By Stephanie Grinnell
Staff Writer


Arundel voters will decide on the school department budget, state primary elections and referendum issues as well as choose municipal officials June 10. Polls will open at Central Fire Station from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Town Meeting will take place at 7 p.m. the following evening, June 11, at the Mildred L. Day gymnasium.
The school department budget will be presented June 10 to voters for a validation referendum per Maine Department of Education mandate. The board of selectmen approved the $6.6 million school budget June 2, which includes tuition to send middle and high school students to schools outside the district. Mildred L. Day School serves students from kindergarten through fifth grade. Middle school students attend Thornton Academy Middle School in Saco and high school students choose an area high school to attend. The approved budget exceeds the Essential Programs and Services (EPS) Funding Act.
Voters will choose “yes” or “no” on the ballot. If the school budget is not approved, the school board and town council must rework the budget and present it to voters within 10 business days of the failed referendum for another vote until a budget is approved.
Consolidation efforts will not be addressed this election.
Several municipal seats will be decided June 10 as well, including a one-year selectman seat, two three-year school board positions, and several budget committee positions. Running for selectmen are incumbent Thomas Danylik and opponent Troy Parker, who lost a seat by a slim margin in 2006. School board incumbents Jon Renell and Allan Richard are being challenged by Matthew Sylvanus.
No one filed papers for the budget committee positions, but Town Clerk Simone Boissonneault said write-in candidates may be elected with a minimum of 25 votes. If there are no write-in candidates, the budget committee seats will be filled on a yearly basis by appointment.
During the June 11 Town Meeting, Arundel residents will decide on proposed amendments to the town’s land use and growth ordinances, and the municipal budget. Town warrant articles are posted on Arundel’s Web site, www.arundelmaine.org.
The amendments to the land use ordinance would increase filing fees for conditional use permits from $100 to $250 for minor developments and $500 for major developments. Amendments to conditional use permits would increase in cost from $50 to $250 to offset administrative and legal fees. An additional development review fee, increased from $100 to $250 for minor developments and to $500 for major developments, is also required.
Definitions in Section 2 will be modified, as will requirements for security lighting. Full details of the amendments to the land use ordinance may be found on the town’s Web site, www.arundelmaine.org.
The town’s growth ordinance will also be amended to change Section 1.4 from “Existing structures” to “Exemptions,” and the addition of subsection “c” states the ordinance will not apply to up to four units of affordable housing per calendar year. The amendment also increases the allowable number of building permits to 40 per calendar year.
The municipal budget, voted on per article during the town meeting, totals more than $2.5 million.
Residents will also have the chance to decide on accepting a conservation easement for open space in the Highland Meadows Subdivision.
To participate in elections, residents must be registered voters. To register, contact Boissonneault at Arundel Town Office during regular business hours Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or register at the polls June 10. Proof of residency, such as a driver’s license, is required. For more information, contact the Arundel Town Office at 985-4201.