CROYDON — Residents at Saturday’s town and school meetings easily approved all articles on both warrants, including a $846,000 town budget and a $2 million school budget.
The only article to generate a lengthy discussion was a Selectboard recommendation to hire a code enforcement officer for $5,000 to work approximately 20 hours a month.
Presently little can be done about zoning ordinance violations as there is no enforcement mechanism in place now, board members said.
Board Chairwoman Aimee Freak cited two examples, a camper illegally parked on a lot and a failing septic system in an apartment building with the tenants asking the town to do something. Regarding the camper, Freak said she has told the property owner it can only be there for 30 days to no avail.
“We can’t do anything,” Freak said. “This will help with serious issues that are going on. It is so violations can be taken care of.”
The enforcement officer would be hired from outside the town and have the expertise to address code violations. Voters amended the article so that the person would only respond to complaints filed with the Selectboard. The officer would not be acting in the capacity of a building inspector.
Selectboard member Kimberlee Burkhamer said a code enforcement officer will also have the authority to take a property owner to court, though the board hopes violations don’t come to that.
“We hope they let them know what is going on and will work with them,” Burkhamer said.
It took about an hour and a half for residents to approve the 23 warrant articles by a show of hands, including a ban on allowing keno or games of chance in the town.
Burkhamer said the current law requires towns to “opt out” of keno and games of chance, but if the town does not make a decision, both would automatically be allowed and could not be banned.
“We want the town to make up its mind,” Burkhamer said, adding that they can study the issue over the next year and perhaps bring it back to voters. “We are asking for a year’s grace. With a period of time we can have more information to allow people to make up their minds.”
The ban does not prohibit bingo or other games by churches and other charitable organizations.
Also approved were appropriations for the revaluation, road paving, gravel roads, town vehicles, transfer station, bridges, and town building and equipment capital reserve funds.
Voters greenlighted the establishment of a new highway department building capital reserve fund with $25,000. Freak said the present building is in disrepair and the Selectboard wants to begin putting money aside as it formulates a plan on perhaps constructing a new building near the transfer station.
An appropriation for $25,000 for the fire department to stabilize “personnel and their time and cost for services” passed and the term for supervisors of the checklist was reduced from three to six years.
“It is hard to get people to sign up for that long of time,” said Town Clerk Paul Michael Freitas.
The school meeting lasted a little less than an hour and a half with all articles passing by a show-of-hands.
These included $10,000 for the capital improvement fund, $50,000 for the tuition fund and $30,000 for the special education trust fund.
The approved open enrollment article states that Croydon students cannot leave the district for another school and no students who don’t live in Croydon can attend the Croydon Village School.
School Board Chairman Aaron McKeon said he understands the approved article would be void if the current legislation in Concord, which removes a district’s authority to prohibit students from attending another school, is approved.
“This declares the (Croydon) district is not participating in open enrollment,” McKeon said. “It is a little bit of a protest.”
Voters also gave the School Board authorization to consider expanding the village school using money received from grants and placed in the Capital Reserve Fund. McKeon said the district has been earmarked to receive $1.1 million from the federal government, with no required match, to expand the school.
He emphasized no plans have been formulated and no decisions made on how programming at the school might change. As voters approved at last year’s school meeting the school — which has held grades K-4 — will house only grades pre-K and kindergarten beginning in the fall, while grades 1-12 will tuition to other districts, primarily Kearsarge and Sunapee.
Renovations voters approved last year for the school will be done this summer.
Of the town’s 644 registered voters, 85 residents, or 13%, attended Town Meeting, while 72 voters, or 11% of those registered, attended the school meeting.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.