Speak Up, Be Heard

There is an additional vote being held on July 29 - the details of the ballot are still being worked out. Tell your Select Board you want choices! The next Select Board meeting is Thursday, June 19 at 7 pm in the Slade Building.

The following article appeared in today's Gardner News:

Selectmen set Thursday vote to finalize new override plan

By Daniel Kittredge - News Staff Writer
Published On Tuesday, June 17, 2008

HUBBARDSTON — Following a lengthy public forum and a tabled motion to set a new Proposition 2 1/2 override vote for July 29, the Board of Selectmen Monday night set an additional Thursday meeting at which its members plan to approve a finalized override proposal to bring before voters.

Selectman Paul Hale made the initial motion, seconded by Selectman Kristie Casey, to set a new July 29 ballot at which voters would act on three override questions — $356,000 for town government and education, $150,000 for road repair and maintenance and $43,500 to fund municipal stabilization funds.

The proposal, which Mr. Hale had prepared in advance of the meeting, essentially divided the $635,000 override that narrowly failed in a June 10 vote into three parts. He said he favored holding a new vote as quickly as possible — the law requires the selectmen notify the town clerk of a vote no later than 35 days in advance — and presented the three-question ballot as a way to provide voters with options.

“There’s choices in there,” he said, suggesting the new approach would address concerns that many residents expressed about the town’s fiscal 2009 budget approach. “If we wait until September (for a new vote), we’re in real bad shape.”

Mr. Hale ultimately tabled the motion after expressing a willingness to further separate the requested override into separate line items. While Mr. Hale and Selectman Matthew Castriotta expressed a willingness to act on the motion, Town Clerk Joyce Green said June 23 would be the final day for a ballot to be set in time for a July 29 vote, and the select board chose to wait until Thursday to allow additional discussion and the finalizing of the ballot language.

The three-question override proposal elicited varying responses from the officials and residents in attendance, some of whom felt it largely ignored the sentiments expressed at the meeting and others who disagreed with what was characterized as a “menu” approach.

Finance Committee member Ed Blanchard said Mr. Hale’s motion concerned him, and asked why a public forum had been held if the selectmen had already chosen and prepared a course of action.

“Where does the input from the people come in?” he asked.

Reaction was split to what Mr. Castriotta called a “government by menu” approach. Some, like Joe Bartolomei — who voted against the override — said his opposition was rooted in the fact that he “wanted a choice” beyond the two-budget, override-contingent approach town officials had taken.

Laura Foley also spoke favorably about a new vote with additional options. “What can we lose by putting it to that kind of a vote?” she said, noting that at present the town is prepared to begin fiscal 2009 with layoffs and lost services across the board.

Others, though, suggested that breaking the override down into line items would contradict the town’s fiscal planning and place municipal departments in competition with each other.

“I don’t know that that’s going to bring people together to support each other,” said Mr. Castriotta of breaking the override down into line items.

Patricia Gregson made a similar point, noting the narrow 600-567 margin against the override and warning of the consequences of the proposed new approach.

“We were so close to passing it last time that pitting department against department is in no one’s best interest,” she said.

Thursday’s meeting is set for 6 p.m. at the Slade Building. The finance committee has a meeting set for 7 p.m. at the Slade Building Wednesday.

dkittredge@thegardnernews.com
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Looking for more information on this? Contact your Select Board in advance - give them a call or an email. Contact information can be found at the Town web site.