Canaan’s annual Town Meeting to elect town officers and decide warrant articles will take place Tuesday, March 14, at Canaan Hall at the fairgrounds on Orange Road. Polls are open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Canaan
Incumbents Scott Borthwick and Al Posnanski have both drawn challengers.
Jason Lambert is running against Borthwick, the board’s current chairman, for a three-year term. Dave Shinnlinger and Posnanski are competing for a one-year term.
Shinnlinger, a former member of the town’s conservation commission, teaches technical education at Mascoma Valley Regional High School. He’s a past president of the teachers’ union.
In deciding to enter the race, Shinnlinger noted the “current board is fairly conservative.”
Shinnlinger wants the Selectboard to do a better job of promoting the school district’s recently completed renovation project to “attract businesses that would expand our town base.”
The board could also do more to attract potential home buyers, he said. People need to know that Canaan is a community “where you can get more property for your money,” he said.
Posnanski couldn’t be reached for comment. He was named to the board last year after the death of Bob Reagan in August.
Borthwick, who was first elected in 2008, said that improving downtown infrastructure to avoid flooding, which has been a problem over the years, should be a priority.
“It will help downtown development,” he said.
On the tax front, increased school spending is putting pressure on the Selectboard to “keep our spending in check,” said Borthwick, who operates a nuisance wildlife control business.
The board is asking voters to approve a proposed town operating budget of $3.57 million, an increase of roughly $100,000 from last year.
The proposed spending plan includes an additional $16,000 to help pay for the increased costs associated with a police prosecutor and public safety dispatch services. The town also faces a $15,000 jump in health insurance costs.
The town’s tax rate is projected to remain around $6.64 per $1,000 of assessed value, or $1,328 on a property assessed at $200,000.
The tax rate could change a bit, depending on what voters decide on other warrant articles.
In separate ballot items, seven nonprofit social service organizations that serve Canaan have asked for financial assistance. Combined, the seven requests total $42,250. If voters approve all petition articles (last year, four of eight were approved), it would amount to a $25 increase in property taxes on a home worth $200,000.
Prior to the deliberative session of Town Meeting in February, the Selectboard voted against recommending any of the seven warrant articles.
In a statement put together by Town Administrator Mike Samson, the Selectboard informed residents that it believes “these decisions should be left to the voters” who can “best decide (the) need and effectiveness” of the organizations seeking taxpayers’ support.
Shinnlinger disagrees with the board’s stance. “I think it’s a mistake not to tell voters whether you support those services,” he said.
Last year, the Selectboard made one exception when it came to social service organizations. In a 2-1 vote, the board supported the Grafton County Senior Citizens Council’s request for $12,000.
Reagan, an ardent supporter of the senior citizens organization, was the impetus, said Samson. Voters then approved the request by a 2-to-1 margin.
“I think voters know what we do, and are very supportive,” said Roberta Berner, the council’s executive director. In 2016, the council helped 280 Canaan residents.
This year, the council is seeking $12,500 to help defray the cost of providing services to Canaan residents.
Borthwick pointed out the Senior Center is located in a town building in which taxpayers cover maintenance costs. “I just don’t believe we should be writing another check,” he said. Lambert, his opponent, couldn’t be reached for comment.
Voters will also be asked to approve taking $160,000 from the highway equipment capital reserve fund to go toward the purchase a new six-wheel dump truck with plow and wing to replace its 2005 truck.
Jim Kenyon can be reached at jkenyon@vnews.com.
