FARMINGTON — Selectmen approved voting hours of 1 to 6 p.m. on June 10 for the Regional School Unit 9 budget referendum at their meeting on Tuesday night, April 8. Where voting will take place is to be determined.
The statute covering municipal/school elections requires that polls be open a minimum of four consecutive hours, according to information from Town Clerk Diane Dunham. “After talking with some of my ballot clerks our suggestion is to hold the polling hours from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.,” she noted in her report to the selectmen. “This would allow even those residents who may work out of town to get to the polls.”
Selectman Dennis O’Neil asked what had been done in the past, was told it depended on whether there was a state primary election. “I have no problem if that is her recommendation,” he said.
Voting may have to be moved to the university or to the school because construction at the Community Center is planned to begin the first week of June, Town Manager Erica LaCroix noted.
On April 9, Dunham said absentee ballots for the RSU 9 budget referendum vote can not be distributed until after the May 27 Budget Referendum Meeting. Farmington residents may pick one up during business hours starting May 28, she noted.
According to an article in The Franklin Journal posted to its website on April 7, Regional School Unit 9 board of directors reviewed a proposed $45.4 million budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year during the March 25 meeting. The board was expected to vote on the budget – developed and recommended by the RSU 9 Budget Committee – at the April 8 meeting. The article states the district’s overall tax increase is projected at 1.24%, but the impact varies widely by town with total town assessments increasing $187,712 over last year.
Other business
Selectman Richard Morton noted he and O’Neil are on the Franklin County Budget Committee. “It’s work will basically be done during the month of April,” he said. “The 23rd is the first meeting, the 30th is the second. Those meetings will capture all the department and nonprofit requests, then in May there will be action, voting. If you have Franklin County budget concerns or issues Dennis and I are the contact points.”
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