PLAINFIELD – After an unexpected delay of over a month, the town has conducted its annual meeting with everything passing.
The town held its annual meeting Saturday at the historic Town Hall and Opera House, with residents filling the building. The meeting was supposed to take place on Town Meeting Day last month, but it had to be delayed at the eleventh hour because the town report had not been mailed to residents in time for the meeting.
Town Clerk Robin Miller reported she had found some discrepancies in the town’s books relating to reserve funds which delayed getting the report to the printer. Those discrepancies have since been sorted out with the assistance of retired town clerk Linda Wells.
Miller reported on Feb. 22 that the town report would be mailed out on Feb. 27, eight days before the scheduled annual meeting. Town officials said they weren’t aware at that time of the state law requiring town reports be mailed out 10 days before town meeting.
The meeting was then adjourned on Town Meeting Day to Saturday at 9 a.m.
A video of the meeting is available at bit.ly/43sCalo on YouTube.
Most of the town’s business, outside the election of officers, is conducted on the floor. There were no contested races this year to be decided by Australian ballot.
Bram Towbin ran unopposed for a three-year seat on the Select Board. That seat had belonged to Sasha Thayer who did not seek reelection.
Riley Carlson ran unopposed for the last year of a three-year seat on the board. That seat opened up after Tammy Farnham resigned last year. Carlson was appointed to the board in October.
Miller ran unopposed for town clerk and treasurer for the first time. She had been appointed to those roles in December after Wells retired.
The proposed town budget of $1,223,471.90 passed easily on a voice vote. This now-approved budget is $85,496.90, or 7.6%, larger than the current budget. The budget includes an additional $50,000 to help fix bridges in town. It also includes a $13,500 increase for the highway budget, which will be used for new tires for the town’s grader. A $35,550 increase in compensation for the highway crew is partially offset by a $19,000 reduction in health insurance costs for the highway department.
The budget also includes an additional $14,600 for a new 2023 Mack truck for the highway department. It does not include a $30,000 line item that is in the current budget for the Main Street bridge project because repairs for that bridge have since been completed.
The two items that saw the most discussion Saturday dealt with the town’s water and wastewater systems. Residents passed on a voice vote an article seeking $265,014 for the water system and an article seeking $380,374 for the wastewater system.
The articles were approved after they were amended to state the funds would only come from those who use the system.
Towbin said he didn’t want to change any articles for Saturday’s meeting, but he did want to plant the seed to get residents thinking about having the entire town fund those two systems, instead of just the users. He said the costs associated with keeping those systems running may soon become unsustainable for the users.
“I know that that’s not a popular idea,” Towbin said. “But I want to point out that when you start separating out services, you run into problems. For example, people who live in the village don’t take advantage of the plowing services that are doled out to people who live on the outside.”
Resident Steven Farnham said he didn’t realize he’d ever see the day he’d disagree with Towbin, but he did on this topic. Farnham said he understands supporting a community asset. He said he supports his taxes going to the local school system because he doesn’t have a school system of his own. Farnham said if he had children, his taxes would pay for their schooling.
“But I do have my own septic system. And everyone else on the hills around Plainfield have their own septic systems,” he said.
Farnham said those systems need care and maintenance and he did not want to be charged for the care and maintenance of the village systems, as well. He said he wanted to keep the current funding system.
Resident Glenda Bissex said while not everyone lives in the village, many residents shop in the village. Bissex said the two systems benefit not only those in the village, but those who use the facilities there. Residents pointed out the town’s municipal building, the fire department and the town hall all are on the village systems.
Farnham noted the budgets for those buildings already include funding for maintenance for the water and wastewater systems built in.
Near the beginning of the meeting, Moderator Donny Osman recognized Charlie Barasch for his 41 years of service as the previous moderator for the meeting. Barasch read a poem, as he was known to do to start the town’s previous annual meetings.
Barasch said he’d never read one of his own poems at previous meetings, but chose to do so this year.
The poem was titled, “Early Spring in Vermont,” which he said was appropriate for the April meeting.
“There’s only one thing to do when your car sinks to its axles in mud,” Barasch read. “Get out. Close the door. Kneel down and start eating. You will swallow bird seeds and mushroom spores, eggs of millipedes and ladybugs. Soon, spring will crawl around inside you. Then, get on your bicycle.”
Barasch then received a standing ovation.
