|Debra Smith|
At the board’s Q&A session on August 12th, new budget figures for the two articles that failed in July were presented, and the board heard input and questions from community members. There will be three articles on the warrant that will be voted on September 15th.
Budget figures had been agreed to at a joint workshop meeting of the select board and budget committee, and formally by the board at a follow up meeting. The articles that voters will decide on are:
1: Elect a moderator (this is a formality that takes place during town meeting and must be included on the ballot)
2: Library: $96,026
3: Planning: $60,046
What happens if one or both of these articles fail again? Brenda Fox-Howard, the town manager, explained that on the first ballot, the town has 60 days to vote again, during which time, the previous year’s budget is in effect. If an article fails, there will be no budget for that department and it will have to close down until the town can pass a budget.
There was no discussion of the planning position. The fate of the library was on the minds of several participants who expressed their disappointment with the new budget figure for the library. The proposed budget funds the librarian at 36 hours (down from 40) plus benefits, and the assistant librarian at 30 hours (down from 36) with no benefits. Supporters had hoped that the assistant librarian position would be restored to 36 hours plus benefits, the same as the director. The cost of fully funding the library with the director at 40 hours and the assistant at 36 would be about $18,000 in additional funds, which would have no impact on the mill rate, according to Fox-Howard. Several community members spoke of their concerns that the board had not listened to all of those who testified in support of the library. “We expressed how we felt about it and we were not listened to,” said Laura Sturgis. This is our money, not the money of the five people who made this decision. This is not a democracy,” exclaimed Kathleen Potter.
Board member Tammy Donovan had heard from some community members that in their view, 30 hours (for the assistant) is adequate for the services the library provides. Karen Gilles noted that the cuts were made originally to address the need to reduce the town’s spending over a period of years, and in the beginning, the assistant position had been eliminated entirely, and then added back in response to public input.
The library is now open 20 hours for curbside pickup and Fox-Howard is working with staff to plan reopening the building. Tim Terranova, chair of the library trustees, said that the library was open 40 hours prior to Covid. As it reopens, it must be staffed by two people, who will have many additional tasks to keep the building safe for patrons. In her comments, Patti Mikkelson urged voters to vote “no” on the library budget again.
Voting will take place on September 15 at the NG Fire & Rescue building from 8AM to 8 PM. Voters may also request an absentee ballot, which will be ready as soon as they come back from the printer. A sample will be posted on the town website.
