Otisfield opened its annual Town Meeting, held Saturday at its Community Hall, with words of prayer provided by the Rev. Don Mayberry of the East Otisfield Free Baptist Church. Nicole Carter/Advertiser Democrat

OTISFIELD — During Otisfield’s annual Town Meeting on Saturday, residents overwhelmingly approved Article 26 on the town warrant, which will change the town’s Board of Selectmen from three to five elected officials. It will be put into effect during the June 2024 annual meeting. 

The article noted that the board of selectmen recommended accepting the change, but Selectman Lenny Adler voted against it. Selectman Rick Micklon and Board Chairman Hall Ferguson voted for it.

Ferguson said the issues facing small towns like Otisfield are becoming more and more complex and with a three-person board two are not allowed to discuss their work because it becomes a quorum that necessitates a public meeting. A five-person board will allow for more communication and expedite the process.

The selectmen currently serving have held their positions since at least 2008, with Adler returning then after a hiatus from a previous decades-long tenure.

The article stirred an involved discussion about elections and voter participation.

Some residents spoke to say that casting private ballots during regular elections would attract a wider array of candidates and make it possible for more than the 40 or 50 people who attend town meetings to have a say in their local government. 

One said that process could result in people being elected without having to face voters and present their positions, an argument that was countered with the proposition of scheduling candidates’ nights for that very purpose. 

Ferguson remarked that a private ballot election could lead to popularity contests, where candidates soliciting votes from their friends got elected as selectmen without having to present their candidacies. Adler agreed, telling residents about how several years ago he lost to Micklon in an election because he had not worked as hard at engaging voters but learned that to win he would have to do the same and won the next time he ran.

“It’s my personal opinion that if you don’t want to show up [at town meeting] to vote what’s good for the town,” Ferguson said, “or who you think should be the person to run that town, than I don’t think you should have a say in it.”

He advised townspeople that if voters desire to adopt private voting on election day it could be passed during a special or regular town meeting. He recommended focusing on a five-person board as a first step and considering further changes later.

All budgetary articles passed with little to no pushback. 

One voter questioned why in Article 13, which appropriates funds for health and community agencies and libraries, Otisfield needs to provide $5,000 for Casco Public Library improvements in the next fiscal when the town already pays Casco $2,500 annually for service. Ferguson pointed out that 17% of the library’s use comes from Otisfield residents and a $5,000 contribution to a project that is expected to top $100,000 is a reasonable ask considering how many utilize the building and its services. 

A perennial question rose during discussion of Article 15 — which raises $6,250 for dam and operations maintenance on lakes where Otisfield has properties — about whether the town gets any say in managing the dams after contributing to them financially.

Though Otisfield has no say, specifically on the Thompson Lake dam which is located in Oxford, with 17% of its property tax revenue based on Thompson Lake water frontage, the town will continue to support it. Ferguson added that the lake’s water levels are determined by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Maine Inland Fisheries & Wildlife and the town of Oxford. 

Also granted was an easement along Fox Run Lane to the property of Lester F. Thomas Inter Vivos Trust across town-owned property in exchange for a 50-foot-wide right-of-way on the trust’s property to allow Otisfield residents access to Moose Pond for hand-powered watercraft. Parking will be available on the town’s land. Water activity on the pond is limited to boats operated by less than five horsepower motors. 

Voters approved amending the town’s solar ordinance to allow town-owned properties between 20 and 100 acres be used for solar system installations that benefit Otisfield residents and businesses. Currently, the ordinance stipulates that privately owned property up to 20 acres can be utilized for solar development, up to 120 acres in total. 

Fire Chief Kyle Jordan presented service awards to several long-standing members of Otisfield’s Fire Department. James Alberi, Danny Fogg, Elton Vazquez and Jared Damon were all recognized for 20 years of service. Herbert Olsen was honored for 49 years and Lenny Adler for 58 years of volunteer service.