The meeting opened with a first - a floor discussion of a ballot issue, whether to authorize the selectboard to appoint the town’s constables. In previous years, discussion of an issue on the Australian ballot was not permitted. The purpose of changing the office to an appointed one, said constable Andy Rice, is to ensure that the town does not elect a constable “who can’t serve.” This is not currently an issue, but as of July 2010, elected constables will have to take basic police training in order to exercise law enforcement authority.
Paul Taylor kicked off the discussion. “I’m always concerned,” said Taylor, “when a town office moves from election to appointment.” Such a move “provides an opportunity for patronage and nepotism,” Taylor continued, making it clear that he was speaking of general principles, not the specific situation in Halifax. His preference, Taylor stated, would be to elect the constable contingent on eligibility for certification. If an electee proved ineligible, then and only then would the board be authorized to appoint someone else to the office.
Auditor Mary Brewster, in addition to opposing any move “that would take away the vote,” suggested that “it keeps the relationship between the people and the constable clear” if the constable is directly answerable to the electorate rather than owing his or her position to “a majority of two” selectboard members. Marilyn Allen reminded the assembly that a town can vote to withdraw law enforcement authority from its constables, thus rendering the issue of appointment versus election moot.
In Australian balloting, voters rejected the change, 145 to 60.
Voters brought their budget ax to Town Meeting and took a swing at Article 7, “to raise and appropriate the sum of $726,900” for the 2010 budget. Allen immediately proposed to amend the total to $673,450, cutting more than $53,000 out of the proposed budget, to level fund the general fund at current levels. Observing that she had heard many questions from people in town, Allen said she found a 7.3% increase “very high.”
Howard Alboum asked whether the board had found “something specific that required the increase.” Board member Lewis Sumner replied that highway costs accounted for most of the increase. Sand, salt, and gravel costs are all up, and the state, said Sumner, “has cut 15% of our January quarterly payment.” Sumner went on to say that the Vermont League of Cities and Towns had warned the town to expect cuts of fiver percent to 15% in state highway aid next year. “We went with 10%” when preparing the budget, he concluded. Greg Marguet suggested that an otherwise idle town truck be used to bring in gravel found at a good price to be stockpiled for later use.
Edie Fenton asked how often town employees get raises. Selectboard chair Mitchell Green replied that it might be once or twice a year. “It depends on the year,” Green said. Chris Estep voiced a doubt that the “town is sensitive to the economic situation.” Estep noted that many in town had suffered huge losses in their retirement accounts. “The state has cut; we have not,” said Estep, urging that taxes be kept as low as possible.
Alboum asked what might get cut if the budget were level funded. “Everything,” said Green, going on to specify plowing and sanding.
Bartenhagen asked about “mandatory overtime” for the road crew. Green testily denied that there is any such thing. “They don’t get paid if they don’t work,” he said. But Brewster said that the auditors had found instances of “vacation overtime.” Although board member Sumner had told her that overtime is calculated by the day, not the week, Brewster said that highway employees on vacation had been paid for 45 hours, “a kind of guaranteed overtime.” “You can tell me it’s not true,” concluded Brewster, “but I can show you the books!”
“When we hired them we promised them 45 hours of work a week,” said Green. Vacation pay, he continued, is based on that average.
Susan Kelly objected to the “scare tactic” of suggesting that level funding would trigger a cut in safety measures like sanding. Cuts could be made elsewhere. “Everyone is being told there is no money,” said Winnie Olmer. “I’ll take a few potholes, slow down a little,” he added.
After further comments and suggestions, the amendment was put to the vote by paper ballot and passed. The level funded budget was then passed by voice vote.
Article 6, authorizing the selectboard to purchase equipment, also produced rumblings of voter discontent with town finances. “I question it,” said Taylor. Noting that the town has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars purchasing heavy equipment over the past few years, Taylor said that the current system “seems like a blank check.” Taylor asked whether it would be possible to plan ahead for such large expenditures and allow citizens to weigh in on the decisions. “It’s easy to spend money from the top,” he said, adding that “you and I” might choose a less expensive option or even not to spend the money at all. Auditor Merle Eggert pointed out that state law treats such expenditures as a “current operating expense.” The responsibility and authority for such expenditures belongs to the selectboard. Wayne Courser urged trust in the selectmen elected to make these judgments.
Bartenhagen suggested a temporary cap to limit “large expenditures made in hard times without (voter) approval.” Tamburino noted that the town’s excavator had been destroyed by fire, necessitating the purchase of a new one. “We can’t do without an excavator,” he said. “The selectboard must be able to deal with it.” The article passed.
Article 17, proposing that the town approve its town plan by Australian ballot rather than continuing to vest approval authority in the selectboard, prompted another paper ballot. Green’s take on the proposal was that it “simply adds another step” to the process. Asked if anybody expected townspeople to bother reading through such an extensive document, Green opined that they wouldn’t. Estep said that the town plan is the basis for zoning, which is always voted on. Only changes to current zoning are put on the ballot, said Estep, and the town plan should be treated the same way, with citizens voting on the changes.
Bartenhagen said she wants a real say in any changes made to the plan, and that she is reluctant to give up any voting power. Allen stressed the importance of the plan. Courts and other agencies give weight to the plan as the expressed intent of the townspeople. The plan has been put together with great care, Allen said, and “it would be very unwise” to cede the power to vote. Brewster agreed. Voters once again lined up to cast paper ballots and passed the article.
The treasurer’s budget was passed without a peep, but the constable’s budget revived the earlier discussion on election, appointment, and certification. Taylor asked who decides whether a town’s constable will have law officer status. The town, replied Green, votes on whether that authority will be withdrawn. Taylor then proposed an amendment to hold back $5,000 of the $10,000 budget contingent on certification. Alboum asked if the selectboard can require that a candidate be certifiable to be placed on the ballot. The answer was no. Craig Stone noted that the whole discussion was not germane to the article. Taylor withdrew the amendment, and the budget passed.
Funds were appropriated for home health care, hospice, and the Whitingham Free Library with little discussion.
A trio of articles funding the Halifax EMS, Whitingham Ambulance Service Inc., and Rescue Inc. proved difficult to keep separate, but moderator Patricia Pusey was up to the task. Funding for training and equipment for the EMS passed amid expressions of thanks from townspeople who have been helped by the squad.
Article 13, proposing a $3,920 appropriation for Rescue Inc. to cover “approximately one quarter of the population of Halifax” prompted more discussion, arising more from confusion than from criticism. Christina Moore offered an amendment scaling back the proposal to $1,000 for coverage of Thomas Hill, Lucier Road, Hosea Fisher Lane, and Hale Road. The amount was calculated by multiplying the number of residents on those roads by the standard Rescue fee. Moore had consulted Rescue on the amended proposal, and the service was amenable to the change.
The four roads are in an area of town that is impossible for WASI to service in a timely manner, but easy for Rescue to reach. The area covered by Rescue was reduced because there were only four calls in three years from the area cut, and Moore felt the original proposal provided too little benefit for the cost. The town must, by law, provide ambulance service. This means that even though no ambulance service would refuse to help in an emergency, the town must contract to support such a service. The article was successfully amended and passed.
The $9,000 appropriation for WASI was next, with Larry Kingman and new WASI president Darcy Hagarty present to answer questions. Fenton asked why Halifax, with its much smaller population, is asked for the same appropriation as Whitingham. Kingman pointed out that Whitingham pays all the costs for WASI’s building, and so contributes more than Halifax.
Moore asked about town representation on the WASI board. Hagarty said that WASI is now meeting with the selectboard on a quarterly basis and reporting on all calls to Halifax. Taylor asked if the Rescue contract meant that WASI’s coverage area would be reduced. No, said Green, the amendment to the Rescue proposal left Rescue covering the same area it was already serving on a temporary, mutual aid basis. Paul Blais asked if WASI had considered changing its funding to a per capita basis. Kingman replied that such a change would cost Halifax more.
Herzog proposed amending the amount to $7,000. Alboum’s response was indignant. “I get embarrassed watching hard‑working people up there struggling for what could be your life!” Rose Alboum agreed, observing that the town had just passed a big school budget. “Nickel and diming these organizations,” she declared, “is pure insanity.”
The amendment was defeated and all appropriations for WASI passed, including an article for an additional $5,400 for weekend coverage, as were appropriations for all other community services requesting support.
The last paper ballot of the day was called to vote on a nonbinding article requesting the Vermont legislature to ensure that Vermont Yankee is shut down in 2012, as originally designed, and to hold Entergy Corp. responsible for fully funding cleanup and decommissioning of the reactor, in keeping with its pledge when it purchased the plant. Discussion was fervent, but not unduly prolonged, and the measure passed.
The school district meeting went swiftly, and the budget, slightly down from last year, was passed without complaint. Consolidation with Wilmington and Whitingham was briefly discussed, but school board chair Homer Sumner told voters that, while Halifax remains open to the idea, there has been no specific proposal that would be to the town’s financial advantage.
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