PERU — Town meeting voters at Tuesday’s polls approved a municipal budget of $873,997.
The budget, which doesn’t include county and school assessments, is $78,100 more than last year’s budget of $795,897, Town Clerk Vera Parent said on Tuesday.
Article 14, which sought to borrow $90,000 to buy a Public Works truck, was defeated 257-274. It was the only defeated article.
Voters also disagreed with selectmen and Finance Committee recommendations against the citizen’s initiated Article 27 and changed the position of Secretary to the Selectmen from a hired position to an elected position.
The new elected position will be a three-year term with set hours up to 25 hours per week and no more than 30 hours per week. The salary will be determined by selectmen.
Driving the budget hike were increases in insurance costs, paying $10,000 more for legal fees, $30,000 (coupled with $30,000 from surplus) to replace the town office roof and other work, $12,000 (plus $38,000 from the URIP account) to make the annual Capital Improvement Bond payment, and $4,000 for a new photocopier, Parent said.
By a tally of 398-181, voters adopted the Industrial Wind Energy Facility Moratorium Ordinance. It gives the Peru Wind Power Commitee until Nov. 2 to present a wind ordinance to voters.
Residents also voted 346-218 to establish a Wind Energy Ordinance account and authorized selectmen to accept donations to it and to spend its funds for independent consulting, and legal and similar technical services to help the town develop a wind ordinance.
By a tally of 396-184, voters also agreed to change some Shoreland Zoning areas around Worthley Pond from Limited Residential District to Limited Commercial District to allow development of the same.
Due to the larger than anticipated turnout of about 600 voters, election clerks didn’t finish hand-counting ballots until early Wednesday afternoon.
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