This Tuesday, March 3, Valley residents will come together to vote on how to spend taxpayer dollars and elect local officials at Town Meeting.
WARREN
In Warren, taxpayers will vote from the floor on whether the select board should apply for a loan from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to construct a new municipal water system, as the town’s spring-fed cistern dried up twice last year. Also from the floor, residents will vote on a town budget of $3,059,795 and a school budget of $2,417,372.
Via Australian ballot, Warren residents will elect select board members to fill three seats. Clay Mays is running for the three-year term currently held by Matt Groom. Luke Youmell is running for the two-year term currently held by Colleen Mari Mays, for which Charles R. Snow is also running as a write-in candidate. Randy Graves is running for the two years remaining in Anson Montgomery’s three-year term, as Montgomery is resigning this year.
FAYSTON
In Fayston, voters will elect a number of local officials from the floor, including moderator, town clerk, treasurer, delinquent tax collector and lister, as well as a select board member to fill a three-year term vacated by Jared Cadwell. Taxpayers will also authorize $40,000 to be paid as a usage fee to Fayston Elementary School, up $20,000 from last year and will vote from the floor on a town budget of $1,117,498 and a school budget of $1,741,939.
WAITSFIELD
In Waitsfield, residents will vote from the floor on several capital expenditures, including an article that asks taxpayers to approve borrowing $165,000 to be repaid over five years to pave Tremblay Road and North Road, as well borrowing $75,000 to be repaid over five years to shim Joslin Hill Road. Also from the floor, residents will vote on a town budget of $1,267,254 and a school budget of $2,433,540.
Via Australian ballot, Waitsfield residents will be asked to approve spending up to $400,000 to repair the Waitsfield covered bridge. The total cost of the project comes in at $964,000. Of that, $416,000 will be paid for by available state and federal grants and $150,000 will come out of reserve funds.
Also via Australian ballot, voters will be asked to adopt a town charter that takes away voters’ authority to elect a town clerk and treasurer and gives that authority to the select board. In addition, Waitsfield residents will elect select board members to fill two seats. Paul Hartshorn is running unopposed for his three-year term. Chris Pierson is running for re-election to his two-year term and is being challenged by Kari Dolan and Jerry Miller.
MORETOWN
In Moretown, taxpayers will vote from the floor on whether taxes should be discounted this year. Via Australian ballot, the taxpayers will vote on a town budget of $1,062,837 and a school budget of $2,221,773 and will elect select board members to fill three seats. Tom Martin and Michelle Beard are running for two one-year terms currently held by Martin and Reed Korrow. As of the petition deadline, no one had filed a petition to run for the three-year term currently held by Beard.
DUXBURY
In Duxbury, residents will vote on two articles that were submitted via petition, which ask whether or not the town should set the term of office for town clerk and town treasurer to be one year, effective March 3, 2015. Duxbury will not be able to conduct a valid vote on a third article submitted via petition that would require the select board to record all of its meetings and make those recordings available to the public, as the warning for the article included a comment that violates Vermont’s election law.
In addition, Duxbury voters will be asked whether or not the town should appropriate the sum of $72,000 per year to be applied to the outstanding debt of the town for a period of four years. Taxpayers will also be asked to approve an expenditure not to exceed $50,000 from the Capital Reserve Fund to be used for road construction projects, which include the rebuilding for the beginning South Crossett Road from the pavement at Route 100 for a distance of 0.1 mile, replacement of several culverts under pavement and the resurfacing of 1.25 miles of River Road.
Residents of Duxbury will also be asked to approve an expenditure not to exceed $198,054 (minus $39,000 in trade-in value) from the Capital Reserve Fund for the lease/purchase of a 2015 Freightliner tandem truck to replace the town’s 2003 International tandem truck. The purchase will require an annual payment of $33,825 per year for five years, with a zero buyout at the end of the lease.
Last but not least, Duxbury taxpayers will vote from the floor on a 2015 six-month town budget and a 2015-2016 July to June town budget. The budget for the first six months of 2015 comes in at $362,084 and the July 2015 to June 2016 budget comes in at $959,825.
MEETING LOCATIONS
The following is a list of meeting locations, times and lunch details, organized by town.
WARREN
8 a.m. at Warren Elementary School.
Polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Lunch provided by Warren United Church of Christ and served in school cafeteria.
FAYSTON
9:30 a.m. at Fayston Elementary School.
Lunch provided by Fayston Elementary School PTO and served in school gym.
WAITSFIELD
9 a.m. at Waitsfield Elementary School.
Polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Lunch provided by Waitsfield United Church of Christ and served in church basement.
MORETOWN
9 a.m. at Moretown Town Hall.
Polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
*Pre-Town Meeting to take place Monday, March 2, at 7 p.m. at Moretown Elementary School.
Lunch provided by the Moretown Historical Society and served in Town Hall basement.
DUXBURY
9 a.m. at Crossett Brook Middle School.
Polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Lunch provided by the Duxbury Historical Society and served in the school cafeteria.
