WELD — In about an hour, 49 voters supported 13 articles in the annual Town Meeting warrant, Select Board Chair Richard Doughty said Saturday morning, March 4.
“There was not a lot of discussion,” Doughty said.
The proposed budget was approved, the only real difference in where some moneys were to come from, he noted. The Budget Committee had recommended using $902 from the Bicentennial Account that had been earmarked for the sesquicentennial to help lower taxes but the body voted to take the money from surplus instead.
Voters approved the Select Board’s recommendation not to proceed with the Matrix Design Group broadband proposal so we are not going down that path, Doughty said. “TDS [Telecom] has indicated they are upgrading their services,” he noted.
The Matrix proposal would have made broadband telecommunications services available to all 911 addresses.
“At the 2020 town meeting the town authorized the Select Board to proceed with negotiations with Matrix,” Doughty wrote in an email Tuesday, Feb. 21, in response to questions from the Franklin Journal. “As more details of the proposal and the cost to the town and subscribers emerged, public support diminished. Following a public information session last August several citizens came forward with questions and concerns. It was suggested that a survey be sent to citizens. This was done and the returned surveys reflected a large majority indicating they were not interested in paying more for enhanced internet service and/or using taxpayer dollars to support internet infrastructure upgrades.”
David and Jeannette Hutchinson, to whom the town report was dedicated, were recognized, Doughty said. The dedication notes the couple has been active in Weld for decades and are known for selling their donuts at Heritage Days.
“Jeannette did bring donuts and muffins she had made to share at the meeting,” Doughty said.
Vacation days for all state holidays for the four fulltime employees were approved, he noted. There were some inconsistencies in policies, the road commissioner had no holidays, Doughty stated. “The road commissioner, heavy equipment operator, town clerk/tax collector and treasurer are now eligible for all state holidays. It doesn’t impact the budget,” he said.
“It was a very friendly meeting,” Doughty stated. “Voters expressed thanks to public works, fire department, transfer station and select board for all they do.
“Everything seemed to go according to plan.”
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