Woodland election, town meeting planned for mid-March

4 years ago

WOODLAND, Maine — The town of Woodland will hold its municipal elections for school board members and selectmen on March 16, and its annual town meeting on the following day. 

 

The municipal election will take place at the town office from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and voters will be able to choose between Scott Dow and Collin Patterson for a three-year term on the town selectboard. Additionally, voters can pick two candidates between Christopher Kilcollins and Heather Pelletier for a three-year term on the school board. 

The town meeting, set for 7 p.m. on March 17 in the Woodland Consolidated School gymnasium located across the street from the town office, will feature close to 30 budget items, including $152,000 for general government, $321,000 for public works, and a drastic change in fire and ambulance rates paid to Caribou. 

The town selectmen held a special meeting on March 4 , in which they voted to accept a new contract from the city of Caribou that would move their ambulance rate from $11.50 per capita to $100 per capita after receiving indication that the city of Caribou was not willing to negotiate the increased rate. 

And while Caribou’s new proposal reduced the annual rate for fire services from $64,301 last year to $28,700 this year, the EMS increase would bring the annual rate from $13,950 last year to $114,800 this year. All together, the new rates will cost the town an additional $50,624 annually.