Voters Say “NO” at Town Meeting
by Nancy Wood
March 10, 2010, page 1, 4-5

Contentious, emotional, frustrated, conservative, worried, combative, vocal, testy, compassionate and ornery are some of the words used by observers and participants to describe the mood of this year’s Town Meeting.

In one of the longest meetings in recent memory, voters directed the Selectboard to make the hard decisions and took the School Board to task for decisions already made.
At the ballot box they said a resounding “no” to the purchase of the LeBoeuf property with a vote of 187-912; with a much smaller margin of 524-568 they also voted down the CCS budget.

Marilyn Richardson edged out Dick Hess 493 to 460 to win the 3-year term on the CVU Board.

During the floor debate Clark Hinsdale III made a motion designed to level fund the town budget, reducing it by $71,661. The Selectboard claimed that it could not reduce the cemetery and library budgets without specific direction from the voters, because these are independent entities. This led to lengthy discussion and several amendments that failed and was disputed by Hinsdale (as a former Selectboard member) and Town Clerk and Treasurer Mary Mead. The final vote for the reduced budget was by voice, with no count required.

The 1.5 cent appropriation to the Fire & Rescue Capital Fund was supported with requests for information but little controversy. Speaking for Fire & Rescue, Josh Flore volunteered to reduce its appropriation from the general fund budget by $12,000 to level funding, with the caveat that volunteers are needed to help staff the department.
The $40,000 for the Affordable Housing Fund received a close look, and the article was amended to reduce its term from five years to one year. It passed as amended 153 to 46 with a division of the house.

The meeting was interrupted by lunch and the CCS School Board Meeting at 1 p.m.

The School Board meeting was marked with sharp questioning about the need for two principals in a school of only 450 students and about the change in direction made after the bond vote for renovation of the 1949 building. The School Board has now decided to raze that portion of the school and replace it with a smaller, more efficient building.

Retiring School Board Chair Patrice Machavern was recognized and thanked for her nine years of service on the board. Machavern thanked her family for its “support, encouragement and for tolerating the countless hours of evening meetings. I wonder if my boys will miss all the casseroles they have had for dinner?” She also thanked her colleagues on the board and the administrators. She challenged them to, “Continue to stretch yourselves, learn something new every day and do good work for the school community by keeping the student in the forefront of your decisions while balancing your fiduciary responsibilities.”

When the Town Meeting reconvened after 3 p.m. with about half the number of voters as in the morning, the economic concerns that colored the morning session continued to influence the debate, leading to the defeat of the $25,000 for the Trails Fund, despite an appealing presentation by Gary Franklin who said, “It’s time to put some boots on the ground and make this vision a reality.” The creation of the fund itself was passed, however, after lengthy debate, by a vote of 69 to 56 with a division of the house. The Selectboard and Trails Committee advocated for the fund as needed to receive and hold funds from year to year, such as from grants as well as hoped for town appropriations.

In the final action of the day the article to investigate locating a CSWD drop-off center in Charlotte was passed, after an amendment to require a vote of the town.
The meeting adjourned at 5:14 p.m.