BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – At the Bellows Falls Village Corporation Annual Meeting on Tuesday, May 10, voters and staff discussed the warning with a majority vote declining to approve the village budget by Australian Ballot.
Moderator Paul Obuchowski updated voters on the procedures, reminding them, “As our friend Michael Harty always said, ‘we arrived as friends and neighbors and we will leave as such.’”
On the warning, Articles 1, 5, and 6 are to be voted on by Australian Ballot on Tuesday, May 17, with future budget votes to be voted on on the floor. Article 1 elects village officers, 5 passes the budget of $1,649,973 with $1,574,173 to be raised by taxes, and 6 approves purchase of the waste sludge dryer for $268,450.
Much of the discussion referred to Article 2: “Shall the Village of Bellows Falls adopt its annual budget and all budget articles by Australian Ballot?” Motion was approved and seconded by Village President Deborah Wright and Trustee Stefan Golec, respectively.
Wendy Levy asked if Article 2 regarded only 2022. Wright explained that, due to Covid, they had changed the vote to Australian Ballot, but according to the Secretary of State, the vote for Australian Ballot must now be on the floor.
Dennis Harty opposed voting by AB for the budget. He said that this was the only time trustees could hear from voters and where voters could change the budget.
Wright pointed out the low attendance and said, “With a population of 3,200…it is a great concern to me that 18 people could decide the budget.” Doug MacPhee said, “We have lost our democracy…what scares me, 18 people could increase the budget.” Larry Clark agreed with Harty and said, “Once this change is made it’s no longer our budget, it’s the trustees budget…vote on the floor, and it becomes our budget.” Clark suggested advertising and offering bus services to increase attendance.
Levy said, regarding permanently giving up the vote on the floor, “Once you give up a right, it’s much harder to get it back.”
Paul Reis agreed that gaining the most votes was best, but said he had questions on the numbers, asking why the Bellows Falls Police Department needed $17,000 in FY23 for gas, equating to $326 per week for patrolling a one-mile radius.
Trustee Wade Masure said that, according to last year, 70 people voted on the budget. Village and Town Clerk Kathleen Neathawk confirmed there were 2,010 registered village voters.
Trustee Jeff Dunbar said he recalled a full town hall as a child. He said, “It’s on all of us to get people to the polls…I think it’s our responsibility to try to get more people engaged.”
Article 2, to adopt the budget by AB, was rejected, with 6 in favor and 16 voting no.
On Article 5, budget questions referred to delinquent waste and water.
Reis said the manager and board were doing a great job, but was concerned about the burnt house on Barker. Municipal Manager Scott Pickup explained that the town was working with an asbestos removal company.
Harty asked about the surplus in the general fund. Pickup said it was larger than the current fund balance policy and caused by Covid relief and less spending on regular expenditures. Pickup said they had responsibility to leverage other money and were waiting on state ARPA fund requests before decisions were made for the federal ARPA funding that was discussed at the community forums. He said that it did not make sense to spend the local money until they heard from the state. Camoin Associates will present the final ARPA report at the Joint Board Meeting on Tuesday, May 31.
For Article 6, Macphee asked why the Village needed the new sludge dryer. Pickup said, in the past, they paid to truck wet sludge to northern Vermont. The dryer turns the sludge into a Class A fertilizer that local farmers use on their fields. He said it’s “a true recycling of our waste.”
Bellows Falls Village Trustees meet on the second and fourth Tuesdays at 6 p.m. in the Lower Theatre of Bellows Falls Opera House.