SHELBURNE — In a swift seven-minute Special Town Meeting on Tuesday, 11 Shelburne voters unanimously approved all three articles on the warrant, allowing for the transfer of opioid settlement funds and Community Preservation Act funding to the proper accounts.

With Article 1, voters approved rescinding a vote taken at the 2023 Annual Town Meeting that created an Opioid Settlement Stabilization Fund, and with Article 2, voters approved creating a special revenue account for the same pool of funding. The settlement balance of $17,973 was transferred to the new account.

Spending funds held in a stabilization account requires a Town Meeting vote, whereas town officials can spend funds in a special revenue account without a Town Meeting vote as long as the expenditure meets the criteria set for the account.

“It’s fairly self-explanatory,” said Selectboard Chair Rick LaPierre.

With Article 3, voters approved dividing the $24,300 in the Community Preservation Undesignated Reserve Account into three separate accounts. Per state regulations, at least 10% of a town’s CPA funding must be used to support historic preservation, at least 10% support affordable housing, and at least 10% be allocated toward open space and recreation projects.

The Selectboard said that when creating the Community Preservation Fund at last year’s Annual Town Meeting, the town did not realize the funds for the different categories had to be placed into separate accounts. Transferring the funds now will allow the town to allocate money to different projects at this year’s Annual Town Meeting and be in compliance with state law.

“Our town accountant needs to file the annual report for the CPA funds for fiscal year 2024,” LaPierre said. “It was our first year of those CPA funds and the process wasn’t a well-oiled machine at that point, and so the appropriate amount, which is $8,100 [per category], did not get earmarked in equal 10% portions.”

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.