1 00:00:18,610 --> 00:00:32,470 Good evening, Maple Dupot, and this is the August 27th, 27th meeting of the budget board. 2 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:49,780 I'm going to call them meeting to order. We have a quorum. And, Laurie, you can take it from him. So, good evening. Thank you for joining us on short notice. And in the summer months. Tonight, we have the 3 00:00:49,780 --> 00:00:55,340 for you. Question four on the warrant that I just passed out to you. Question four has 4 00:00:55,340 --> 00:01:01,920 to do with funding for winter prelude in 2026. So I'm sure you have been following along 5 00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:07,900 in regards to the mask gathering ordinance. And question three deals with amendments to that 6 00:01:07,900 --> 00:01:15,580 ordinance. But if that question passes and those amendments are implemented, we still need 7 00:01:15,580 --> 00:01:23,320 an appropriation from the town in order to allow for that funding to take place. 8 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:30,720 So the question made shall the town appropriate $17,500 from undesignated funds to be used 9 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:35,920 to fund municipal services related to one-doc square, tree lighting, one-case-purpose tree 10 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:38,360 lighting, and one-per-rate during winter prelude. 11 00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:42,920 So that's the question that the select board is bringing to the voters. 12 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:48,820 There is a note of explanation under this, there has been a lot of feedback on the note 13 00:01:48,820 --> 00:01:51,480 of explanation and has gone back and forth. 14 00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:55,440 This is the note that made it through the attorney. 15 00:01:56,080 --> 00:02:03,820 The attorney's review felt that some of the wording that we were suggesting would be considered 16 00:02:03,820 --> 00:02:11,840 lobbying and a note of explanation can't lobby or the question could be found unlawful and 17 00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:19,820 wouldn't be upheld. So this is the note of explanation she has authorized. So this would not 18 00:02:19,820 --> 00:02:25,720 be coming from another tax bill but from a designated fund since it's this late in the budget season. 19 00:02:26,460 --> 00:02:35,920 I don't know if the budget board has any questions. So my question is if question three does not pass 20 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:54,680 then question four is move. I would say yes. Okay. So even if we approve it, even if the voters approve it, if the voters did not approve question three, then those amendments wouldn't be possible, so the funding would not be available. 21 00:02:54,680 --> 00:03:06,540 And if they approve question three, but don't approve question four, then there's no funding, then we would be able to do it for the year coming, but this year we would not have the funding. 22 00:03:07,260 --> 00:03:07,500 Okay. 23 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:14,080 Everybody understand that it is a kind of like together, these questions. 24 00:03:24,290 --> 00:03:34,170 So I just have a concern, I talked to Mary Beth about the overall vote interpretation, 25 00:03:35,230 --> 00:03:39,970 the original vote that we had, the one, two and three options, whatever. 26 00:03:40,950 --> 00:03:44,650 She explained to me the methodology, I think, of the things we have before. 27 00:03:47,170 --> 00:03:53,430 We talked for a while. I still have a concern with that, the way that interpretation was. 28 00:03:53,850 --> 00:03:56,150 I get the concept of whatever. 29 00:03:59,050 --> 00:04:03,950 But anyway, so that's my sticking point. 30 00:04:05,270 --> 00:04:13,550 You know, it kind of goes back to when we were having all those meetings and people would get up and talk and whatever. 31 00:04:13,550 --> 00:04:27,410 I remember someone saying kind of jokingly, but turned out somewhat the same way in my opinion is when we did the town hall, you know, and we, everything failed except for the bird one dose. 32 00:04:28,130 --> 00:04:36,450 And I think, and they want us by having the three options there that something like that might be into interpretation and concern. 33 00:04:37,910 --> 00:04:49,190 That said, I'm not sure if I really agree with, not that really matters, but I don't really agree with what the interpretation was in further thought. 34 00:04:50,110 --> 00:04:53,810 So I'll just go on record to make that statement. 35 00:04:53,810 --> 00:05:02,830 And based on that statement, I do for the funding of Braylon, I think that we should fully fund it. 36 00:05:02,970 --> 00:05:04,750 And this is not the discussion to hear. 37 00:05:05,630 --> 00:05:14,890 But with that feeling, I probably, I'll think up to the last second, but I'm probably going about against this article for that reason. 38 00:05:20,820 --> 00:05:22,260 I know it doesn't mean anything. 39 00:05:22,900 --> 00:05:31,600 No, I think that's why we have a budget for the line in the sand for me, so you're not alone. Just leave me now. Okay. 40 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:47,200 I mean, I appreciate the budget board's sentiment in regards to that. I would caution you about how some voters might taking negative vote on the budget board's behalf, and they might interpret it differently. 41 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:57,000 And I think making a public sentiment and then focused on the funding for 2027 may be a better use of your vote. 42 00:05:57,400 --> 00:05:58,820 But that's a new decision. 43 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:02,240 I'm not quite trying to be I'm sorry. 44 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:09,020 I'm saying if you vote no on the recommendation, I think people will think you think we shouldn't funded at all. 45 00:06:09,900 --> 00:06:10,040 Right. 46 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:19,460 That's it. I mean, because remember, this is going to be a referendum vote. So we won't have an open-town meeting to talk about it. 47 00:06:19,640 --> 00:06:27,260 The thing is, the interpretation is what got us to this point anyway. So I hear what you're saying. 48 00:06:27,260 --> 00:06:39,400 And we probably couldn't fund more because the ordinance only says we can fund the dog square 49 00:06:39,400 --> 00:06:45,760 tree lighting that keep what is tree lighting in one grade. Well, that's chicken NATO. I mean, 50 00:06:45,840 --> 00:06:50,980 the ordinance could have been different too, right? So it could have been, but that's not what's being 51 00:06:53,080 --> 00:06:56,440 So that's why we can only fund $17,000. 52 00:06:56,440 --> 00:07:01,640 I get it. We can't, you know, all of a sudden turn it to $3,000,000 or something like that, right? 53 00:07:01,760 --> 00:07:02,280 It's what you're saying. 54 00:07:03,140 --> 00:07:03,220 Right. 55 00:07:03,660 --> 00:07:03,720 Yeah. 56 00:07:04,220 --> 00:07:04,540 I get it. 57 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:11,720 So I have a similar sentiment. 58 00:07:12,140 --> 00:07:14,800 I appreciate you starting with that. Hopefully you can hear me. 59 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:28,180 I know that this proposal is an attempt to find a mental path, and you all were very 60 00:07:28,180 --> 00:07:29,280 limited by time. 61 00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:36,720 It has been a very difficult, a fractious series of conversations, so I don't want to 62 00:07:36,720 --> 00:07:43,300 minimize the care that went into arriving at this and the desire to try to make sure that 63 00:07:43,300 --> 00:07:52,920 you are proposing something that will actually pass. That's realistic. That's real. I too would 64 00:07:52,920 --> 00:08:00,360 have preferred to vote on fully funding. I understand why not. My concern is that I think 65 00:08:00,360 --> 00:08:07,020 without a very thoughtful communication plan about why this is in the language that's being 66 00:08:07,020 --> 00:08:14,460 proposed to the voters, you are, it will be possible for people to spend this up. I mean, 67 00:08:14,540 --> 00:08:20,720 people are going to spend it up anyway, but possible for people to spend it up into, you know, 68 00:08:20,780 --> 00:08:25,000 they didn't listen to us because clearly the majority of people voted for option C. 69 00:08:26,140 --> 00:08:30,900 So I appreciate the rise language, no? 70 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:40,240 So this is a chance for the budget board to talk, sorry, but could you help us? 71 00:08:40,240 --> 00:08:44,280 So if you have a question, then the board would certainly be happy to. 72 00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:46,220 I want to ask you more. 73 00:08:50,460 --> 00:08:58,260 John Dykstra of the board, just in rough numbers, the option C, which was for full funding, was 74 00:08:58,260 --> 00:09:00,120 on the order of 700 votes. 75 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:09,440 option B, which was for 50% was on the order of 400 votes, and option A, which was for 76 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:19,900 no funding, was on the order of 600 votes. So full funding, 750% or none was 1,000. So 77 00:09:19,900 --> 00:09:24,520 it wasn't the majority of the people. It wasn't polarity, but this wasn't a polarity vote. 78 00:09:24,520 --> 00:09:40,620 This was a poll. So just. Yeah, thank you. You're correct about that. I think it's a matter of interpretation. And again, I want my comments to be understood as fully supportive of the select board and really difficult path that you all have followed. 79 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:46,160 I'm just saying from my perspective, I will vote yes on this because I don't feel like I have a choice. 80 00:09:46,160 --> 00:10:07,940 But as I think I've said before, as a member of the public commenting, I think it's very important that we engage in a process to convene the business community and leaders from the select board and others in some thoughtful process so that in 2027 to the extent that there needs to be some resolution of this 81 00:10:09,560 --> 00:10:13,340 really uncomfortable place that everybody's feeling like I hope that we will put the 82 00:10:13,340 --> 00:10:18,560 time and energy into that so that we don't end up with a continued division and lack of 83 00:10:18,560 --> 00:10:23,400 understanding. Everybody has just this much of the information and just as I have an impression, 84 00:10:23,500 --> 00:10:28,780 thank you for correcting it, but everybody seeing this through their own lens and that's really 85 00:10:28,780 --> 00:10:34,720 all I wanted to say is I really hope that we can find a way to convene a group of interested 86 00:10:34,720 --> 00:10:40,320 parties and come up with something that just feels better for everybody who's you know we all want 87 00:10:40,320 --> 00:10:47,120 what's best for the town thank you thank you thank you so to follow I look at this sort of 88 00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:54,080 most like rent choice vote in order so if you did that you get a different situation maybe I don't 89 00:10:54,080 --> 00:11:00,240 melt but I think when you put up three options we were set up to have something like this happen 90 00:11:05,070 --> 00:11:05,850 right 91 00:11:05,850 --> 00:11:24,010 I agree with him, but to start with, I thought at the time that we had to vote to put three options on there was going to give problems because you're not going to have a yes or no, anybody can do. 92 00:11:24,010 --> 00:11:29,610 I would really like to know more about that. 93 00:11:29,990 --> 00:11:34,010 Yeah, just to address that, it was never intended to be a yes or no. 94 00:11:34,450 --> 00:11:36,250 Well, I was in a polarity vote. 95 00:11:36,410 --> 00:11:39,050 This was to take the temperature of the town, 96 00:11:39,590 --> 00:11:43,410 at to what level they would wish to fund prelude. 97 00:11:44,030 --> 00:11:49,090 And rather than making a binary, we gave an option to have at least some funding. 98 00:11:49,550 --> 00:11:55,570 So, to me, I think it would be honest with you, if it had gone binary, it very well might have been zero 99 00:11:56,270 --> 00:12:02,410 when you look at the numbers. So, I'm curious why people are so concerned about the three options. 100 00:12:02,670 --> 00:12:04,230 Why would you, if you're taking a- 101 00:12:04,230 --> 00:12:05,190 No, it's not concern. 102 00:12:05,370 --> 00:12:08,650 If you're taking a poll, I'll road down the wrong way. 103 00:12:09,070 --> 00:12:09,270 Fair. 104 00:12:09,590 --> 00:12:15,070 It just seems to be a road down the wrong way to see, had three options sitting on a ballot. 105 00:12:15,610 --> 00:12:18,110 But they weren't black and white options. It was a degree. 106 00:12:18,110 --> 00:12:24,530 So you think people in there when they vote, they read the details and know that logic and whatever, probably not. 107 00:12:25,790 --> 00:12:26,590 Thank you. 108 00:12:27,130 --> 00:12:28,590 I can just make one comment. 109 00:12:29,730 --> 00:12:37,730 So Mary Beth Gilbert, Select Board member, I think, you know, we said this publicly and we had a lot of discussions around it. 110 00:12:38,350 --> 00:12:41,810 But it really was about understanding that spread. 111 00:12:41,810 --> 00:12:49,510 and we did here because what gets lost in the select board meetings are the people that don't 112 00:12:49,510 --> 00:12:56,950 come and speak in the mic, the people that call us, the people that stop us and write us. So we had a 113 00:12:56,950 --> 00:13:06,330 strong sense that there was a strong division within the town. We didn't know to the point, but we knew 114 00:13:06,330 --> 00:13:13,550 enough that if we had a polarity vote to John's point, it could have went one way, because 115 00:13:13,550 --> 00:13:17,530 somebody would have been forced into it. We really wanted to see that spread, you know. 116 00:13:17,730 --> 00:13:21,750 And in reality, there's nothing wrong in trying to understand the spread of the community. 117 00:13:22,310 --> 00:13:28,510 And we did have a resident who spoke to the board after when we were deciding what the 118 00:13:28,510 --> 00:13:35,310 referendum was going to be. And she addressed the board and said, you know, if you put C on, 119 00:13:35,310 --> 00:13:41,030 I'm one of the B voters that won't vote C. That is too far for me, you know? 120 00:13:41,210 --> 00:13:45,290 So we acknowledge that 441 votes in the middle. 121 00:13:45,690 --> 00:13:54,030 We acknowledge the 660 at A, and we acknowledge the 700 at, and see, there's 87 votes difference 122 00:13:54,030 --> 00:13:59,730 between C and A. And that's something that really gets lost, and, you know, when we at 123 00:13:59,730 --> 00:14:06,130 when the vote ended and people were like, well, C1, no, you know, and we've been explaining 124 00:14:06,130 --> 00:14:10,570 that and talking and the board has been doing to your point Elizabeth, we spend a lot of 125 00:14:10,570 --> 00:14:15,490 time talking, right? So we spent a lot of time talking with residents, residents feel 126 00:14:15,490 --> 00:14:23,590 I think better coming up and talking to us and the street and the wherever. And then we can 127 00:14:23,590 --> 00:14:27,910 have a really nice discussion and they can tell us comfortably where they reside and they 128 00:14:27,910 --> 00:14:35,690 on camera and make a point. But we know enough to know that the town would like to support 129 00:14:35,690 --> 00:14:39,990 prelude and we're pretty sure that if we give this option that this is the one that's 130 00:14:39,990 --> 00:14:47,450 going to pass. And that's why we put this on for 2026 because Tina and KBA are planning 131 00:14:47,450 --> 00:14:52,370 basically for no funding right now because that's the ordinance. So we're hoping that this 132 00:14:52,370 --> 00:14:58,030 is going to pass. And, you know, it was a five-zero vote from the budget, from the select board. 133 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:29,520 We put a lot of thought into it because we really want to try to help KBA for 2026 as well as, you know, ongoing forward years. So that that's, I hope I gave you a little bit more color to, you know, what we hear that doesn't come over, you know, the select board meetings, but what we actually hear personally. Thanks. Well, I'm sorry if that sounded so negative, but, but I, but I just, I just felt like even at the time that three, three way votes was going to 134 00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:34,720 be problem because once you get on me, you don't know where you are related. 135 00:15:36,890 --> 00:15:38,450 And that's just my thought. 136 00:15:38,730 --> 00:15:39,930 Anyway, that's the point. 137 00:15:40,130 --> 00:15:42,490 I'm in favor of spending $17,000. 138 00:15:42,690 --> 00:15:49,410 We haven't argued over this level of money in years. 139 00:15:50,250 --> 00:15:56,470 So let's spend $17,000, I'm going to make a motion. 140 00:15:57,250 --> 00:16:05,710 Just at one's qualifications to your point or whatever the town does spend $17,000 is not all on the money. 141 00:16:06,310 --> 00:16:14,170 Man, I drove a different way and I turned around in the $10,000 partial or whatever, which I voted against. 142 00:16:14,170 --> 00:16:22,510 and still go and record about it, you know, and in addition to that, I loaded in here, 143 00:16:22,630 --> 00:16:29,250 I wasn't on the budget board, I was just a resident, but I else, you know, we spend money 144 00:16:31,140 --> 00:16:35,280 for things that doesn't attract that many people. 145 00:16:35,720 --> 00:16:41,780 I mean, I'm not rehashing, but I am, you know, the vote launch, you know, I don't measure 146 00:16:41,780 --> 00:16:48,220 is heavily used, it's a lot of issues with it, but nevertheless, that was a lot of money for that too. 147 00:16:50,700 --> 00:16:57,480 But I think that, you know, I think we should fully fund it, that's not what we're here for, 148 00:16:57,600 --> 00:17:01,200 but that's why I might instill, I think, a little bit against it. 149 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:05,040 So you're sorry to point more on the side of the slide. 150 00:17:06,960 --> 00:17:14,000 I'll move that we approve question for as written or if you'd like me to spell it out 151 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:19,360 to appropriate $17,500 from the undesignated fund balance. 152 00:17:20,880 --> 00:17:21,880 My second. 153 00:17:22,640 --> 00:17:23,840 Okay, we've got first and second. 154 00:17:24,440 --> 00:17:26,140 Any more additional comments? 155 00:17:27,900 --> 00:17:28,620 All right. 156 00:17:29,120 --> 00:17:30,080 All those in favor? 157 00:17:33,650 --> 00:17:34,150 And opposed? 158 00:17:35,110 --> 00:17:35,610 All right. 159 00:17:35,870 --> 00:17:36,470 Six to one. 160 00:17:39,660 --> 00:17:40,360 That's it. 161 00:17:43,280 --> 00:17:48,700 Any second? Second on adjournment? Oh, second. 162 00:17:51,480 --> 00:17:54,020 But the person who came to light is weird. 163 00:17:54,240 --> 00:17:55,940 Thank you.