BERNARDSTON — Annual Town Meeting at Bernardston Elementary School on Tuesday saw 28 voters pass all 28 articles on the warrant in just over half an hour.
The unusual speed of the meeting and a lack of discussion prompted Town Clerk Paul Luther to ask if residents fully understood the warrant articles, to which they nodded in response. The Selectboard had held a meeting last week to go over the articles in depth, and Selectboard Chair Stanley Garland said he hoped doing so helped prepare voters ahead of Tuesday’s Annual Town Meeting.
Voters approved the fiscal year 2021 budget of roughly $5.3 million, a decrease from the fiscal year 2020 budget of $5.5 million. This includes approximately $2.8 million for Bernardston’s contribution to the Pioneer Valley Regional School District’s total $14.3 million budget.
“This year was extremely difficult, and I don’t have to tell you why,” Finance Committee Chair Jane Dutcher said of the budget preparation. “We set pay increases at a very modest 1.6 percent, which I will tell you is not what we were discussing before the virus took hold.”
The budget sees a 1.6 percent increase to town employee salaries. Article 5 asked voters to adjust the salaries of all elected officials for fiscal year 2021 by raising through taxes roughly $473,481, transferring from free cash $30,000 and transferring from the newsletter revolving fund $800 for a total of $504,281.
Selectboard members will see no change to their stipends, but town employees who earn a salary, such as Town Coordinator Louis Bordeaux, will see an increase. Changes to each town department budget were shown in a table on the warrant.
According to the warrant, Town Clerk Paul Luther’s hours will be decreased to 16 hours per week with a salary of $14,976, roughly $1,800 less than the last fiscal year. Assistant Town Clerk Christina Wysk’s hours will increase to eight hours per week with a salary of $5,824, an increase of $1,155. In a meeting last week, Selectboard member Robert Raymond said the Finance Committee and Selectboard recommend the 24 hours be served by two people, because once an individual goes over the 20-hour limit, the town must pay benefits.
Dutcher said the town’s free cash for this year was certified at approximately $233,707 — all but $195 of which was appropriated as part of the warrant articles. For example, voters approved appropriating $10,000 to outfit an F-350 squad truck for the Fire Department and $55,000 for a new radio system.
Article 24 saw a two-thirds vote, allowing the Selectboard to borrow up to $190,000 to buy a Freightliner truck for the Highway Department. Garland said the vehicle being replaced is in “very poor condition” and requires a new anti-lock braking system, among other expensive repairs.
Another article asked voters to allocate $909,360 for public services, which includes the operating expenses, regular stipends and 1.6 percent payroll increase for employees of the Highway Department, Northfield EMS, the Police Department and the Fire Department.
Additionally, the $909,360 figure includes increased expenses for the Transfer Station, totaling $121,803. Some changes are a result of the pending increase of recycling costs. With the beginning of July, Bernardston and other towns are now being charged $97.50 per ton to have recyclable material removed.
While the Annual Town Meeting warrant focused on monetary articles, Bordeaux said the town anticipates holding a Special Town Meeting in the fall to address other town business. As Tuesday’s meeting adjourned, Dutcher thanked those in attendance for their confidence in the Selectboard and Finance Committee.
“I’m interpreting it as confidence because of the way the town voted tonight,” Dutcher said. “We appreciate it.”
Zack DeLuca can be reached at zdeluca@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.