LUDLOW, Maine — The second time proved to be the charm for Ludlow’s annual town meeting.
Residents originally gathered Aug. 30 for their town meeting, but the event had to be postponed because there weren’t enough selectmen present to start the meeting. Only two of five selectmen showed up and a quorum is needed to take action.
On Monday, Aug. 6, however, residents and enough board members gathered to discuss town business and approve municipal spending for the fiscal year. According to Town Manager Diane Hines, a small group of residents approved a $269,028 municipal budget for 2018-19. That spending plan is up $5,131 from last year.
On Wednesday, Aug. 8, the Select Board met again to set the town’s tax rate for the new fiscal year. Hines said the tax rate will rise from $18.70 per $1,000 of property value last year to $21.20.
“It is very hard to increase the mill rate but we must for the budget ahead of us,” she said. “SAD 70 (budget) increased by almost $10,000 and the County tax is up as well. In addition, there were increases for fire protection and our own budget to continue repairing roads.”
