Many are very sure that the town somehow acted outside of its statutory authority in borrowing and spending money on engineering municipal water and wastewater projects -- despite the fact that the town select board has this authority and regularly reported on these projects (including costs) in the annual town report for a decade.
And while the ballots are being recounted, here's what a no vote could mean.
• A no vote means that the town loses $3.8 million in federal funds earmarked for the project and that every landowner in town will now be responsible for paying back the $1.2 million that has been spent thus far in engineering and permitting the project. A yes vote means that project costs are paid only by users.
• A no vote negates the town's attempt to have a tax increment finance district formed in Irasville. Such a district allows the town to funnel increases in property taxes due to development directly into town coffers to be used for infrastructure -- rather than sending them to the state for education spending. That's painful in the Act 60/68 era.
• A no vote on the proposed municipal water project means that the town's application to be designated a growth center comes to a halt. That designation brings with it priority for future grant funding from the state as well as relief from Act 250 review for commercial development within such a growth center. The town has spent a fair amount of time and energy on this growth center application -- which now grinds to a halt.
• A no vote means that the town planning commission's four years worth of work on rewriting the zoning for Irasville to focus development there rather than allowing it to sprawl throughout the town comes to naught.
• A no vote means the sidewalk project and repaving of Route 100 go forward with the risk of being dug up and made unusable in the near future.
The ballots have been cast. The recount commences shortly.
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