OAKFIELD, Maine — Thanks to the voters in Oakfield, the Smoki Haulers Snowmobile Club will be able to purchase a new trail groomer for next winter.
Residents approved spending up to $265,000 from the town’s Tax Increment Finance funds during Monday night’s annual town meeting held at the Oakfield Community Center. The approval came after a considerable amount of discussion.
About 40 residents attended the annual town meeting, which lasted a little more than an hour. Some questioned why the town of Oakfield was footing the bill for a new groomer that would also service other communities.
Bonnie Collier served as moderator for Oakfield’s annual town meeting Monday. The town approved a municipal budget of $692,406, which is an increase of $32,853 over last year. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
Town Manager Dale Morris said the club approached the town in 2017 with the hopes of using TIF money from Oakfield’s wind farm to help acquire a new groomer. At that time, the town was committed to using those funds in other areas.
“The TIF funds come from the wind farm, and there are about 10-12 items that we can spend those funds on,” Morris explained. “One of those items is recreational activities. We deferred this until some of our larger projects were done. These TIF funds do not increase your taxes.”
Any funds received from other towns, or grants that the Smoki Haulers Snowmobile Club is able to procure, will reduce the amount of TIF funds needed to acquire the vehicle. The club maintains approximately 120 miles of trails in southern Aroostook County.
Other items that will be funded with TIF money in 2022 include $200,000 for ditching and culverts on Brown Road; $20,000 for a canopy at Oakfield Pines Park; $15,000 for ballfield improvements; and $10,000 for boat launch areas at Skitacook and Spaulding lakes.
The ballfield improvements also generated a considerable amount of discussion because some residents wanted to see new playground equipment adjacent to the ballfield. Residents asked the selectboard to gather information on what it would cost to purchase a piece of equipment for this area, with the hopes of using the TIF funds to cover the expense.
Residents approved a 2022 municipal budget totaling $692,406. The spending plan is up $32,853 from last year’s figure. Morris said the bulk of the increase in spending was due to a spike in energy costs, including heating fuel, gasoline and electricity.
In other warrant articles funded by taxpayers, voters approved $32,125 for the Oakfield Community Center to replace a malfunctioning furnace for the building; and approved $16,050 for the town’s cemetery account.
At the polls earlier, two selectmen were voted in by residents. Danny Barrows received 56 votes, while incumbent Barbara Branscom garnered 45 votes to earn seats on the board. Others receiving votes on the ballot were: Cathy Briggs, 40; Donnie Hall, 37; and Ross Crandall, three.
