Jay Staton (right) is sworn in by town clerk Patricia Dunphy at Saturday’s annual town meeting in Highland Plantation. Staton won the third place on the assessor board defeating Lisa Poulin by a vote of 9-8. (Laura Dunham photo) HIGHLAND PLANTATION — It took some 25 residents here in the mountains of Highland Plantation Saturday only about an hour and a half to dispense with 32 articles on the town warrant. Even the elected moderator Darcy Pray was impressed with how the voters just “flew right through the articles.”

That is until they came to Article 23 which brought the most discussion. The assessor this year had recommended using $9,000 from the Tree Growth Reimbursement Fund to establish a legal service account. Newly elected third assessor for the coming year Jay Staton questioned why the community would need so much money for legal fees.

Jo Dunphy, first assessor, said that the town’s attorney had already been paid some $3,000 and there would be more charges. Dunphy told the residents that Bay Root LLC, one of the plantation’s largest landowners, had asked for a $55,000 abatement on its property tax but because the deadline had passed before the request was submitted, the assessors refused the abatement and now Bay Root has taken the plantation to court.

The assessors will be attending a property review board meeting this coming week in Augusta about the matter, said Dunphy.

The voters finally decided to accept the sum of $9,000 for the account.

In the Winter Road account voters gave their approval to transfer $15,124.69 from surplus; transfer $8,038 from excise taxes and raise $28,600 for winter roads.

In the summer road account of about $36,000, voters gave their approval to raise $1,000 for the maintenance account. Voters also approved a transfer from surplus of $28,423.81 and all funds received from Somerset County to be used for the Lexington/ Highland Fire Department.

In the Waste Removal account, voters gave their approval to transfer $1,776.90 from surplus; $3,000 from the Tree Growth, transfer $3,000 from the 2009 Revenue Sharing and raise $3,000.

Most of the other articles passed without discussion including transferring $385 from surplus for the Highland Cemetery care; the sum of $1,167.94 to be taken from surplus and raising $500 for the upkeep of the Highland Town House. Voters also gave their approval to transfer $286 from surplus, $2,500 from the 2009 Tree Growth and raising $2,500 through taxation for a contract with NorthStar Ambulance Service.

Voters also approved transferring from Tree Growth $100 for Hospice of Somerset County, $100 for Somerset Humane Society, $100 for the Kennebec Valley CAP Agency, $100 for Family Violence and $130 for the New Portland Community Library.

Without much discussion, the voters recommended as proposed by the assessors the sum of $88,000 for education and $6287 for transportation making a total school cost of $98,277.

Jo Dunphy was reelected first assessor, Jodi Dunphy second and in a hand vote Jay Staton defeated Lisa Poulin by a vote of 9-8 to become the third assessor on the board.

Patricia Dunphy was reelected as the town clerk/treasurer and Frances Sieber was elected to a three-year term on the school committee.