CHELSEA — A special town meeting is scheduled for Thursday to decide whether or not future articles and budget items should be voted on by Australian ballot, rather than at a traditional floor meeting.
Voter turnout at Chelsea’s March 1 Town Meeting was low, with only 47 people in attendance to vote on budget articles out of nearly 1,000 registered voters.
Meanwhile, around 200 voters showed up that day to vote by ballot to elect town officers.
“We’re seeing dwindling numbers every year,” Town Clerk Karen Lathrop said of floor meeting attendance. “We’d like to see better representation for voters.”
The Selectboard decided to use a petition relating to the use of all-terrain vehicles as an opportunity to ask voters how they want to vote on town business and budgets moving forward.
In March, the Chelsea Selectboard passed an ordinance regulating the use of ATVs in town.
The purpose of the ordinance — which is posted on the town website — was to “preserve residents’ rights to quiet enjoyment of homes and properties” and listed areas where ATV traffic is permitted or prohibited, speed limits, allowed hours of operation, and penalties for violating sections of the ordinance.
A resident who opposed allowing ATVs on the roads mentioned filed a petition with the necessary signatures opposing the ordinance in late April, Lathrop said.
At the special meeting, article No. 1 will ask voters if they want to vote on all public questions by Australian ballot.
If article No. 1 passes on Thursday, the vote on the petition opposing the ATV ordinance will be held by ballot on another day. If it fails, a floor meeting will be scheduled.
If article No. 2 is approved, all future budget articles — which had been voted during floor meetings — will be decided by ballot voting. A number of communities in Vermont have moved to Australian ballot for all voting since the coronavirus pandemic began.
Lathrop said that the drawbacks of transitioning to all-ballot voting are the loss of the on-the-floor discussion of articles and the ability to offer amendments.
However, she has noticed that more voters have shown up to cast their ballots throughout COVID-19 and hopes that ballot voting would lead to better voter representation in Chelsea.
Thursday’s special meeting will take place at the Chelsea Town Hall at 7 p.m.
A separate community meeting will be held the following week on June 14 at 7 p.m. in the town hall to discuss ideas on the spending of Chelsea’s $380,000 in ARPA funds.
Residents will be able to hear the Selectboard’s list of potential uses for the funds and contribute their own thoughts during the brainstorming session.
Rose Terami can be reached at rosoterami@gmail.com.