CLARKSBURG, Mass. — Town meeting on Thursday approved a school budget that includes a prekindergarten program and using free cash to purchase a new backhoe and police cruiser and to fix the town field pavilion.

 

Some 52 voters attended the town meeting held outside of the Community Center. The meeting had been rescheduled from Wednesday because of inclement weather.

 

All but two of the 18 articles town warrant, including the $4.8 million budget, passed with little to no discussion in 30 minutes.

 

Those last articles — for putting the balance of free cash toward lowering the tax rate — prompted a conversation on whether the town should be putting more money into savings.

 

Article 15 asked to use $60,000 in free cash to lower the amount of taxes to be raised; Article 16 asked to use the balance of free cash, $50,000, to be put in the stabilization fund. 

 

But after giving the OK to three other uses of free cash — purchasing a backhoe for the Highway Department for $110,000, a police cruiser for $52,000 and improvements to the town field and pavilion for $65,000 — several town meeting members asked why any money was being used to reduce the tax rate.

 

"It would make sense to put that $60,000 into stabilization for a new fire truck, bridget, school elevator instead of reducing the tax rate," said Kyle Hurlbut, the town's high highway foreman. "We know we have these major projects ahead of us."

 

The town is considering a new fire truck estimated at $350,000 in the next couple years. The West Cross Road bridge has been one-lane for several years and estimates put that replacement at $750,000. Clarksburg School is still trying to bring itself into compliance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act after voters vetoed a school renovation project. 

 

The town has borrowed $1.3 million over the past five or six years to fix roads and the town garage and make some urgent upgrades at the school. 

 

Resident Ray Moulthrop pointed out the one-lane West Cross bridge is a hazard in that it's a bottleneck in getting the Fire Department from one side of the town to the next.

 

"I don't understand why we don't put money away," he said. "We have a school that needs a tremendous amount of money if it's going to meet the ADA requirements. You have roads that really, really, really need repair. Can't we plan this stuff?"

 

Boucher, also chairman of the Select Board, agreed but added that the $60,000 wouldn't make a dent in road repair when a mile of road could cost up to $1 million to fix. 

 

Hurlbut disagreed somewhat, saying it would depend on the condition and what the repair was. 

 

Select Board member Danielle Luchi said the board had begun capital planning but efforts were disrupted by the pandemic that began more than a year ago.

 

"We were working on master plan and I think that it's important to get back to creating a master plan," she said.

 

Moulthrop responded what was the point of a master plan if the town didn't have the money to implement it. 

 

Town Administrator Rebecca Stone said the town has $284,000 in stabilization and if Article 17 passed, it would be $334,000.

 

"I don't think that's a bad amount," she said. "I know it's not as much as what other towns have but I think that's really good amount to have so that any event, something goes wrong, if we have something catastrophic happened with a piece of equipment ... we don't get to ask the taxpayers for it."

 

Boucher said it was up to town meeting what it wanted to do with the funds.

 

Article 16 passed with 12 votes in opposition and Article 17 passed unanimously.

 

Clarksburg School was asking for $2,709,705, up $202,619 or 8.08 percent over this year. About half of that increase is to develop a prekindergarten program that the town's been exploring for nearly a decade. 

 

There was a gaggle of families with very young children on the lawn and both Superintenent John Franzoni and Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Macksey were in attendance to answer questoins. 

 

The school budget has in the past raised sharp questions at town meeting but on Thursday it passed with only two votes in opposition. No one asked any questions. The McCann Technical School assessment of $347,942 also passed.

 

The rest of the articles covered compensation and authorizations presented annually and payments from the sewer enterprise fund.

 

The annual town report was this year dedicated to retired Administrative Assistant Debra Choquette, who retired last year after 37 years serving the town.

 

"We are most grateful to Deb for dedicating the countless hours to the Clarksburg community and wish her well in her retirement," the dedication read.