The voters have spoken. Two percent of them anyway.
The South Berwick Town Meeting was held tonight for voters to consider the Town Budget . The budget as put forward by the Town Council would have resulted in a $5.73 Municipal Tax Rate (excludes County and SAD 35), a 70 cent increase over last year. The increase was caused by projected revenues down by 6.45% and increased expenses of the Library Construction Bond that was approved by voters in November 2010, a budget increase to the highway Department to reflect realistic costs for repairs, winter contracts, fuel, and salt, and an increase for the Transfer Station due to increased costs from Maine Energy Recovery Corporation for disposal costs. The warrant and detailed budgets can be found on the Town web site.
Twenty one of the twenty two warrant articles passed handily with very little discussion. The final warrant article, Article 22, asked voters to increase the property tax levy limit of $3,000,599 established for South Berwick by state law (LD 1) to account for the budget approved by the passage of the preceding warrant articles. After two motions to limit discussion and move the vote, the first of which failed and the second of which passed, this warrant article failed, with a vote of 45 yes and 56 no. That means that the Town Council will have to go back to the budget to make cuts and bring the budget back to the voters in a special town meeting.
Tonight’s decision will have important repercussions. Services may be cut, people may lose their jobs, the Town’s infrastructure may suffer more neglect. These big decisions were made by 101 voters, a mere 2% of registered voters of South Berwick. This happened at a Town Meeting held on a warm summer night that required two hours of commitment from those of us who attended. The Town Meeting was held at the same time as the convocation ceremony for graduating seniors, meaning that many parents and grandparents could not attend the Town Meeting. Each year the Town Meeting is held during the final weeks of school; it is a time for activities and final projects so many parents have to make a choice between their civic duty and their families. You will never convince me that the turnout at South Berwick’s Town Meeiting is representative of the citizens of South Berwick. If I were one of the citizens who was at the convocation, or worked out of town and could not make it to town for the meeting, or were a parent who could not arrange child care for over two hours on a school night I would be hopping mad that important decisions were being made by such a small number of citizens.
Perhaps it’s time we jettison the Town Meeting. Other towns in Maine have abolished the Town Meeting in favor of a referendum ballot on the municipal budget.
South Berwick’s 2011 Annual Report reports that in last year’s gubernatorial, referendum and municipal elections held in November, 56% of South Berwick’s voters participated, while 24% of voters turned out for the June State referendum and SAD 35 budget validation elections. Even the lighter June turnout of 24% is better than the paltry 2% turnout at this year’s Town Meeting.
Our Town Charter provides for a method for abolishing the Town Meeting. Apparently those who crafted the Charter 40 years ago knew that someday the town might outgrow the Town Meeting. At one time the Town Meeting allowed people to come together once a year to ask questions, further their understanding and to debate issues before the town. Maybe we’ve grown too large or maybe life has become too hectic for Town Meeting to work. It seems that rather than a vital forum for democracy it has become a barrier to voter participation. Sad.
