On Monday night, the Town Council held a workshop to discuss
three items: Charter Changes,
Discontinued Roads, and Davis Street – Speed Bumps & Stop Signs.
The workshop started off by talking about what Charter
Changes need to be placed on this year’s November ballot. Chairman Bickford opened by asking the Town
Attorney about what has to be done to the Charter to allow citizens to vote on
our Municipal Budget. The Attorney
stated that it would require a major overhaul of the Charter. Next, Councilor Albert asked about trying to
correct the confusion that occurred last year on the School Budget and what can
be done to prevent a reoccurrence. The solution has not been resolved so the
people need to watch for more. The Town
Manager wants to recycle changes from last year that did not pass.
Next, the Council listened to Ryan Leighton talk about the
town plowing private driveways and property.
This is a continuation of the same discuss that each council has had for
the past six years without any resolution.
This year the Town Attorney advised that the town take action to notify
these property owners that the town will no longer plow or maintain these
accesses. Ryan Leighton was tasked to
prepare a list of these properties and have the Town Manager contact property
owners with notification of the town’s intentions.
The final item on the agenda was Davis Street and how to
deal with the speeders. Chairman
Bickford recommended putting a three-way stop sign in lieu of speed bumps. As in a workshop, the Council cannot take a
binding vote but everyone informally agreed this was a good solution to try.
Now, as usual, Fern LaRochelle asked the Council to create a
Route 196 committee to handle issues on Route 196. He also requested that the Match Grant funds
of $50,000 be turned over to this group.
Even though Fern LaRochelle was not on the agenda in accordance with the
Council Working Rules, he was allowed to present this proposal. This was accepted by Chairman Bickford as one Good Old Boy to another.
Larry Fillmore
