MONTAGUE — All eight articles on the Special Town Meeting warrant were approved Wednesday night, including a contentious article regarding vocational school transportation costs for a Montague student attending Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School.

Article 3 spurred a nearly half-hour discussion when the roughly 50 voters in attendance were asked to use $20,547 from free cash to pay for part of the $33,047 needed to cover transportation and tuition costs for a student attending Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School in Northampton, with the Montague Finance Committee covering $12,500 of that amount through the reserve fund.

During the 2024 Annual Town Meeting, $36,000 was approved for tuition and transportation, with the daily cost of transportation estimated to be $75. However, the costs were $400 a day in September and October 2024. Town Administrator Walter Ramsey worked with the Gill-Montague Regional School District, which handles transportation on behalf of the town, to negotiate the cost down to $200 for daily transportation for the student.

Town Accountant Angelica Desroches explained that this request for $20,547 is to cover the remaining costs for fiscal year 2025. When asked about the total amount for tuition and transportation for the year, the amount came out to be $69,047 — $48,200 for transportation and $20,847 tuition.

Voters raised concern over the cost to transport one student to the school, as well as the communication of the cost increase between the town and the school district.

“What department was in charge of reaching out … [about the cost] to have this child go to that school, and vice versa, calling a transportation company?” Montague resident Jason Corey asked, mentioning the $33,047 over the original amount that voters approved. “How did that get messed up?”

Ramsey clarified that the town immediately negotiated a new price when they were notified by the district about the increased cost. He also explained the town’s involvement in this process.

“I have a three-times-a-year calendar reminder to check in with Smith [Vocational] to make sure that the student is still actively enrolled in this specific program that’s eligible, and also make sure that they’re actively taking the transportation,” Ramsey said. “If they’re getting a ride or taking a car, then we can revisit this whole deal.”

Selectboard Vice Chair Matt Lord said the town has a legal obligation to pay the costs associated with a student going to an out-of-district vocational program, including transportation fees. This issue raised questions about advocating for a better system surrounding out-of-district school placement.

“It seems like this has to be solved at a higher level, and I’d love to see it happen,” Montague resident David Jensen remarked.

After the back-and-forth discussion, Article 3 passed by a majority vote with a handful of “no” votes.

Article 7, which related to changing the tree warden position from elected to appointed, was the other article that inspired discussion.

Currently, a Department of Public Works employee is the interim tree warden until June. Questions were raised about a conflict of interest with the tree warden position being part of the DPW.

Lord spoke up to say he feels the staff of the DPW are not looking to “self-enrich,” nor are they looking to cut trees down. He said he prefers to see it stay an elected position, but given the difficulty the town has faced in finding a qualified individual who lives in town and is willing to work in a stipend position, he is fine with the idea of it becoming appointed. The article ultimately passed unanimously.

Article 1 also related to the transportation cost issue, with voters giving their approval to replenish the FY25 reserve fund by transferring $36,000 from free cash, given that $12,500 had been transferred out of the reserve fund for the transportation costs, and $23,500 had been used to cover the retirement costs of the former town accountant.

All other articles, including the Clean Water Facility’s request to use $48,500 for a conference room and break room renovation, a request for $24,000 to supplement the Turners Falls Municipal Airport’s FY25 operating budget and accepting Sandy Lane as a public way all passed.

Erin-Leigh Hoffman can be reached at ehoffman@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.