and approved the March 10, 2025 minutes as written.
The board also voted unanimously to appoint Crystal Hall as Deputy Clerk, Deputy Treasurer and Deputy Tax Collector for the term April 1, 2025 through June 30, 2025.
Brittany O'Neill, Response Team Coordinator with the Cumberland County Emergency Management Agency, introduced herself and said the agency will provide training and preparedness information for disasters and attend regional informational events; Kathy (Kathleen) Hogue invited O'Neill to participate in the town's Community Day and O'Neill accepted. The board also heard that a fifth-grade recycling project is being coordinated by the school and Dan Nelson, chair of the Solid Waste Committee, for Community Day.
Becky Taylor-Chase reported that the Forecaster will cease printing a paper edition; the board said it will identify an alternate newspaper of record for legal notices, possibly the Times Record. The meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m.
