Town Meeting last night was asked to vote on Article 13, outlined below:
To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, borrow, transfer from available funds or otherwise provide a sum or sums of money to pay the costs of acquisition,management, and distribution of rubbish and recycling carts for residences currently on the municipal rubbish program, including the payment of any and all other costs incidental and related to thereto, or take any other action with respect thereto.
While most articles last night garnered little to no discussion, the article about requesting $900k for new trash and recycling carts yielded the most debate. Concerns were raised from multiple Town Meeting members that they were only voting on the money and not the process that the Select Board would solely be in charge of. Others thanked town staff for their work on the presentation as well as the prior weeks outreach to the residents via surveys and forums.
John O’Neil offered an amendment to increase the request from the $900k to $1,150,000 citing the need for all residents to have additional barrels at no cost to them if they so choose. That request was only a majority vote and did not pass.
After the amendment was voted down, it went back to the original warrant article which failed to pass the 2/3 margin needed by a vote of 93-62.
Immediately after the vote, there was a motion to adjourn which passed. Town Meeting is expected to take up the budget article this Thursday night.
