BUCKLAND — Voters were in agreement at Saturday’s Annual Town Meeting, passing all 30 articles, including two that drew the most discussion — formation of a three-town senior services district and granting an easement for a business to create a parking area.
For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic started, Town Meeting was held indoors at Mohawk Trail Regional School.
Voters approved a $5.03 million operating budget for fiscal year 2023 without discussion. The largest portion of the budget is for education.
“The Finance Committee believes strongly in frugality and prudence, and hence this year is again proposing a tight operating budget,” Chair George Langford read from a statement.
Mohawk Trail Regional School District’s nearly $2.69 million assessment increased by $13,192 or 0.5% over the current fiscal year. Franklin County Technical School’s assessment for tuition and transportation is $225,345, up $113,591 due to an increase from eight to 18 students. The town agreed to pay $55,000 for similar costs for two students attending Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School.
By a vote of 77-5 in favor, voters backed the establishment of the West County Senior Services District, which is proposed to include Buckland, Ashfield and Shelburne. Ashfield voters agreed as well on Saturday. Shelburne will vote at its June 11 Town Meeting.
If passed, the district would be the first in the state that regionalize senior services.
Currently, Shelburne is the lease-holder for the rented Senior Center in the Masonic building at 7 Main St. in Shelburne Falls.
Under the proposed collaboration, the towns would share ownership and decisions on how services are run through a six-member board of managers appointed from each town. But the new district would not have the authority to buy or build any future Senior Center building unless it has Town Meeting approval from all three member towns.
In recent years, options have been explored for a permanent Senior Center.
Those who were opposed raised concerns that the district’s formation and building a Senior Center would create a tax burden for seniors.
However, supporters said while the current space is inadequate, formation of the West County Senior Services District is not about a new building.
Ellen Eller, a Council on Aging member, said the district would provide flexibility in how seniors, which she noted is a growing population, are served.
“What I wanted to say is the Senior Center is not the building. It’s a resource,” Eller said. “It’s a resource that people in this room will someday need or want to use because becoming a senior is full of surprises. Suppose you need help applying for Medicare or you need rides to doctor’s appointments because you had surgery and you can’t drive for a time. Or suppose you want to learn tai chi or yoga or African drumming, who are you going to call?”
Voters also agreed to grant an easement to Firehouse Studios, located behind Town Hall at 5 William St., to use 1,244 square feet for off-street parking and a landscaped area. Town Administrator Heather Butler explained the town can’t legally sell the land because Town Hall is on a non-conforming lot.
The article was amended by voters to make the easement last only as long as Firehouse Studios owns the property.
Jay Heilman, owner of Firehouse Studios, said he was in agreement to have the easement be non-transferable. He said the land, which is currently overgrown with knotweed and rough grasses, would provide daytime parking for employees.
Residents agreed to amend the wording of seven general bylaws, ranging from changing the date for the annual town election to the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June — instead of May — to reducing the number of people on the Finance Committee (changed from the Advisory Finance Committee) from six to five.
As explained by Town Clerk Karen Blom, the amended bylaws will not be official until they are approved by the state Attorney General’s Office, which has 90 days to take action.
Two separate articles give the Selectboard the authority without approval from the state Department of Transportation to establish speed limits of 25 mph inside a thickly settled or business district and 20 mph in so-called safety zones that are not a state highway.