Voters will gather on December 2 for a Special Town Meeting to decide on five key warrant articles, including the remaining debt from a fire truck purchase and funds for a new generator for Town Hall and the nearby Fire Station.
The meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. at Town Hall, will feature relatively straightforward articles that are not expected to be contentious, according to Town Administrator Paul McLatchy III.
In 2023, voters approved borrowing up to $300,000 for a new fire truck, with the town ultimately borrowing $260,000. By the end of fiscal year 2024, the town had paid $160,000, leaving a balance of $100,000, plus $3,450 in interest. Article 3 will ask voters to rescind the remaining $40,000 in borrowing authority that was not used for the fire truck purchase. This would remove it from the town’s state report.
Article 4 will seek voter approval to pay off the remaining $103,450 of the debt.
Similarly, in Article 2, voters will decide whether to rescind borrowing authority for the Ashfield Lake Dam project. In 2020, voters approved borrowing up to $250,000 for dam repairs, but the project was completed with a $875,000 state grant, leaving the town without debt for the work. Now, voters are being asked to cancel the borrowing authority.
Article 5 will ask voters to approve the appropriation of $60,000 for a new generator for Town Hall and the Fire Station. This purchase was originally part of the fiscal year 2025 budget but was cut to balance finances. McLatchy noted that residents are likely to support improvements to Town Hall and the installation of the generator.
Finally, Article 1 will seek approval to transfer the remaining $77,891 from the Septic Repair Program Fund into a new Wastewater Treatment Capital Repair/Replacement Account. The Selectboard recently discussed this transfer, as the septic program is no longer active, and the remaining funds could only cover the repair needs of one resident. The new account would better serve the town’s wastewater treatment facility, which, built in 1996, will soon require repairs and upgrades.
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