The Bristol selectmen accepted a petition from 176 voters Feb. 3 seeking to eliminate the town’s highway department and its only employee.
“It is the taxpayer’s right to decide these issues and it has got to go forward,” said Chairman Chad Hanna.
The petition says: “In order to save the taxpayer’s money, (we) want the Town of Bristol to eliminate the current Highway department and positions. The equipment would be sold off to the highest bidder and the town would hire local contractors to perform and work that needs to be done as needed.”
The selectmen discussed the petition and wondered whether the move would save money and what it would cost to hire contractors.
“Will it save money or will it cost the same?” asked Hanna.
Selectman Paul Yates noted that Sean Hunter, the highway department and its only employee, is on call a lot to take care of culverts or down trees.
“I just don’t know, but I believe we are more self sufficient than we ever were,” said Yates.
Hanna asked town administrator Kristine Poland to gather some figures from contractors to try to determine if the move would save money.
The information will be given to voters during the public discussion of the petition on Feb. 18.
Hunter has been on the town payroll for nine and a half years. He performs a series of duties ranging from changing the light bulbs in the town office to snow plowing fire stations, raking certain gravel roads, mowing septic fields at the transfer station, filling potholes, digging animal pits at the transfer station and helping to dispose of dead deer and seals.
The town owns one truck, a tractor and other related equipment.
In other matters, the selectmen also approved a preliminary budget that is about $5000 under this year’s figures.
The proposed budget would spend $1,916,117.75 while the 2009 figure was $1,921,004.86.
Kristine Poland, the town administrator, said the proposal should mean no change in the town’s mil rate.
Selectmen voted to remove all town funding ($8000) for Lincoln County Television. The grant to LCTV was to come out of the $12,000 franchise fee sent to the town. The $12,000 was plugged into the town budget.
While the selectmen said they were reluctant to remove the funding from the county television station, they said they did so to keep taxes from rising.
Selectman Bob Tibbits said he was against raising taxes.
“A lot of people don’t have jobs and there is going to be a lot more (losing their jobs) before we are finished,” he said.
Major changes in the proposed budget include a $20,000 drop in excise taxes and a $15,000 drop in state transportation grants.
It also includes $119,000 from the town’s surplus from funds earmarked but not spent from earlier years.
The town selectmen will discuss the proposed budget with the budget committee before it is presented to the voters at the town meeting scheduled for March 15 and 16.
Selectmen also approved modifications to the town’s shellfish ordinance to include hard shell clams, American/eastern oysters, European oysters and razor clams.
Shellfish license holders who have held licenses prior to 2008 shall remain in good standing provided they perform 8 hours of conservation time each year. Longstanding license holders who are members of the town shellfish committee shall remain licensed provided they attend half of the committee’s meetings, the modified ordinance said.
The town will hold a public hearing on the petition and shellfish ordinance on Feb. 18 at 7 p.m.
