NEW SALEM — Seventeen voters made quick work of a Special Town Meeting warrant on Monday, unanimously adopting all 14 articles within 20 minutes.
The meeting at the New Salem Public Library was originally slated for Jan. 12, but had to be postponed because it was not posted with the legally required 14 days’ notice.
Most of the warrant’s articles pertained to the Highway Department. Highway Superintendent Colin Killay had said the eight articles he had put onto the warrant were necessary to stabilize the budget.
The approved transfers to the Highway Department’s General Expenses Account, totaling $53,792 in all, included $20,000 for repairs to a 2016 F-750 with motor failure, $2,661 for repairs to a 2008 John Deere loader, $2,500 for a new pump for the diesel tank, $5,100 for contracting the sweeping of town roads, $4,030 to buy and install lighting fixtures at the salt shed, $8,500 to purchase hot mix asphalt for paved road maintenance, and $11,000 for gravel and hard pack for gravel road maintenance.
Moderator Cameron Dunbar said the meeting was brief, but he appreciates the voters who came out to participate.
“We want to hear from everybody. We want people to ask questions and be informed and take the opportunity to participate in, really, the oldest form of democracy,” he said in an interview after the meeting adjourned. “It’s just open and honest communication. I mean, I remember as a kid that these meetings used to be … scheduled for two nights.”
The warrant’s final article asked voters to confirm the results of last year’s town election, which was found to not have been properly posted in accordance with state law. By adopting Article 14, residents ratified and validated all votes cast on May 5, “notwithstanding any defects or omissions in the calling of said annual town election.” The article’s approval will be supplemented by a bill filed by state Rep. Aaron Saunders, D-Belchertown, to confirm the election results.
Adoption of Article 13 approved the transfer of $1,000 from free cash to hire an animal inspector, which New Salem currently lacks.
“The other thing that’s interesting about Town Meeting is you see … directly where these dollars are spent,” Dunbar said.