SUNDERLAND — Town Meeting went swimmingly after a lengthy budget discussion, as residents took no action on one warrant article and adopted the others.
Taxpayers mowed through the remainder of the warrant at Sunderland Elementary School on Friday night after voting unanimously to adopt a $7,228,146 budget with a $123,886 increase from the current year.
Residents agreed to transfer $103,752 from free cash to the stabilization fund that Town Administrator Sherry Patch previously said holds money for capital projects. This article required a two-thirds vote for adoption. They also voted to appropriate $304,689 from various sources for capital equipment, buildings, facilities and other capital projects.
Adoption of three other articles appropriated $138,631 for three projects recommended by the Sunderland Community Preservation Act Committee. Voters agreed on $52,000 (with $77,000 matching funds from the state) for restoration work to Riverside Cemetery, $50,000 (matched by $35,000) to restore a 1925 REO fire truck for the town’s tricentennial in 2018, and $36,631 with ($116,335 in matching funds) for Riverfront Recreation Area that includes rehabilitation of a boat launch at the end of School Street and construction of a riverside pedestrian trail.
Residents also adopted an article to transfer from available funds $28,266 to cover the tuition and transportation for a Sunderland student enrolled in a criminal justice program at Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School in the current fiscal year. Patch previously explained this is out-of-district placement/tuition because no criminal justice program is offered at Franklin County Technical School, which serves Sunderland.
Voters took no action on an article “to authorize the Board of Selectmen to act in the best interests of the town to negotiate in order to make changes to the South County Emergency Management Services inter-municipal agreement.”
You can reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 257.
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