WELD — Former Selectman Bernard Vining was not at Saturday’s annual town meeting. That did not stop townspeople from giving him a standing ovation for his decades of service.

Vining, 87, did not seek re-election this year, after serving 33 years as selectman, the majority of it as chairman.

Sen. Thomas Saviello, R-Wilton, had a legislative sentiment to give to Vining for his dedication to town government and military service; instead, Saviello presented it to the town. Selectmen will present Vining with the sentiment later.

New Selectman Thomas Skolfield, who was elected Friday, said he had big shoes to fill. He promised to do his best.

About 50 people braved snow and sleet to take part in town meeting.

Moderator Richard Doughty read out loud the dedication of the Town Report to Michael and Laurie Pratt, both of whom have served the town, state and community for many years.

Getting down to business, residents voted to authorize selectmen to carry unexpended balances in accounts from one year to another until otherwise voted at town meeting.

It was a practice the town has followed since 1980, and was voted on each year, until it lapsed and disappeared from the Town Report in the late 1980s, Selectman Nancy Stowell said.

New auditors told town officials right before the Town Report was printed that they couldn’t carry the unexpended balances over from last year to this year. So any unspent money for 2011 was put into surplus. It was past practice of the town to carry over the unspent balances in the same accounts from one year to the next and to raise what was needed to bring the dollar amount up to the budgeted level.

Longtime resident and former Selectman Michael Graham said residents voted in the 1980s to continue the practice of carrying over unspent money to the next year in accounts until otherwise voted at a town meeting. It was never changed, but this time there will be a better record of the vote.

With town leaders scrambling to fix warrant articles, some things were left out of the report, including a couple of articles and dollar amounts. But voters carried on without missing a beat.

Town Clerk and Tax Collector Carol Cochran received a wage increase of 50 cents per hour for each of those positions, to bring her hourly wage for each to $15.

Voters tucked away $5,000 more toward the town’s 2016 bicentennial celebration, bringing that account to $20,574. Voters also approved $6,490 toward the Center Hill Cemetery expansion project.

By the time the 3½-hour meeting ended, voters agreed to raise $191,555 and to appropriate $182,813 to cover the $374,368 spending plan for 2012, Cochran said.

Townspeople voted early on not to exceed the tax cap levy and they did not, she said.

dperry@sunjournal.com

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