WHATELY — Voters passed nearly every article at Tuesday’s Annual Town Meeting, including $338,500 in capital projects, a $120,293 renovation of the Whately Elementary School playground and a new bylaw regulating battery energy storage systems.
After the 83 attendees of the outdoor meeting passed a swath of articles, a few residents raised questions regarding the purchase of a new police cruiser using $20,000 of free cash and $50,000 from the Vehicle Stabilization Fund.
“Do we ever have three officers on at one time? Why do we need three vehicles?” asked resident Harlan Bean.
According to the town website, two full-time and five part-time police officers work for the Whately Police Department. The Greenfield Recorder was unable to reach Police Chief James Sevigne for clarification on the number of officers typically on duty at one time.
Town Administrator Peter Kane said the department uses three vehicles and a detail vehicle, with Sevigne using one and the other officers on duty using the other two cruisers.
“We don’t need four cruisers in a town of 1,600 people,” resident Robert Halla said.
Referring to the 12-year-old cruiser that the new vehicle will replace, Selectboard Chair Joyce Palmer-Fortune added, “If it was just being used by a little old lady going to church every week, it would be fine, but it’s not reliable enough to be a cruiser that someone can rely on. This is basically a way to ensure our police have good equipment.”
Bean proposed an amendment to remove the new cruiser from the list of capital projects that failed by a visible majority.
Other approved expenses include a new equipment trailer, a used pickup truck and a new highway truck for the Highway Department, replacement of the Police Station roof and new hallway carpeting at Whately Elementary School.
After Deerfield residents voted down the South County Senior Center’s proposal to move to 112 Amherst Road in Sunderland, Whately voters passed a budget amendment removing the $12,062 capital project for new furniture and a security system at the Senior Center.
Residents also passed a budget amendment reflecting the Senior Center’s typical budget increase without the move to Sunderland, dropping the total town operating budget by $34,417.
Whately Elementary School playground
Residents also approved using $120,293 from the Community Preservation Fund to revamp the Whately Elementary School playground.
In an email, Principal Krissy Kirton said the majority of the current playground “has reached the end of its useful life, and a significant refresh and replacement is needed.” At Town Meeting, Whately resident Colette Olanyk, who has been involved in the project, said the update would include replacing the rusting swing set and climbing dome, and adding a structure for preschoolers.
Whately resident Bradley Bean, who will soon join the Selectboard after being elected in April, expressed support for the project but concern over the price tag.
“It’s quite a bit of sticker shock when you look at what each piece of equipment costs,” Kirton responded. “It sounds like a lot of money, and it is a lot of money, but that is the cost of maintaining our playground, and we want it to continue to be a safe place for our students and the community at large to enjoy.”
Town clerk position
Of the 27 articles on the warrant, only Article 26 failed. This proposed switching the town clerk from an elected position to an appointed one.
Town Clerk Amy Lavallee spoke against the proposed change, claiming that her role “is one of the few remaining positions directly accountable to you, the voters.”
“This isn’t about resisting change, but more about preserving direct democratic accountability in one of the most important offices in town government,” Lavallee told residents. “Once a position moves from elected to appointed, the public loses a voice that you will not get back.”
Selectboard member Fred Baron described the board’s support of the change as “not in any way a personal issue regarding the current town clerk.” Instead, he said he supports the change because having an appointed town clerk would allow the Selectboard to choose from a wider pool of applicants beyond only Whately residents if the job becomes vacant.
“It’s really a forward-looking thing,” Baron said. “If there’s that vacancy, having an appointed clerk will let us be sure to have a qualified, professional person in that position.”
“I can’t think of any more qualified town clerk than a resident of Whately,” Harlan Bean responded.
The article failed by a 36 to 27 vote, followed by applause from the audience.
Other articles
Residents also passed a new section of the town’s zoning bylaw that specifically regulates battery energy storage systems.
Based on the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources’ model bylaw, the new bylaw outlines the town’s review process of the systems, which includes what the Annual Town Meeting Booklet describes as “safeguards in two areas of particular resident concern” — the town’s water supply, and fires and other emergencies.
In the final article of the night, voters approved a property tax work-off program for residents over 60 years old. The program will be open to up to five participants at a time, who will volunteer services to the town in exchange for a drop in their property tax bill of up to $1,200 per year.
