Clarksburg Sets Town Meeting To Pay For Truck
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CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The town has a new highway truck — but not the funds to pay for it.
The Selectmen on Thursday morning set a special town meeting for Tuesday, April 24, at 7 p.m. at Clarksburg School to approve the borrowing for an exact amount of the cost.
Voters at last year's town meeting approved the borrowing of funds to buy a new dump and plow truck, but never set the spending limit. That meant when the town treasurer went to borrow the funds, she couldn't.
"[The warrant article] needed to say how much borrowing," said Selectmen Chairman Carl McKinney. "We need to move as quickly as we can."
The truck had been one of three capital requests at last year's town meeting. However, voters had balked at dipping into unused school stabilization funds to set up accounts for a police cruiser, Senior Center well and highway truck. After heated discussion, voters authorized the truck if it didn't come out of the school money, but a cost was never attached to the amended warrant article.
Town Treasurer Christa Marsh said the minutes of the meeting had been researched to see if an amount had been spoken during the discussion but could not find anything. The truck had been estimated at $150,000 to $160,000; the one purchased came in at about $113,000. The original article did not have a cost listed.
Selectmen had hoped to hold the special town meeting a week earlier but it fell during the town clerk's vacation, which would delay getting the meeting properly certified.
"I want the town clerk here," said McKinney. "I don't want any more complications."
The board also decided to wait until its meeting next week to determine if another search committee should be convened to interview town administrator candidates. The job was reposted after an initial search failed to return candidates. The last day to apply for the job is Monday, March 26.
"A lot depends on the amount of applications," said Selectwoman Lily Kuzia. "If there's only four or five, I don't see the need."
In other business, the board:
â–º Approved a $400 biweekly stipend for Debra Choquette out of the town administrator's account while she fills the post in the interim.
â–º Asked Choquette to do some research on the amount of demand fees being paid. The board and Finance Committee are considering allowing the soon-to-be-created tax collector/treasurer position to continue keeping the fees instead of raising the salary for the 30-hour post.
â–º Voted to give Police Chief Michael Williams $1,000 from the emergency management director account for his stepping into that role. Williams has been dealing with state and federal agencies on issues related to last year's Tropical Storm Irene. Choquette said there was concern the account had not been continued from last year; if it doesn't exist, Williams will be offered comparable comp time.
â–º McKinney said he had spoken with Highway Foreman Kyle Hurlbut about a complaint of tree cutting on Henderson Road. Unless otherwise documented, the town is believed to have rights 25 feet from the center of the road. McKinney said he had been told that the trees' branches were trimmed 14-feet up because of sight lines and that they were encroaching on the road. The board will do more research and work on an agreement with the landowner.
â–º Kuzia and McKinney agreed to meet every week until after town meeting because of the difficulties with communication and management without a permanent town administrator and a third selectman. The board will meet during the day on its "off" weeks. It will next meet Wednesday, March 28, at 6:30 p.m. and Wednesday, April 4, at 10 a.m.
Tags: highw, Irene, town administrator, town meeting,
