By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

CASCO — It was during a budget workshop that the selectmen decided that annual town meeting should be in-person instead of secret ballot 

The Casco Annual Town Meeting will be held June 9 outdoors in the Casco Days Park, where most likely two tents will be set up.

The date for town meeting was announced during the Casco Board of Selectmen meeting on Tuesday night. 

For months, there have been discussions about how to hold town meeting. The town attonrey had recommended secret ballot, just to be on the safe side. 

The board had made the decision to hold an in-person town meeting during one of it recent budget workshops. The selectmen met for budget workshops on the night of March 17, March 18 and March 19. 

The selectmen “when we met during budget workshops had to make a decision whether to do an open town meeting. The options were to have a secret ballot or open town meeting,” Casco Interim town Manager Don Gerrish said. “Just to let everyone know, we will hold an open town meeting on June 9.”

The Casco Days Association will loan the town one of its tents. A second tent will be used, too, Gerrish said.

The main reason for opting for live meeting is that it provides more time to prepare budget as warrant article. Piggy-backing on the school budget vote would cut that budget-preparation time short. 

“It gives the [board of selectmen] more time to go over the budget again. We are waiting for information from the state on things that would effect budget. The main one is revenuesharing. We are waiting on the audit to see [how much money] is in our undesignated fund balance,” Gerrish said. 

“This gives us more time to work on it,” he said. 

Other warrant articles include: a contract zone agreement for the Hancock housing project, and a new Cable TV franchise ordinance. Plus, the selectmen are considering asking the voter for permission to use funds held in reserve.

On the calendar is a tentative public hearing for the proposed warrant articles. That is scheduled for May 18.