NEWPORT — During all-day balloting on Tuesday, voters ousted an incumbent Selectboard member, rejected the proposed town budget and approved $210,000 to maintain two full-time firefighters.
In the only contested race on the ballot, Benjamin Bartlett — who earned 392 votes — and incumbent Jeff North, with 317 votes, were elected to three-year terms on the Selectboard over Anna O’Hara (209), incumbent Herb Tellor (176) and Doug Ring (124).
The proposed budget of $11.97 million was defeated, 364-304, which means the default budget of $11.8 million will be implemented when the new fiscal year starts on July 1.
Selectboard Chairwoman Rachel Dilger said Wednesday she was “disappointed” the budget failed but not “super surprised” because of things such as inflation, higher gas prices and the school budget that raised the overall tax rate by $1.69 per $1,000.
“We were hoping 19 cents (town budget tax rate increase) was palatable, but I guess not,” Dilger said by phone.
“At our meeting on Monday we will focus on what we need to cut to meet the default (which is about $140,000 less than the proposed budget.) There was no fat in this budget so we may have to cut services that people are used to.”
Reducing town office hours or cutting staff are some possibilities, Dilger said.
“Pretty much everything is on the table.”
Voters also approved two zoning articles, including an expansion of a historic district in the downtown; $100,000 to close the Guild sewer lagoons; appropriations for the town common, information technology, building maintenance, and property revaluation capital reserve funds; an expanded optional tax credit for service connected total disability; and $15,000 for the Sullivan County Transportation program.
Voters rejected several spending articles including: $200,000 for the purchase of a sidewalk plowing machine; $300,000 for a new road and sidewalk capital reserve fund; $217,900 for a new wheeled loader; $65,000 for a new recreation bus; $30,000 to remove the Paradise Road Bridge; $31,000 for a Teen Services Library Assistant position at Richards Library, and money for the Communication Systems, Ambulance, Recreation Facilities, and Public Works Garage capital reserve funds.
Of the town’s 3,939 registered voters, 678 cast ballots Tuesday for a turnout rate of 17%.
This story was updated at 2 p.m. on Wednesday.
CORRECTION: Newport voters on Tuesday defeated a warrant article to appropriate $200,000 for a lease/purchase agreement for a sidewalk plow. The article failed because it did not receive the required 60% majority for approval. A previous version of this story included an incorrect result for the article.
