Staff Writer
LIMESTONE — The annual Limestone Town Meeting will take place on Wednesday, June 10 in the auditorium of the Limestone Community School, located at 75 High Street in Limestone, at 6 p.m. There are 34 articles to be discussed, including budgets for the administration, public works department, police department, fire department, library and parks and recreation department to list a few. While the annual town meeting has addressed the budgets of both the town and the school in the past, only the town budget will be discussed during the meeting on June 10; this is because of the RSU vote that took place on January 28, which made Limestone part of a Regional School Unit with Caribou and Stockholm. Limestone will effectively become part of the Eastern Aroostook RSUE on July 1.
Some items that have been suggested to be slightly controversial by multiple community members include Article 13 and Article 36. As stated in the 2008/2009 Annual Report of the Municipal Officers of Limestone, Article 13 reads “To see what sum the voters of Limestone will vote to raise and appropriate for Community Development for the ensuing year.”
Last year, the Selectpeople recommended $43,000 be appropriated for community development, which funded the April 29 presentation of Limestone 2020 Vision: Blueprint for an Idyllic Maine Community, which was prepared by consultant Larry Stammen. The Selectpeople and the Budget Committee have both made recommendations to appropriating zero funds towards community development.
Article 36 in the 2008/2009 annual report reads, “to see if the voters of Limestone will vote to abolish the Budget Committee for the Town of Limestone.” This past year, it has been difficult for the budget committee to obtain a quorum based on low attendance.
The 2008/2009 Town of Limestone Annual Report of the Municipal Officers is available at the town office and contains reports from Sen. Susan Collins; Congressman Michael Michaud; Maine State Senator Troy Jackson; State Representative Bernard Ayotte; Town Manager Donna Bernier; Board of Selectpeople Chairman Walter Elliott Jr.; Superintendent Franklin McElwain; Limestone Board of Trustees members Neal Leighton, Charles Kelley and Jessie Philbrick; Town Clerk Marlene Durepo; Public Works Director Michael Cote; Chief of Police Stacey Mahan; Librarian Rea Caldwell; Parks and Recreation Director Jamie Labreck and Executive Director of the Maine School of Science and Mathematics Walt Warner.
