Re-registrations - Available to re-register May 1st of each year but make sure to keep your current registration valid through June 30.

Register your dog

• Proof of rabies vaccination required (we may already have on record
• Cost: $6 / $11
• February 1 - LATE FEES of $25/dog assessed with registration
• March 1 - may receive a summons to court from the ACO

Transfer Station Use Permit Stickers

• Valid January 1 - December 31 each year.
• Proof of residency or land ownership required.
• Cost: $5.00 each

The citizens decide whether or not to approve the warrant items presented to them at the Town Meeting.  The citizens of Solon decide on how much the town will spend each year on the municipal budget.  

≈≈≈ Be an active participant in our town and attend our town meetings ≈≈≈

Our Annual Town Meeting is held the 1st Saturday in March at the Solon Elementary School on South Main Street. 

• Voting for Elected Officials is from 8 am to 12:15 pm.
• The Annual Town Meeting begins at 1:30 pm.

Elected Positions:

• Selectmen  (3 seats on a 3-year term, rotating schedule) 

  • 2023 Candidates: Zane Brown, John Dunay, Lois Miller

• Road Commissioner (1 year term)

  • 2023 Candidates: Gary Bishop

• School Board Director (3 seats on a 3-year term, rotating schedule)

  • 2023 Candidates: Laura Layman

To see the Warrant Articles and the Explanation of Articles for the upcoming Town Meeting, go to the Agendas section of the website.

Nomination Papers for the various elected positions are available at the Town Office starting in late November and are due back in the first of January.  Contact the Town Clerk for more information about running for an elected position.  

The Selectmen prepare the Town Budget and Warrant Articles for the upcoming Town Meeting and presents them to the Budget Committee for their review at their Annual Budget Meeting the 3rd Saturday in January at 8 am at the Town Office.  If you want to have an article considered at the Annual Town Meeting it must be presented to the Selectmen no later than the Wednesday before the Annual Budget Meeting in January.

Town Reports will be mailed out to the residents in Solon the end of February.  If you do not receive one in  the mail,  you can pick one up at the Town Office.  The Town Report includes the Warrant for the upcoming Annual Town Meeting.

Elections (all running unapposed):

• Selectman (3-year term) - Elaine Aloes
• Road Commissioner (1-year term) - Jeffrey Cyr
• RSU 74 School Board Director (3-year term) - Robert Lindblom Sr

Town Meeting (links to documents below)

• Town Meeting Warrant
• Explanation of Articles

Taxes can be paid in person, by mail, phone or online through our website. (The card processor charges an additional 2.5%).

Please note that all payments are applied to the oldest tax first if you have outstanding balances for previous tax years. Overpayment of taxes, up to $100 will automatically be applied to the following tax year. Overpayments above $100 will result in contacting you to give you an option of applying it or receiving an overpayment refund.

1st - Chris Goff

2nd - Mike J. Foster

3rd - Hether Forsten

People’s Choice - Jeff Cyr

Thank you to our Judges: Marylou Ridley, John Dunay, and Mike G. Foster

And a big THANK YOU to our supporters:

COLLISION PLUS 2

EVERGREEN CAMPGROUND

FOSS ENTERPRISES

GRISWOLDS STORE

JIMMY’S MARKET

SKOWHEGAN SAVINGS BANK

SOLON CORNER STORE

R&Bs HOME SERVICE

For information regarding the project, contact Selectman, Elaine Aloes at (207) 643-2812 or townofsolon@yahoo.com.

First, Maine will join 44 other states in requiring some level of boater education for those operating a boat on Maine’s waters beginning in 2024. The new requirement became law through the enactment of LD 1807, which was passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor in June.

Beginning in January, a person born after 1998 may not operate a motorboat of 25 horsepower or greater for recreational boating purposes on inland or territorial waters unless that person is aged 12 and older and has completed a boater safety and education course. There are a few exceptions, such as for registered Maine guides (hunting, fishing, and recreational guides only), the commercial fishing industry, daily boat renters and merchant mariners.

Anyone under the age of 12 may operate a motorboat alone on Maine waters as long as the engine is less than 10 horsepower. For engines rated 10-25 horsepower, operators under 12 must have supervision.

The course teaches participants Maine’s boating laws, how to safely operate and maintain a boat, how to prepare for boating emergencies, environmental concerns including how to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species, and more. The course may be taken in-person or online.

For more information about course offerings, please visit the boating safety and education website.

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Volunteers needed for a short-term special committee.

We are in need of approximately 5 Solon residents to be a part of the Comprehensive Planning Review Committee. We have contracted with KVCOG to rewrite the plan to include law changes and new goals for the community. Please contact the Selectmen at 207-643-2812 for more information or to volunteer.

What is a comprehensive plan?… A municipal comprehensive plan in Maine is an official, long-term blueprint that articulates a community’s vision for its future, covering physical, social, and economic aspects. It identifies issues and opportunities, sets goals, and outlines strategies for achieving them. This legally required document serves as the basis for land use ordinances and zoning regulations, guiding decisions on development, infrastructure, resource preservation, and public services in alignment with community values

It was brought to our attention that during the last storm, a number of mailbox were damaged. Because of the extenuating circumstances surrounding this, the Town would like to extend an offer, on a case-by-case basis, to repair the damaged post. If your mailbox was damaged in the last storm, please contact Jeffrey Cyr, Road Commissioner at (207) 643-2349 and he will go out to inspect and discuss things with you. (Please note, this is not a change in the law or our policy for future instances. )

INSTALLATION TIPS: To keep mailboxes out of the reach if the plow/wing, place them with the base of the mailbox 4’ above road level and set back 4’ off the pavement. USPS requirements are less. For more information go to https://www.maine.gov/dot/doing-business/permitting-policy/mailbox-policy.

More information about this project, directly from the Maine DOT, can be found HERE.

Direct link: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/34ca1fa3c4634812ac541a6a9451acbf

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2023 Main Street Bridge (downstream side)

1930’s Main Street Bridge (during construction of current structure)

Circa 1900 Main Street Bridge (steel construction)

Once self-registered, hunters will receive a seal number via email to confirm the wild turkey was registered. The confirmation can be saved to the device or printed. There is no fee to self-register a turkey online.

The Fall Wild Turkey Hunting season opens to all hunters on Monday, Sept. 18 and ends Nov. 7, 2023. Before heading afield, be sure to pair your hunting license with a turkey hunting permit.

Check HERE for more information regarding posted roads to heavy loads here in Maine.

Podcast: Listen to a conversation with Kate Dufour, Director of Advocacy and Communications at MMA.

”Senior Property Tax Stabilization, What Happened? What is Next?” onPotholes & Politics: Local Maine Issues from A to Z

• Job Search
• Resume and interviewing skills
• Locating a registered apprenticeship
• Training and education assistance
• Federal bonding information
• Veteran’s services and job search assistance

For more information go to https://www.mainecareercenter.gov/ or to schedule a meeting outside of the allotted time, contact Ross Sirois, at 207-707-2560 or Ross.M.Sirois@maine.gov.

• Job Search
• Resume and interviewing skills
• Locating a registered apprenticeship
• Training and education assistance
• Federal bonding information
• Veteran’s services and job search assistance

For more information go to https://www.mainecareercenter.gov/ or to schedule a meeting outside of the allotted time, contact Ross Sirois, at 207-707-2560 or Ross.M.Sirois@maine.gov.

• Job Search
• Resume and interviewing skills
• Locating a registered apprenticeship
• Training and education assistance
• Federal bonding information
• Veteran’s services and job search assistance

For more information go to https://www.mainecareercenter.gov/ or to schedule a meeting outside of the allotted time, contact Ross Sirois, at 207-707-2560 or Ross.M.Sirois@maine.gov.

The Community Literacy Team started the project with grant money in the fall of 2019 to install these free book-sharing boxes where anyone can take a book or share a book. Community volunteer Adam Moore built four little free libraries for the team, and the plan was to paint them and install them at various places in the district so that community members could borrow and share books. But the pandemic interrupted those efforts, and the project was put on hold until Devyn picked it up last spring.

Devyn painted the four little free libraries, filled them with books and then built a fifth library. He secured permission to install them outside the First Congregational Church in North Anson, the Anson Town Office, the Embden Town Office, the New Portland Historical Society, and the Solon Town Office. These were installed over the summer and fall months.

We commend Devyn for his efforts and encourage community members to visit these new little free libraries placed throughout our communities. Information care of RSU #74 Facebook page.

Beginning May 1, 2025, the BMV and Agents will no longer issue plates with the chickadee design. Anyone who currently has plates with the chickadee design will be required to obtain new plates when they renew their registration or obtain a new registration on or after May 1, 2025. This means municipalities will all be issuing a new plate when registrants with a chickadee plate renew their registrations. For new registrations and renewals in the PC class code, registrants can choose:

• a Pine Tree Plate (existing PC class code) for no additional costs or;
• a “no tree plate” (new NT class code) for no additional costs or;
• one of the current specialty plates (normal fees apply).

Plate Reservations:

Beginning June 3, 2024, registrants who would like to keep their current chickadee plate numbers may reserve their plate number for a $25 one-time fee. This includes people with vanity, low digit, and National Guard (PC class code) plates. BMV will be mailing postcards to registrants with active low digit, vanity, and National Guard plates in June, with information on how to reserve their plates. Registrants also may reserve if they simply like their current plate number.

Class codes that can be reserved are: AQ, BU, CM, CO, CV, DX, FM, HC, LS, MH, NT, PC, SE, SR, TT and TX. Non-chickadee plates will not have the option to reserve.

The NT plate class can only be reserved if the registrant has a PC plate currently. No other plate classes have the option to select the NT plate class.

Tractor plates (TR) may only be reserved through the manual application process (MV-62).

There are four ways registrants may reserve their plate(s).

1. Online through the stand-alone reservation portal, (maine.gov/online/reservemyplate).

   

2. Through a reservation process as part of the Rapid Renewal website.

3. At a branch location.

4. By mailing the Application to Reserve a Plate Number (MV-62) to the Administrative Office.

Registrants may email any reserve plate questions to platereserve.bmv@maine.gov.

• Elected Offices include:

  • Board of Selectman/Assessor/Overseer: 3-year-term, must be a resident of Solon, over age 18
  • RSU 74 Board of Directors: 3-year-term, must be a resident of Solon, over age 18
  • Road Commissioner: 1-year-term, Must be over age 18

• Nomination papers

  • Available 100 days prior to our annual town meeting (1st Saturday in March)
  • Return to the Clerk no later than 60 days prior to our annual town meeting.
  • Signatures of 25-75 registered voters (Solon residents only) are required; 30-35 suggested
  • Election held before the annual town meeting on the first Saturday in March

For more information on the process of running for local office, click here or contact the Clerk’s Office.

Nomination papers will be available November 22, 2023 to run for available elected positions. They must be returned to the Clerk’s Office by the end of day, January 2, 2024.

The following positions will be elected at our March 2, 2024 Annual Town Meeting:

• Selectman/Assessor/Overseer of the Poor (3 year term)**
• Road Commissioner (1 year term)
• RSU 74 Board of Directors (3 year term) (Open Seat - current director not running)

To take our nomination papers or for more information, please contact the Clerk’s Office.

• Selectmen/Assessor/Overseer-of-the-Poor (3-year-term, must be Solon resident)
• Road Commissioner (1-year-term)
• RSU 74 Scchool Board Board of Directors (3-year-term, must be a Solon resident)

The Town Office will be CLOSED October 4 & 5th so staff may attend Professional Development Training. (Please note, the office will also be closed on Monday, October 9th in observation of Indigenous People’s Day (aka Columbus Day). The office will reopen for regular hours on Tuesday, October 10th.

The Municipal Offices will be closed on Monday, September 4, in honor of Labor Day.

.

Municipal offices will be closed on Thurdsday, November 27 for Thanksgiving.

Applications/Resumes can be submitted to the Town of Solon in person at townofsolon.assistant@gmail.com.

For questions specific to your account, please contact the Tax Collector at (207) 643-2812 or townofsolon.assistant@gmail.com.

The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 7, 2023. Will be held in the Selectmen’s office due to the State Referendum.

A Special Town Meeting will be held on July 20, 2024 at 10:00 am at the Solon Fire Station to vote on this ordinance as well as other articles of interest. The warrant can be found HERE.

There will be a Special Town Meeting held on Saturday, July 20, 2024 at 10:00 am at the Solon Fire Station to vote on the proposed ordinance and other articles of interest. The warrant will be available online and at the office as of July 11th.

• West Forks Town Hall, Wednesday, April 9, 2025 from 4-6:00p
• Bingham Town IOffice, Thursday, April 17, 2025 from 6-7:30p

For more information, please email the Board Chair, Becky Young at ocrsb.chair@gmail.com.

• Tuesday, May 27th (and possibly Wednesday & Thursday )
• from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm

Temporary Road Closurer to through traffic to replace culverts: The Hole in the Wall Rd from Eaton Hill Rd to Rowell Pond Rd will be temporarily closed to ‘thru traffic’ (Solon to Athens) on Tuesday, May 27th between 7:00 am - 3:00 pm. It is also likely the road will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday as well.

DETOUR: use Eaton Hill Rd between the Hole in the Wall Rd and Parkman Hill Rd.

DETOUR: use Eaton Hill Rd between the Hole in the Wall Rd and Parkman Hill Rd.

Voting on the proposed budget will occur in each district town on Tuesday, June 4, 2024 from 8am-8pm.

** The Solon Town Office will be CLOSED at 5 pm so the Clerk can attend the meeting to register and check in voters.

• August 30 - First Student Day (PreK-9)
• August 31 - All Student Day (K-12)

• Softball with Coach Amy & Coach Emily on Wednesdays from 4-530pm.

• 10U Baseball with Coach Justin & Coach Todd Tuesdays & Thursdays from 5-630pm

• 8U Baseball with Coach George & Coach Kayla on Mondays & Wednesdays from 5-6:30pm

• T-ball with Coach Jennie on Wednesdays from 4-5pm.

  I will post the schedule on the Towns website calendar but am also trying to start utilizing the Band app. Games schedules determined by the coach. If you have questions,  please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Town Office or your coach.

• Monday, June 17 from 7:30a-Noon from Route 201 to Padham Rd
• Tuesday, June 18 from 7:30a-Noon from Rowell Mtn Rd to Longley Rd

A special town meeting will be held to approve the purchase of land to house the new Public Works Maintenance Facility. It will be located at the Solon Town Office on Wednesday, April 22, 2026 at 6:00 pm. The warrant is posted in multiple areas in town as well asonline.

Voting is on June 9, 2026 from 8:00 a - 8:00 p

For more information on:

• State Primary
• RSU 74 Budget Referendum

Absentee ballots are now available from any municipal clerk during regular business hours. They can be completed in person or requested by phone or ONLINE.

For more information, check out the Citizen’s Guide to the 2023 Maine Referendum Election.

If you are not currently registered to vote in Solon, you may register to vote at any time, even the day of the election. Please contact the Clerk’s Office for more information.

As part of an upcoming MaineDOT Road Improvement project in Solon, Bingham and Jackman, the Kennebec Valley Council of Governments (KVCOG) is gathering community input on

- Sidewalks & Crosswalks

- Bike-able shoulders

- Other active transportation facilities.

Active Transportation means any form of travel that uses human power, like walking, biking, or using a wheelchair, often supported by infrastructure such as sidewalks, crosswalks, bike lanes and multiuse paths.

Your feedback will help us understand local needs and inform potential upgrades along Route 201. This short survey is open to residents business owners and visitors alike.

The Hole in the Wall Rd will be temporarily closed wednesday from 7a-3p (one lane open in afternoon) to replace a culvert between the Rowell Pond Road and Ironbound Pond Road.

The Hole in the Wall Rd will be temporarily closed to ‘thru traffic’ (Solon to Athens) between the Ironbound Pond Road and the Athens town line on Thursday, August 22 and Monday, August 26 from 7:00a-3:00p to replace culverts. Access to the Ironbound Pond Road will be accessible from the Solon side. You can also take Eaton Hill Road to the Brighton Rd as an alternate route from Solon to Athens.

Due to the age and condition of our current facility, we are in need of a new Public Works Maintenance Garage. At a cost of approximately $2 million, we wanted to lesson the financial burden on our taxpayers for such a project by finding additional funding sources.

This is our second request for federal earmark funds for a new facility. This time, our request for $1.5 million has been supported by Senator Collins and has moved through the Appropriations Committee in Washington, D.C!! We are now waiting on the House and Senate for final approval.

*** See the full article from the newsroom of Senator Collins***

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Nearly $9 Million for Community Centers and Municipal Buildings Advanced by Senator Collins in Funding Bill

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that she advanced $8,694,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending for community centers and municipal buildings throughout Maine in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, and Food and Drug Administration Appropriations bill. The legislation, which was officially approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee today, now awaits consideration by the full Senate and House.

“Community centers and municipal facilities house important services for residents throughout Maine,” said Senator Collins. “This funding would support upgrades and renovations to facilities that provide everything from emergency shelters to town offices and community meeting spaces.  As the Chair of the Appropriations Committee, I will continue to advocate for this funding as the appropriations process moves forward.”

This funding advanced through the Committee’s markup of the FY 2026 Agriculture Appropriations bill—an important step that now allows the bill to be considered by the full Senate.

Funding advanced by Senator Collins for Maine community centers and municipal buildings in the FY 2026 Agriculture bills is as follows:           

Littleton Town Garage

Recipient: Town of Littleton

Project Location: Littleton, ME

Amount Requested: $896,000

Project Purpose: To construct a garage for municipal vehicles and equipment.

Northport Community Center and Town Office

Recipient: Town of Northport

Project Location: Northport, ME

Amount Requested: $2,325,000

Project Purpose: To construct a facility to consolidate the town office and community center, which would also serve as an emergency shelter.

Penobscot Storage Facility

Recipient: Town of Penobscot

Project Location: Penobscot, ME

Amount Requested: $1,429,000

Project Purpose: To relocate the salt and sand storage facility.

Searsmont Storage Facility

Recipient: Town of Searsmont

Project Location: Searsmont, ME

Amount Requested: $970,000

Project Purpose: To construct a salt and sand storage facility.

Town of Solon Public Works and Garage

Recipient: Town of Solon

Project Location: Solon, ME

Amount Requested: $1,500,000

Project Purpose: To construct a public works and transportation garage.

Westfield Town Garage

Recipient: Town of Westfield

Project Location: Westfield, ME

Amount Requested: $1,574,000

Project Purpose: To construct a town garage.

In 2021, Congress reinstituted Congressionally Directed Spending. Following this decision, Senator Collins has secured more than $1 billion for hundreds of Maine projects for FY 2022, FY 2023, and FY 2024. As the Chair of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins is committed to championing targeted investments that will benefit Maine communities.

It was recently brought to my attention that over the summer months, someone has been stealing stones from every section of the stone wall that surrounds the building. The first incident a few months ago left a space over 1’ x 3’ at the left-hand corner of the wall missing many stones. That corner has had stones replaced as the caretaker thought it to be an isolated incident. But as recently as this past Saturday, August 12, 2023, stones have been removed from 8-10 additional areas.

I have attached photos of the damage HERE. The photo with the building is what it should look like. The photos with the red marks show some of the locations where multiple small and large flat stones have been removed.

The building is maintained by a volunteer Board of Trustees. The value of the stones has as much to do with history as it does money. Like most local small not-for-profit organizations, funding is hard to come by for such a project to repair and rebuild the stone wall.

Anyone with information regarding this or future incidents, may contact any of the following:

• Somerset County Dispatch, (207) 474-6465
• Andy Davis, (207) 431-0528, Board of Trustees
• Leslie Giroux, (207) 643-2842, Town of Solon

 These surveys will be conducted by authorized personnel. All authorized personnel will carry identification, and their vehicles are branded with CMP logos.

 If you have any questions about these activities, please call our Customer Care Center at 800.750.4000.

Here is an article detailing the CMP Innovative Drone/AI Smart Grid Mapping Project.

• 12/25/24 - Christmas Day

• 01/01/25 - New Years Day

  Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

8am - 8 pm

Solon Town Office, Conference Room, 121 South Main St.