Van Buren to Vote on Town Charter Amendments

Van Buren, Maine – Residents of Van Buren are poised to vote on several proposed amendments to their town charter during the election scheduled for November 5. The charter revisions include changes to term limits and an updated attendance policy for school board members, alongside minor spelling and grammar modifications.

Paul Nadeau, the Van Buren Council Secretary and council appointee for the charter committee, stated that the town’s charter has not been updated for nearly two decades. “When it was written back in the early 2000s, it reflected the needs of the community,” Nadeau explained. “But the town has evolved in the last 20 years.”

Under the current charter, councilors can only serve two consecutive terms before requiring a one-year hiatus to run again. The proposed changes aim to eliminate this limitation, allowing councilors with valuable experience to continue serving uninterrupted. “You’ve got a group of people who have been here for five or six years, and have a lot of institutional knowledge to bring along,” Nadeau noted.

Additionally, the revised charter would provide the town’s school board with clearer authority to address attendance issues among its members. This is in response to previous incidents of absenteeism that affected board functionality. “This change will allow them to more directly address those issues,” Nadeau mentioned.

Looking ahead, the charter committee plans to update the charter every ten years, taking into consideration potential changes through to 2034. Despite ongoing economic revitalization efforts in Van Buren, Nadeau clarified that the charter revisions are separate from these initiatives. “The charter is more for the local government of the town of Van Buren and how it runs and operates, not particularly the economic side of it,” he said.

Town Manager Luke Dyer distanced himself from the charter commission’s meetings to maintain neutrality. “If they wanted my opinion on something, I gave it, but I tried to not direct them at all,” Dyer commented.

Nadeau, a long-time resident and Caribou native, expressed gratitude towards the community for the support he has received over the years. “The community, through thick and thin, has been very good to me,” he shared. “And this is the only way I know how to thank them, by trying to be a good servant.”