OTIS — Voters will be asked next month whether they want town officials to continue with the process of planning to build a new town office.

Administrative Assistant Laura Salisbury said a special town meeting will be held Monday, March 25, at 6 p.m. at the Beech Hill School on Route 180.

Salisbury said the town has been saving money for years in order to build a new town office. So far, $275,000 has been set aside for that effort.

Although the exact price tag for the project is “very up in the air,” Salisbury said, selectmen hope to see the cost for the entire project capped at $600,000.

In addition to building the new town office, an existing building will have to be moved to make way for a new septic system. The different parts of the project will be put out to bid separately, Salisbury said.

Though Salisbury said the warrant article for the special town meeting has not yet been written, it will need to ask voters for permission to spend a certain amount of money.

If the $600,000 figure eyed by selectmen is used, that would mean the town likely would need to borrow $325,000.

Salisbury said plans for the new building were presented earlier at a public hearing. It would be built on the same lot as the existing town office, which would be torn down if the new building is approved.

It would offer a number of features not present in the existing building. Among those, Salisbury said, are a large meeting room, a cement vault for public documents and vital records and adequate space for voting.

For more of the latest news, pick up a copy of The Ellsworth American.