I. Council Action Requested.
Title
To approve the warrant and specimen ballot for a special town meeting to be held on November 3, 2026.
Body
II. Basis for Council Action.
Council approval of this item is required because;
a. pursuant to Article VIII, Section 2 of the Charter, “any appropriation of
twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) or more in addition to or supplementary
to the annual budget appropriation; the issuance of bonds or notes, except
notes in anticipation of taxes to be paid within the fiscal year in which issued;
shall become effective only after it has been adopted at a Town Meeting by the
vote of a majority of those present and entitled to vote at such meeting,”
b. the articles of business on the warrant for the proposed special meeting would
appropriate an amount greater than twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) in
addition to or supplementary to the annual budget recommendation and
authorize the issuance of bonds or notes other than a note in anticipation of
taxes to be paid within the fiscal year,
c. the provisions of 30-A M.R.S.A. § 2521 require that such meetings be called by
a warrant signed by a majority of the “selectmen” (i.e. municipal officers),
d. the provisions of 30-A M.R.S.A. § 2528(5)(B) require that “[i]f a particular
article to be voted on by secret ballot requests an appropriation of money by
the municipality, the article, when printed in the warrant and on the ballot, must
be accompanied by a recommendation of the municipal officers,” and
e. pursuant to Article II, Section 1 of the Charter, “[t]he Town Council, hereinafter
called the ‘Council’, shall be and constitute the municipal officers of the Town.”
III. Issue Summary.
Please refer to the copy of the warrant and ballot for the special town meeting to be held on November 3, 2026 to vote by secret ballot on amendments to the Town Charter and the Community Center project.