Five-member selectboard will require yet another vote, in February

A public hearing on the five-member selectboard implementation will likely come in January. (Courtesy photo)

LEBANON, Maine - Residents here aren't done voting on the five-member Board of Selectmen.

They'll be going to the polls again in February to approve the current board's choice for implementation of the citizen's petition authored by resident Corinna Cole.

The plan unofficially backed by the board at Thursday's meeting was to ask townspeople to vote on a referendum that would pave the way for the election in June of two three-year board members and one two-year board member, Selectperson Laura Bragg said on Saturday.

That would stagger the terms so that not all three of the new selectmen would face re-election in 2022.

Selectmen realized shortly after the vote that Cole's citizen's referendum did not include a plan to implement the new board structure.

After reviewing the options provided by the Maine Municipal Association, it was decided to go with the two three-year terms and one two-year term option.

The five-year selectboard was approved at the Nov. 6 elections, 1,234-1,071.

Bragg said she expected the secret ballot vote to be scheduled for either the first or second Tuesday of February, with a public hearing a couple of weeks prior to that for residents to ask questions and give feedback.