JAY – Residents voted Tuesday to transfer $235,500 from the town’s undesignated fund account to renovate town and school garages. Voters also agreed to transfer $55,689 from the school’s unexpended fund balance to eliminate a food service debt.

Voters zipped through 11-warrant articles within 12 minutes with no discussion.

Renovation of the garages is expected to help the town to meet federal and state regulations, allow all vehicles to fit into the highway garage to be worked on and save money long term. The project is estimated to cost $357,000.

The plan calls for another $121,500 to cover building a 20-foot by 70-foot addition to the front highway garage and retrofit the bus garage to a wash station for all municipal vehicles to come from reserve accounts and savings from elimination of a mechanic position.

According to a sheet marked “employee changes” an assistant school department mechanic’s position was cut in October and the savings of about $35,500 was the school’s contribution to the project.

The existing school mechanic plans to retire in March and “will not be replaced,” according to the sheet.

A second mechanic is expected to be hired at the town garage with the cost of salary and benefits to be shared by all departments.

Voters showed no opposition to transferring $55,689 to cover a deficit that had accrued over several years. The money was to come from a school unexpended account that had $333,769 in it as of June 30.

According to information printed by the Jay Center Office Services, $200,000 of that account is dedicated to lower taxes; $46,500 is reserved for negotiations, which leaves a balance of $31,580 after the $55,689 is subtracted.

dperry@sunjournal.com

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