NORTHFIELD — Annual Town Meeting voters approved all but two of 31 articles on Monday night’s warrant, showing support for the creation of the Grandin Water District, stipends for Planning Board members and the purchase of land for a public safety complex.
Held in the Pioneer Valley Regional School auditorium, 184 voters spent more than three and a half hours deliberating over the articles.
Article 23 concerned the purchase of roughly 23 acres on Main Street just north of Dickinson Memorial Library, which is the proposed site of a public safety complex.
Fire Chief Floyd “Skip” Dunnell III said about 10% of the property could be used to house a public safety building, and the rest would be used for town recreation. The current owner of the property, Ed Snow, allows residents to use the land for hiking and biking.
“If we don’t buy this property, somebody else will,” Selectboard member Mary Bowen said. Voters approved the town’s purchase of it.
Residents also supported the creation of the Grandin Water District, outlined in Article 24. East Northfield Water Co., a private company which currently serves the northern part of town, does not have the capacity to make necessary improvements or comply with state guidelines. The creation of the Grandin Water District would transfer water services to a nonprofit, allowing the new district better access to low-cost grants and loans.
An act establishing the new district will be sent to the state Legislature “in the hopes that they’d be passed by the end of the term,” Town Administrator Andrea Llamas explained previously.
After lengthy discussion, residents ultimately approved Article 11, which will put the idea to change the elected town clerk position to an appointed one on the May 2023 town election ballot.
While some residents expressed support for the vetting process that would come with an appointed clerk, others asked why the town would change a process that they see as successful.
“An elected town clerk, I think, is very political,” resident Joanne McGee said. “I really support this change.”
“The point of this article is to put this on the ballot for next year,” Selectboard Vice Chair Barbara “Bee” Jacque said. “What we’re saying is, there are pros and cons on both sides, and that’s why it’s a two-step process.”
Also generating discussion among residents was Article 12, which concerned establishing stipends for Planning Board members. The board’s request of $6,000 — broken down to $3,000 for the chair, $1,500 for the vice chair and $500 for the other three members — was based on a review of the work conducted in the last four years, Planning Board Chair Steve Seredynski explained. However, the Finance Committee previously voted to recommend that the board receive $4,000 — $1,500 for the chair, $1,000 for the vice chair and $500 for the remaining three members.
Planning Board member Joe Graveline spoke out against the stipends, calling his work on the board a “labor of love.” Others expressed support for the chair to receive a larger stipend than other members, given the demands of the job.
Ultimately, voters approved the full amount at $6,000.
Voters also approved buying a new ambulance using $300,000 of existing funds; allocating $21,000 for a new Transfer Station trash compactor; and transferring from free cash $200,000 for a new Highway Department truck and $56,000 for a police cruiser.
EMS Chief Mark Fortier said on Monday that when the town paid for a new ambulance in 2016, his department would pay for the next one at no cost to the taxpayer.
“Here I am fulfilling that promise to you tonight,” he said.
Other approved articles included funding to repair or replace flooring at Northfield Elementary School and to renovate bathrooms. Additionally, $60,000 was approved to cover the 350th Anniversary Committee’s expenses, including a parade, historical exhibits and fireworks.
Article 22, one of the two to fail on Monday, would have appropriated $30,000 to add a permanent sign to the front of Town Hall with information about town events. The town currently uses temporary sidewalk signs to display messages, according to the warrant, which often fall over. Residents, however, expressed disapproval at the potential of an electronic sign, adding that such an addition would take away from the building’s history.
Residents also voted down Article 29 after an amendment to the article was approved. Steve Stoia, owner of the Centennial House Bed and Breakfast, asked that the proposed 6% tax on short-term rentals be lowered to 4% and the profits be set aside for “tourist enhancement projects,” like signs and bicycle racks.
Bowen made a motion to lower the tax from 4 to 6%, which was approved by voters, and asked that discussion of setting funds aside be added to the Selectboard’s agenda.
The tax itself, however, was not approved.
To close out the night, voters approved a citizen’s petition for the town to support the proposed state-wide Fair Share Amendment, which would create a 4% tax on annual incomes above $1 million and use the funds for public education and infrastructure projects.