Jefferson residents approved all but two articles at their annual town meeting by referendum on Tuesday, April 21.
Article 3, which would allow the town to charge 7% interest on personal and real estate taxes after Oct. 1, was not approved with a vote of 176-165.
Article 17, which asked voters to appropriate $60,000 from the unreserved surplus to go toward the cost of property revaluation, was also not approved by a vote of 200-171. The revaluation is slated to be completed by March 2027 and will cost $275,000.
According to the 2024 town report, as of Dec. 31, 2024, there was approximately $94,954 from the assessors line reserved for the revaluation. The remainder of the amount was to be raised over the following two years in $60,000 increments. Residents approved the amount last year, and this was supposed to be Jefferson’s second year raising the $60,000.
Deputy Town Clerk Cody Rochezille said the town is consulting with a lawyer to determine the next steps of the process for both of the rejected articles.
All other articles were approved by voters, including the municipal budget, which totals $1,681,490.62, an increase of $127,493.62 or 9.61% from last year.
In the articles pertaining to the municipal budget, the administration expenditures total $612,886.16, an increase of $81,667.16 or 14.27% from last year.
The largest increase in the administration budget is the election/town meeting budget, which totals $22,000, an increase of $9,500 or 76% from the previous year. However, select board Chair Pamela Grotton said the budget is consistent with past spending during gubernatorial election years.
Another increase in the administration line is for the audit, which totals $57,000, an increase of $20,000 or 42.55%. The town is hiring a new auditor for the town, according to Grotton.
The $85,000 office expense budget increased $21,600 or 34.07% from last year. Town Clerk Tabatha MacArthur said the increase is due to a new information technology system utilized by the town office that requires a monthly fee to use. The cost of two new computers for the town office is also included in the budget.
The budget for protection and health totals $544,994.16, an increase of $54,839.16 or 11.08% from last year.
According to select board member Robert “Jigger” Clark, Jefferson’s portion of the Nobleboro-Jefferson Transfer Station budget saw an increase of $13,904.16 or 10.56% due to the need to purchase three new dumpsters which cost roughly $15,000 each. The transfer station also serves the towns of Nobleboro, Bremen, Damariscotta, and Newcastle.
The line item for the ambulance service totals $307,885.00, an increase of $35,485.00 or 12.23%. The town is served by Waldoboro EMS and Central Lincoln County Ambulance Service. Waldoboro provides service to the northern two-thirds of town and CLC serves the southern third.
The CLC Ambulance’s budget is $90,205.00, the same as last year. The amount budgeted for Waldoboro EMS is $217,680, a $35,485 or 19.48% increase from last year.
The budget for roads and highways totals $507,215.00, an increase of $10,565 or 2.10% from last year. The entire increase is contained to the snowplowing contact, which totals $362,714.50. The contract was recently renewed for another two years with Wayne Johnston, who also serves as the town’s road commissioner. The contract includes a 3% increase for the next two years.
The budget for unclassified expenses totals $15,396, a decrease of $127 or 0.82% from last year due to a reduction in the budget for the public library.
Voters also elected municipal officers. Robert “Jigger” Clark ran unopposed for the select board and was reelected with 307 votes.
Nobleboro School Committee incumbent Mariaelana Solorzano was reelected with 191 votes, along with newcomer Susanne Williamson with 199 votes. Danielle Bernier, who chaired the school committee, and newcomer Alpha Williams received 182 and 144 votes, respectively.
Budget committee incumbents Sheridan Bond and Donna Williams were reelected with 202 and 233 votes, respectively. Newcomer Richard Parlin Sr. received 155 votes.
A total of 387 votes were cast.
For more information, go to jeffersonmaine.org or call 549-7401.
