March 8, 2012
Maine

Industry voters to decide wind power moratorium at Saturday’s meeting

Posted by Bobbie Hanstein, Daily Bulldog, www.dailybulldog.com 7 March 2012

NDUSTRY – At annual town meeting on Saturday, voters will debate a budget proposed to increase by $595 and if the town should enter into a 180-day moratorium on wind power development to give the planning board time to draft an ordinance pertaining to such systems.

Polls will be open on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Town Hall on Saturday, March 10. Running unopposed are incumbent second selectman, assessor and overseer of the poor, Robert Geisser and Mt. Blue RSU 9 director Mark Prentiss. Both are for three-year terms.

Discussion of the 40-article warrant begins 2 p.m. at the Town Hall. The proposed municipal budget totals $385,338. Last year’s total came to $384,743.

Proposed are increases of $4,365 for a total Fire Department operating budget of $30,000; $8,000 more for town official salaries for a total of $54,000 and $14,007 more for the winter road budget. Those increases are offset by savings proposed in the summer roads account totaling $25,000; $1,000 each for debt service and insurance; $700 in less for street lights are among the lower amount budgeted items. The overall total proposed increase is $595.

The last article of the warrant asks voters: “Shall an ordinance entitled Wind Power Development Moratorium Ordinance be enacted?” The moratorium is proposed to extend for the next six months so that a “Wind Turbine Generator Ordinance “and any other necessary amendments to land use ordinances and regulations” can be drafted by the planning board. The adoption of a moratorium pertains to “any non-residential grid scale, commercial wind energy facility consisting of one or more wind turbines, the primary purpose of which is generate electricity for sale….”

Ordinance amendments, such as the one proposed for draft in this instance, require a public hearing and a town meeting vote in order to be enacted.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/03/08/industry-voters-to-decide-wind-power-moratorium-at-saturdays-meeting/