Pomfret
The Pomfret-Teago Volunteer Fire Department requested $50,800, and during the meeting, outgoing Selectwoman Melanie Williams proposed an amendment to change the amount to $40,000. That request sparked much opposition from the audience, including comments from volunteer firefighters.
“This is a very anti-fire department group,” Doug Tuthill said, adding that the town was “still underfunding the fire department,” even at $50,000.
The Selectboard defended the amendment, citing a report the board had commissioned from consultant John Wood that evaluated the fire services.
“We are not at all anti-fire department,” Williams said. “We thought that $40,000 was a reasonable amount for taxpayers to fund.”
Frank Perron, a current selectman and former fire chief, said board members “have a fiduciary responsibility to take a look at the budgets in town.”
After much discussion, the amendment failed and the article passed as written by a voice vote.
Next, the town discussed the creation of a highway rainy day reserve fund and putting $375,000 from the highway fund balance into three different reserve funds. Both articles prompted questions as to why the town had such a surplus and why the funds weren’t being used to lower taxes instead.
Much of the surplus, Williams explained, was due to not having a full three-person highway crew over the years, although the town had budgeted for it. Also, last year’s mild winter helped the town save money on plowing and other road upkeep costs.
Selectboard Chairman Michael Reese said that, while residents had the right to use surplus funds to lower taxes rather than put it in reserve, “it’s a little riskier and not as conservative.”
Scott Milne also noted that the school budget is increasing by 7 percent and said he worried about people being able to continue to afford to live in town. He advocated using surplus funds to lower taxes.
“Philosophically, I disagree with rainy day funds,” said Milne, a Republican who ran for governor in 2014 and U.S. Senate last year.
Selectwoman Emily Grube said the town was working on collecting delinquent taxes, which continues to be a problem. “We’re taking an active approach,” Grube said, adding that there have already been two tax sales earlier this month to collect money owed and there are plans for others.
The town then approved the municipal and highway budgets.
Pomfret shares the Prosper Valley School with Bridgewater, and the school budget is increasing by 7 percent, but there was little discussion on the topic and the budget was easily approved.
“A lot of it is money that is out of our control,” said School Board member Seth Westbrook in response to a question from Reese about a sharp rise in equalized per pupil spending. Much of the increase stemmed from an increase in special education costs, which the town is federally mandated to cover.
Pomfret voters supported a Woostock-area school governance consolidation, 125-16.
