NEW SHARON — New Sharon voters trimmed $13,300 from spending requests in a $917,569 budget at Saturday’s annual town meeting.

Robert Neal bested Mercy Hanson by a vote of 91-43 to serve as selectman for a three-year term.

Other positions were not contested. Those elected included Jennifer Pooler, RSU 9 school board; Pamela Griswold, town clerk and tax collector; Erin Norton, treasurer; John Pond, road commissioner and David Dill, Water District trustee.

Voters agreed when Selectman Milton Sinclair moved to amend salaries for town officers. While a warrant article asked for $61,200, Sinclair moved to keep the salary total at $55,200.

The article would have given the chairman of the Board of Selectmen a 40 percent raise; the code enforcement officer, an 18 percent increase; and the treasurer, a 43 percent increase, Sinclair said.

In today’s economy, these seem excessive, he said.

“It’s a lot of work to do these jobs,” said Jim Fleming, code enforcement officer.

In other action, voters approved raising and appropriating an additional $40,000 for maintenance of roads.  

The extra money is for gravel for the 24 dirt roads in town, Pond said. That amount figures out to $1,666 per road or about 100 yards of gravel per road.

Some voters questioned whether “sooner or later it will be time to bite the bullet” and improve one road at a time.  Some suggested seeking grants to help.

Voters also approved new articles that provided $10,000 for a new technology fund for upgrades to computers and equipment; $12,000 for additional salt for roads; $7,500 to buy a new rock rake for roads and an article that allows the Board of Selectmen to spend up to $10,000 from surplus funds on unanticipated expenses or emergencies that occur during the year.

Amendments to some articles lowered requests, including $3,000 instead of $5,000 for General Assistance based on the amounts used the past couple of years; $5,000 instead of $7,000 for the Recreation Committee; $5,700 instead of $7,000 for mowing of cemeteries and no funds for the School and Ministerial Fund which had requested $1,000 to help defray insurance and utilities on the old library building. 

Selectmen said they found the town does not own the old library so voters chose not to support it any longer.

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