SHELBURNE — The Selectboard and Finance Committee both voted unanimously on Monday to advise the town’s citizens to vote “no” in the Oct. 6 election on the proposed new Franklin County Technical School building.
During a joint meeting with the Finance Committee, Selectboard Chair Andrew Baker asked to consider voting on issuing a recommendation for how Shelburne residents should cast their ballots. In its 5-0 vote, the Finance Committee advised that its stance has nothing to do with Franklin Tech in nature and comes purely from a financial standpoint.
The new school is projected to cost $236.6 million, though after reimbursement from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), Franklin Tech’s 19 member municipalities would be responsible for paying $122.8 million, spread out over 30 years.
For Shelburne, a new school building would leave the town shouldering $243,000 per year. The average single-family tax bill in Shelburne is estimated to increase by $237.37.
At first, Selectboard member Rick LaPierre expressed that because this was a 19-municipality vote and not specific to Shelburne, the Selectboard should not take a vote to formally recommend voting for or against the ballot measure.
“My fiduciary responsibility … is for the town of Shelburne, which barely missed a [Proposition] 2½ override this fiscal year,” LaPierre said, adding that he does not think the expense is “in the best financial interest of the town.”
On the other hand, LaPierre went on to say that he fully supports the tech school, as it provides a pathway to long-term, financially viable careers for students.
“I, therefore, leave this to the voters of the 19 towns to decide,” he said.
In response, Baker said LaPierre was “telling us pretty clearly” his recommendation, but then saying he wasn’t willing to “go on the record” and vote to recommend that.
“It seems like every time we have a Town Meeting, when we have financial questions that are put to the Selectboard and Finance Committee, the moderator pauses and asks us, ‘Does the Selectboard support this?'” Baker said. “If this were where it should have been, in my view, which is at a regularly scheduled election or a Town Meeting, you would be asked that question.”
After some discussion, LaPierre ultimately made the motion to have the Selectboard advise against residents voting in favor of the building project on Oct. 6. The motion passed unanimously, 3-0.
The Selectboard also discussed hosting an information session on the proposed Franklin Tech building, similar to what was held in neighboring Buckland. While no date was decided, it will occur either on Wednesday, Sept. 30, Thursday, Oct. 1, or Friday, Oct. 2.
Proposal for an op-ed
Also on the topic of the new school building, Baker had asked the Finance Committee and the Selectboard to consider supporting an op-ed that he wrote outlining an alternative path for Franklin Tech, should the vote for the new school building on Oct. 6 fail.
LaPierre said that if Baker were to move forward with his op-ed, he should present it as an individual and a resident of the town, and refrain from mentioning any reference that would suggest the Selectboard played a part in the writing.
“The piece includes your vision for an alternate path, reimagining the operation of a school for fewer students, etcetera. You put this idea forth at several recent forums, and the ones that I attended, [it] received zero support,” LaPierre commented. “Maybe a year and a half ago when this whole process started, that could have been explored, but it seems a day late and a dollar short at this point in time.”
The Finance Committee, meanwhile, voted 4-1 to clarify that its other unanimous vote advising residents to vote “no” at the ballot box on Oct. 6 was not an endorsement of Baker pursuing the op-ed, nor was it against his doing so.
Baker agreed to continue with the op-ed as an individual and taxpaying resident of Shelburne, with no reference to the Selectboard.
