GILL — Third time’s the charm for Highway Superintendent John Miner, whose third time asking the town to approve funding for a new wood chipper was successful at Monday’s Annual Town Meeting, with residents agreeing to transfer $71,050 from Capital Stabilization for the purchase.
This was the only capital request on the warrant for the second half of Gill’s Annual Town Meeting, which saw a turnout of 62 voters. On top of the capital request, voters engaged in lengthy discussion on the $2.65 million budget that avoided an override.
Miner explained the need for this new wood chipper, which he has requested of the town twice before. However, the request had not made it to the floor of Town Meeting until this year. He said the current wood chipper is from 1985, and has only been used once within the last year and a half due to the lack of safety features.
“This year I made it quite specific that I’d like it on the Town Meeting floor,” Miner said. “I believe it should be up to the voters, not just a few individuals, to say yes or no.”
In a memo written by Miner that was distributed to voters, he explained that having the wood chipper would be more cost-effective than continuing to rent one, which costs $433 per day, or hiring a tree crew.
Additionally, the new wood chipper can be made available for storm cleanup of downed branches or trees, it would reduce strain on Highway Department workers and it meets all necessary safety requirements, including last-chance cables, emergency shut-off bars and an extended chute for feeding wood.
The Finance Committee voted to recommend this article, but with two “yes” votes, one “no” vote and two abstentions. Claire Chang, Finance Committee chair, explained her no vote, citing the cost and timing amid upcoming expenditures, like the need for a roof replacement at the Riverside Municipal Building.
Voters questioned how frequently the new wood chipper would be used, how often the current piece of equipment is being used, if this current wood chipper could be sold, as well as if the cost is worth it now or if the vote could come back at a later date. After a lengthy discussion, the article passed with a majority vote.
FY27 budget
The other topic of discussion was the $2.65 million budget, which was created without the need for an override. Voters went on to approve the budget unanimously.
Chang explained to voters how the Finance Committee spent a lot of time “tearing our hair out and gnashing our teeth” over the budget, which relies on stabilization funding to avoid a Proposition 2½ override while covering increased costs for education, health insurance and fuel.
“Given the climate, both economic and political, we felt that it was very difficult for us to ask you to vote positively for a Proposition 2½ override, and so we made every effort to overcome that obstacle and use stabilization funds,” Chang said.
The budget calls for raising $2.2 million from taxation, transferring $110,000 from Sewer Use Fees, and using $82,500 from FY27 estimated sewer receipts, $11,967 from Energy Stabilization and $222,000 from General Stabilization.
The warrant also notes the lack of free cash in the FY27 budget due to a delay in certification, but a Monday, June 29 Special Town Meeting is scheduled to incorporate that funding into various stabilization accounts.
One of the major increases in the budget is a 51.4% increase in the Northfield EMS assessment, costing the town $84,375 for next fiscal year. Resident Dorothy Storrow asked why there was this increase, and Selectboard member Charles Garbiel II explained that the first three years of Northfield EMS were grant-funded, which has now expired, and costs have increased with new staff and equipment.
Additional discussion related to how last year, the town had $600,000 in certified free cash due to increased town revenues that Town Administrator Ray Purington defended the use of within the budget to bolster stabilization accounts in FY26.
“It was just a really nice year,” Purington said. “You don’t get many like that.”
In looking ahead to next year, Chang said using stabilization funds is not something she foresees being feasible again come next Annual Town Meeting. Resident Judd Greenstein asked Chang if departments are planning for how to handle the fiscal year 2028 budget, and Chang said meetings with the Finance Committee this summer will address the process.
Additional articles that Town Meeting voters approved included Article 12 for the Gill-Montague Regional School District assessment of $2.14 million and Article 10 for cost-of-living wage adjustments for all appointed town employees and certain elected officials in FY27. Voters passed over Articles 17, 20 and 21 until free cash is certified.
