CHARLEMONT — Voters passed 22 of 24 articles as amended Saturday night — including a few which voters approved a motion to pass over. Articles to fund an ambulance and lease a vehicle for the fire chief failed to pass.
The meeting, which lasted three and a half hours, began at 6 p.m. at the Hawlemont Regional Elementary School.
As anticipated, voters did not approve an article that would have authorized the purchase of a new ambulance. They also did not approve an article that would have authorized the town to enter a lease agreement for the acquisition of a new vehicle for the fire chief.
Article 2, which dealt with the purchase of a new ambulance, was rewritten on the floor in response to the failed ballot question in Saturday’s election. As originally written, voters were asked to approve borrowing $270,000, paid by a Proposition 2½ debt exclusion, to replace a 2010 ambulance.
But because the ballot measure didn’t pass in Saturday’s election, and a debt exclusion requires approval by both a ballot initiative and a Town Meeting vote, the article was rewritten Saturday night so as to not be presented as a borrowing item paid by debt exclusion.
“Town Meeting is the only place that decides whether we purchase an item or not,” said Finance Committee member Amy Wales. “The ballot measure does not do that. That’s why even though the ballot measure failed, we are still discussing this at Town Meeting.”
A number of residents spoke against the article as rewritten, arguing it wasn’t the right year to make such a large purchase, or questioning whether improvements could be made to the current ambulance. Others took issue with the fact a similar question appeared on a September ballot, and was rejected by voters.
“I’d like to understand why the Capital Planning Committee and the Finance Committee think that this is the year to spend almost $300,000,” said Bill Coli. “… The economy is not doing well.”
Coli also said it was inappropriate to bring capital projects to a Special Town Meeting.
Finance Committee Chair Rich Filoramo responded first to the latter concern, telling voters that the committee had been “reluctant” to put a number of articles on the warrant for the Annual Town Meeting in July.
“We had no idea where our community would be,” he said, noting the reductions in revenue that were projected earlier in the summer. “We have been funded by the state almost to the amount we had last year.”
Filoramo added that it’s necessary to spread out capital projects so no one year is overwhelmed with projects.
Ultimately, the article failed to pass with the necessary two-thirds majority.
Another article that generated a lengthy discussion Saturday night, yet failed to pass, was Article 16, which sought authorization for the town to enter into a lease agreement up to $50,000 for the acquisition of a new emergency response vehicle for the fire chief.
Fire Chief Dennis Annear explained that the current vehicle, a 2009 Tahoe, has about 227,000 miles on it and is need of multiple repairs, estimated at around $3,000.
He said the cost of the vehicle would be shared by Rowe, as Annear is the chief in both towns.
Voters had questions about why the fire chief has his own vehicle for work purposes, when other town employees do not. They also questioned whether the town had other vehicles that could be used for the same purpose.
“You’re getting a vehicle for half price,” Annear told voters, who had questions about the necessity of replacing the current vehicle.
Annear also noted that Charlemont has provided the chief with a vehicle since 1986, a decision that was initially made because personal insurance does not offer the necessary coverage.
Still, voters rejected the article by a vote of 25 no votes, to 24 yes votes. A two-thirds majority was required to pass.
Another item of contention at the meeting was the article pertaining to Hawlemont Operating Assessment, which — once amended in language by Selectboard member Marguerite Willis — asked voters to appropriate an additional $40,737 to pay the full fiscal 2021 amount.
“These were additional monies that were finally approved,” Willis said.
Hussain Hamdan, chair of the Hawlemont School Committee, asked voters instead to pass over the article.
“The Hawlement School Committee is unanimous, and the District Leadership Team is behind us also, that we would prefer this article not be taken as presented and … tabled,” Hamdan said. “This article represents a piecemeal appropriation … and I understand the intention of that, but our reading of the statutory language is the budget, as a whole, needs to be approved.”
The total operating and capital budget for Charlemont was assessed at $877,869, he said.
“We were under the impression the whole budget was going to be voted,” Hamdan said, noting that the Special Town Meeting fell outside the 45-day deadline that a budget is supposed to be acted on following a school committee vote.
As a result, he said, the School Committee called a joint Town Meeting between Hawley and Charlemont on Nov. 28 at Hawlemont Regional Elementary School.
Selectboard member Sarah Reynolds, however, said she received advice from town counsel to include the article as it was presented to voters.
“I don’t see what it hurts to let us vote it this way, and if we have to vote it another way, then we do,” said Reynolds. “… I’m a little uncomfortable walking out of here tonight not voting on it the way our attorney recommended for our town budget, and have to come back again if this is all wrong.
“I’d rather have the school have the money in our budget,” she said.
After a back and forth between Hamdan and the Selectboard, and a clarifying question about the upcoming meeting from a resident, Town Meeting approved the article as amended by Willis.
In other business, voters also approved a recreation tax, which would help to address the town’s costs associated with its tourism businesses. The town can now petition the state Legislature for the law.
And finally, the remainder of the articles largely dealt with staffing, transferring funds for bridge and infrastructure repairs, and borrowing funds to purchase a replacement vehicle for the Highway Department.
Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne