[9:14] I know the food looks great back there.

[9:16] Grab some and have a seat.

[9:28] Isn't that fun? Hey everybody, I'm Susan

[9:32] Clark. Uh I am your town moderator. Uh

[9:36] you elected me in March town meeting for

[9:38] this year. So you are stuck with me for

[9:39] now or I'm stuck with you.

[9:43] Um so joining me up here is uh in front

[9:46] of the room is your select board. Um we

[9:49] you guys can wave. Liz Sharf is the

[9:51] chair. Uh Zara Vincent uh is the vice

[9:55] chair. Paul Smanara.

[9:57] Uh Stacy Scadler and Lawrence Rooney.

[10:00] This is your select board, the folks who

[10:02] oversee our town functions. Um uh town

[10:06] clerk Bridget Brownie is here back there

[10:09] waving.

[10:11] Carol Maloney is here. Thank you, Carol.

[10:15] >> Carol. Carol's taking the minutes. Thank

[10:18] you, Carol. This is this is the woman to

[10:20] watch out for when if you stand up and

[10:21] say your name. That's that's why

[10:24] we appreciate um work of media for being

[10:27] here as well to record the meeting and

[10:29] to live stream it. Um your kids are

[10:31] welcome here at town meeting. If you

[10:33] have kids with you, that's great. Um

[10:35] just stay chill so the people around you

[10:36] can hear. And for those of you who do

[10:38] have kids at the community connections

[10:40] uh connections child care um that child

[10:43] care goes until 12:15 regardless of the

[10:45] length of the meeting. So uh if we're

[10:48] still here, your kids are welcome to

[10:49] come back here and thanks to the Middle

[10:51] Sex Community Fund uh for funding the

[10:53] childare and making that free. Um

[10:57] especially if you're new to town

[10:59] meeting, I want to draw your attention

[11:00] to the blue forms. Um they're over there

[11:03] on the table back there. Um, and uh,

[11:06] these have information about Robert's

[11:07] rules. The most important rule is if you

[11:10] have a question, raise your hand and

[11:12] ask. Um, there is an evaluation form at

[11:15] the bottom. For any of you that have

[11:17] suggestions for improving the town

[11:18] meeting process, you can use those forms

[11:21] um, appropriately on a table marked the

[11:24] nut table. Um,

[11:30] sorry. any anything the uh it's it's

[11:32] from the from the Romney school I think

[11:34] has a nut policy so anyway just that was

[11:37] kind of funny

[11:39] all right so Robert's rules this is a

[11:42] special town meeting but it is still in

[11:43] fact a town meeting uh so by law it has

[11:45] to be run by a town meeting um so as

[11:48] always I'm going to offer a brief

[11:49] overview of the rules that we're going

[11:50] to be working with today I've got eight

[11:53] items and it has been a hard six weeks

[11:56] folks so emotions I think are running

[11:58] high so I'll just ask you to pay special

[12:00] attention to these reminders. Um, number

[12:03] one, uh, Robert's rules of order are the

[12:05] parliamentary rules for the meeting. Um,

[12:08] uh, except where Vermont law takes

[12:10] precedence. So, we can't change state

[12:12] law. Uh, but you can change Robert's

[12:13] rules for the twothirds vote if you

[12:15] desire.

[12:17] Uh, number two, if you would like to

[12:18] speak at the meeting, um, if you'd like

[12:21] to speak, you raise your hand and when

[12:23] you're recognized by the moderator,

[12:24] please stand up and uh, if you can and,

[12:27] uh, and you wait for the microphone to

[12:29] come to you. We've got a couple of

[12:30] microphone runners, at least one

[12:32] microphone runner. So, where's Kimberly?

[12:34] There she is. Okay. And, uh, we've got

[12:36] some more coming, I think, um, to carry

[12:39] those microphones. So, you stand up, you

[12:41] state your name. Um, and even if you did

[12:43] just state your name earlier, please

[12:45] state your name clearly. I might even

[12:47] ask you to spell it. Don't take it

[12:49] personally. It helps out with the

[12:50] minutes.

[12:52] I want to say if you've had your hand up

[12:54] for a while and you haven't been called

[12:55] on, I'm really sorry. We have a few

[12:57] options for that. feel free to wiggle

[12:59] your fingers or wave so I can't miss

[13:01] you. Um or um this time we do have a

[13:05] standing mic in the front of the room.

[13:07] Um if you if you like that idea, if you

[13:09] want to wait to be called on there, you

[13:12] can. Or you can do it from your seat,

[13:13] whatever makes you more comfortable.

[13:16] And as a as a last resort, you can um

[13:18] call out point of order um and you can

[13:21] state your complaint. For instance, hang

[13:22] on a second, madam moderator. You called

[13:25] on that person twice before you called

[13:26] on me once. That's a point of order. You

[13:28] can do that at any time.

[13:31] So, article one is a significantly yes

[13:33] or no kind of question. Um, so I'm gonna

[13:36] make a very slight change of process.

[13:39] Some moderators do this all the time,

[13:41] some don't. Um, after the motion has

[13:43] been made and explained, I'm going to

[13:45] ask specifically for a variety of

[13:46] viewpoints for someone to speak in

[13:48] favor, someone who's opposed, someone

[13:50] who's in favor, someone who's opposed.

[13:51] We'll do that for a while just to make

[13:53] sure that we get the air clear. Um, in

[13:56] between though, I'm going to ask if

[13:58] anybody has a clarifying question. I

[14:00] went back and counted um from our notes

[14:02] from uh town meeting last time and we

[14:04] had some people in favor, some people

[14:06] opposed, and the most number of people

[14:07] were the people who had questions. They

[14:09] were like, "Ah, help me out here. What

[14:12] does this mean?" So, feel free to ask

[14:13] those as well.

[14:16] when you do speak um a reminder that

[14:19] Robert's rules requires that all your

[14:21] motions and your remarks and discussions

[14:23] are addressed to the moderator and that

[14:26] just helps that we ensure on the issues

[14:29] we focus on the issues not not on the

[14:31] personalities not talking to each other

[14:33] this is the way the the procedure works

[14:36] um terms of parliamentary procedure um

[14:39] by under Robert's rules members are not

[14:41] allowed to engage in personal attacks on

[14:44] another member or question their motives

[14:46] The way they say this in Robert's rules

[14:48] is your speech must be confined to the

[14:51] merits of the question. So think really

[14:54] hard about the article that we're

[14:55] talking about and focus right in on

[14:57] that. Um I'm going to remind us all to

[14:59] talk about um positions uh rather than

[15:01] people. So for instance, please refer to

[15:04] the select board or the town clerk or

[15:06] the petitioners, not specific

[15:08] individuals names. It's important that

[15:11] we not get distracted and that we focus

[15:13] like a laser on the actual articles that

[15:16] we're here to address.

[15:19] Uh number three, in order to speak or

[15:21] vote at Middle Sex Town meeting, you

[15:22] must be a Middle Sex voter. Um the

[15:25] exception is uh if the assembly votes to

[15:28] suspend the rules for speaking, for

[15:29] example, to allow a person representing

[15:31] an out of town organization to address

[15:33] the group. So, at this time, can I

[15:35] please see a show of hands of anyone who

[15:37] is not registered to vote in Middle Sex?

[15:41] We got Okay. Yes. People waving their

[15:43] hands. Great. Oh, great. Okay. Got some

[15:47] kids here. That's great. Um, that's

[15:49] wonderful. Welcome. We're glad to have

[15:51] you. Um, just want to remind you that

[15:52] you may not vote.

[15:55] Um,

[15:56] number four, feel free again to ask

[15:59] questions. Feel raise your hand. You

[16:00] don't understand what's happening. you

[16:02] think a mistake has been made, you don't

[16:04] have to be a parliamentary expert. You

[16:05] can just raise your hand and say, "Okay,

[16:07] here's what I want to do. How should I

[16:09] turn that into a motion?" The

[16:10] moderator's job is to help.

[16:14] Um, number five, this is your meeting.

[16:18] Um, the role of the moderator is to help

[16:20] you accomplish the business that you

[16:23] intend to do. So, if you feel that the

[16:26] moderator has made an improper ruling,

[16:28] please raise your hand. Robert's rules

[16:30] allows for the group to appeal the

[16:32] moderator's decision. It's a really

[16:33] simple process to ensure that the

[16:35] moderator serves the interests of the

[16:38] group.

[16:40] Uh number six, we can only address

[16:42] foreign articles. It's against state law

[16:44] to consider articles or issues that have

[16:46] not been warned on the agenda.

[16:49] Uh number seven, you can end debate by

[16:53] calling the question. If a voter feels

[16:56] deliberation has gone on long enough,

[16:58] they can move to cut off the debate. Uh

[17:01] they do this by raising their hand and

[17:03] after they're recognized, they say, "I

[17:04] call the question."

[17:06] Twothirds of this group must vote yes on

[17:10] calling the question in order to cease

[17:11] debate. Otherwise, the discussion

[17:14] continues. In most uh cases, calling the

[17:17] question is not necessary. The moderator

[17:19] will call for a vote when she in this

[17:22] case uh feels that all points of view

[17:25] have uh been heard or that there are no

[17:27] more hands raised. And that avoids us

[17:30] having to do the whole two-thirds thing

[17:31] of of uh calling the question.

[17:36] And finally, there are different ways

[17:38] that we can vote. Once we're done

[17:40] deliberating on an article and we're

[17:42] ready to vote, the moderator calls for a

[17:44] vote, usually by uh voice at town

[17:46] meeting. Um, if you are in favor of the

[17:49] motion, you say I. Uh, if opposed, you

[17:52] say no or nay. Other forms of voting

[17:54] that you may expect to see, a show of

[17:57] hands or standing mode. You can always

[17:59] request this, by the way, uh especially

[18:02] if you disagree with the moderator after

[18:04] the the result of a voice vote is

[18:06] announced. And the third way is a paper

[18:08] ballot or secret ballot. Um, this is a

[18:11] really important option to know about if

[18:13] you feel that privacy on a vote is

[18:14] important. any voter uh may move that a

[18:18] vote be taken by paper ballot and if

[18:20] seven voters support the motion then

[18:23] pieces of paper um will be distributed

[18:25] and you can see we have tables set up

[18:26] back there because uh we won't be

[18:29] surprised if we see this method used

[18:31] today. So, um the piece of you you go

[18:33] up, you're going to say your name, um uh

[18:36] get marked off on the checklist, you'll

[18:38] be given a little tiny ballot, um to

[18:41] vote on um and our election officials

[18:44] will count those um immediately.

[18:48] » So, that's

[18:50] um okay, we are going to open our

[18:53] meeting with

[18:54] >> Oh, there's a question.

[18:56] >> Yes,

[18:56] >> student assessment. Um there are a lot

[18:59] of people here. We wind up having to

[19:01] paper ballot. Is there a good process so

[19:04] it's not just a crowd that's going to

[19:06] descend on the

[19:07] >> Yes. Susan Susman wants to know how

[19:09] we're going to have an orderly um uh

[19:12] paper ballot and um they we have a a

[19:15] board of civil authority that is all

[19:17] over this. So they have divided the

[19:20] tables by alphabet um and I so that

[19:24] we'll so there'll be three lines. Um,

[19:27] and uh, Darinda said, "Susan, you should

[19:30] make sure to remember how we divided up

[19:32] the alphabet." And I completely forgot.

[19:34] Um, c can you remind me, Dinda, what the

[19:36] what what is the alphabet back there?

[19:38] It's A through

[19:40] >> A through F as in Frank.

[19:42] >> G.

[19:45] M.

[19:49] » Yes, it's labeled on the front of the

[19:50] table. So, A through F as in Frank. G

[19:53] through M as in Mark. N through Z. So

[19:56] you'll line up in the in your by your

[19:58] last name.

[19:59] >> Susan.

[20:01] >> Yes.

[20:03] >> Could I make a suggestion that maybe we

[20:04] do it like at a buffet dinner? We go by

[20:06] line. We call the back line vote so we

[20:09] don't get too crowded back there in

[20:10] three lines. It doesn't seem to be a lot

[20:11] of rooms. Just a suggestion.

[20:13] >> Sure. People like that idea. Yeah. I

[20:16] also like the whole buffet dinner

[20:18] reference because we have some

[20:23] » Yeah. heard a wedding.

[20:24] >> So, is Brennan Swain here? Bren, come on

[20:27] up. Brennan goes to U32. Um, and I've

[20:31] asked him to read our civil invitation

[20:33] today. He enjoys skiing. He enjoys

[20:36] reading. Um, one of his favorite

[20:38] memories growing up in Middle Sex is

[20:40] attending the performances at the band

[20:42] stand. I need to tell you, Brennan is a

[20:44] soontobe Middle Sex voter. He turns 18

[20:46] in two months. So, yeah, exactly two

[20:49] months by

[20:51] His

[20:54] birthday's on July 9th, so exactly two

[20:56] months from today. Does anybody have an

[20:58] objection if this not yet voter reads

[21:00] our civil invocation?

[21:03] Okay, great. I asked him to read it. He

[21:08] memorized it.

[21:13] All right.

[21:15] Welcome to Middle Sex Town Meeting. We

[21:18] have come together in civil assembly as

[21:20] a community in a tradition that is older

[21:23] than our state itself. We have come

[21:25] together to make decisions about our

[21:28] community. As we deliberate, let us

[21:31] advocate for our positions but not at

[21:34] the expense of others. Let us remember

[21:36] that there is an immense gap between

[21:39] saying I am right and saying I believe I

[21:42] am right. and that our neighbors with

[21:45] whom we disagree are good people with

[21:48] hopes and dreams as high and as true as

[21:52] ours. And let us always remember that in

[21:56] the end caring for each other in this

[21:58] community is of far greater importance

[22:01] than any difference we may have. Welcome

[22:16] Thank you, Brennan.

[22:19] Right.

[22:21] Okay. So, we're going to get into the

[22:23] business section here. And just so that

[22:25] we are all on the same page, we are here

[22:28] to talk about the Middle Sex Town

[22:30] budget. Everybody in the right place?

[22:34] Okay, great. We passed a budget at our

[22:36] town meeting uh back on March 3rd. That

[22:39] was article six at the meeting. Um after

[22:41] that, as is allowed by law, a petition

[22:44] um was circulated to reconsider that

[22:47] vote and the petition received the

[22:48] requisite number of signatures and it

[22:50] was submitted to the select board uh in

[22:53] time for the statutory deadline. So the

[22:55] select board scheduled a special time

[22:57] meeting. So under article one at this

[23:00] meeting, we will discuss and vote on

[23:02] whether to reconsider the budget. If

[23:04] article one does not pass, then we stick

[23:08] with the budget that we passed on March

[23:10] 3rd and the meeting ends there. If

[23:13] article one does pass, then we will move

[23:15] on to article two and we will discuss

[23:17] the budget just like we did on March 3rd

[23:20] with the ability to amend.

[23:23] Everybody got it? At least for now. You

[23:26] can feel free to ask questions as we

[23:28] move along.

[23:30] Okay. Article one.

[23:33] Shall the town of Middle Sex reconsider

[23:35] the vote taken on March 3rd, 2026 on

[23:38] article 6, which read to vote a fiscal

[23:42] 202627 budget of 2,261,978.14

[23:49] to meet the expenses and liabilities of

[23:51] the town and authorize the select board

[23:54] to set a tax rate sufficient to provide

[23:57] the same. Is there a motion on article

[23:59] one? Jack Coons moves. Is there a second

[24:03] on article one? Mark Harris seconds.

[24:07] Okay. Art article one has been moved and

[24:09] seconded. I am required to read it

[24:11] again. Shall the town of Middle Sex

[24:14] reconsider the vote taken on March 3rd,

[24:15] 2026 on article 6, which read to vote a

[24:19] fiscal 202627 budget of 2,261,978.14

[24:26] to meet the expenses and liabilities of

[24:28] the town and authorize the select board

[24:30] to set a tax rate sufficient to provide

[24:33] the same. So, the floor is open for

[24:35] discussion.

[24:38] » Yes.

[24:44] Hi, my name is Shelley Desarden. I just

[24:46] want to take a few minutes explain why I

[24:49] brought forward the original petition

[24:51] and my intent, what it was at the time.

[24:53] And I'm not a speaker, so excuse

[24:55] wherever I mess up. Uh, when I first

[24:57] submitted the petition, it was because

[24:59] both the select board and the town

[25:01] office had expressed the need for three

[25:02] bodies to handle the workload, which

[25:04] they both needed. The office wanted a

[25:06] town clerk, treasurer, and assistant

[25:08] town clerk. The select board wanted a

[25:10] town administrator, town clerk, and

[25:11] treasurer and found that they cannot

[25:13] eliminate the assistant town clerk. So

[25:15] they reduced the assistant town clerk

[25:16] from 32 to 8 hours per week. That was my

[25:19] sole motivation. The first petition was

[25:21] ruled out as invalid and a second

[25:23] version was later drafted drafted with

[25:25] the help of a lawyer from another town

[25:28] resident which I helped bring around.

[25:30] That language is what brought us to

[25:32] where we are now to bring up the uh

[25:35] question to resend the entire budget and

[25:37] reopen the discussion. At that point, my

[25:39] concern was that we had valuable

[25:41] experience within the office along with

[25:43] a new town clerk who was willing to do a

[25:46] hybrid position as town clerk and town

[25:48] administrator after she was brought up

[25:49] to speed. I believe that if we tabled

[25:52] the town administrator position for one

[25:53] year, we could evaluate whether it was

[25:55] truly needed and potentially save the

[25:57] town money. With three bodies in the

[25:59] office and the office felt a hybrid

[26:01] approach could meet both the select

[26:03] board needs and the operational needs of

[26:05] the office at a lower cost. This was the

[26:07] point I was trying to raise on March 3rd

[26:09] before the discussion of the town

[26:11] administrator was closed. Since then,

[26:14] the situation has unfortunately led to

[26:16] confusion, misunderstandings, hurt

[26:17] feelings, and even threats. That was

[26:19] never my intention. Voters have a clear

[26:21] right to question decisions made by the

[26:24] town and the process to do so. Gathering

[26:27] 5% of the vote to bring back an issue back for discussion as part of

[26:31] that right. It does not mean that

[26:33] decisions can change. It simply allows

[26:35] for clarity and understanding,

[26:37] especially for those who were not

[26:38] recognized to speak or felt they had

[26:40] something to say. I recall another

[26:42] gentleman saying he was not called on

[26:44] during article 6 at that time. After the

[26:47] petition and follow-up meetings, some

[26:49] comments were made that came across as

[26:51] disrespectful to our office staff.

[26:53] Sadly, our assistant town clerk has

[26:55] since given her notice. That outcome is

[26:58] deeply troubling to me. My hope is that

[27:00] regardless how today's vote turns out,

[27:02] that we can come together as a town

[27:04] office, as a community, move forward

[27:06] with respect, learn from this

[27:08] experience, even when we disagree, we

[27:10] should still be able to be neighbors

[27:11] friends and a town that works together.

[27:13] Thank you all for listening.

[27:15] >> Thanks.

[27:18] >> All right. Is there somebody who would

[27:19] like to speak in opposition to article

[27:21] one?

[27:31] in the back.

[27:33] >> Okay. Yep. That

[27:43] » I raised my hand just because I didn't

[27:45] see anyone else doing it.

[27:46] >> We can't hear you very well. So maybe

[27:48] >> it's better.

[27:50] >> Didn't hear anyone else doing it. Uh, I

[27:52] hope I speak for more than just

[27:55] >> keep cutting out.

[28:02] » I got it right up against my mouth. Can

[28:03] you guys hear me now?

[28:05] >> To the receiver. Yeah. Okay. Um, so

[28:08] yeah, our our sound technician Bennett

[28:10] Shapiro is telling you to move a little

[28:12] closer to the front of the room if you

[28:14] don't mind.

[28:15] >> Where is the receiver? Is it that thing?

[28:18] >> Just come to this.

[28:19] >> Yes, that's great.

[28:21] You're good. You're good.

[28:25] » Are you guys able to hear me now?

[28:27] >> Yeah, but we can't have that mic next to

[28:28] that mic.

[28:30] >> And there we go.

[28:32] >> There you go. Try that.

[28:34] >> Sorry.

[28:35] >> Well, I'm glad to provide at least comic

[28:37] relief.

[28:39] Hopefully, I'm not speaking for just

[28:41] myself. Uh, but I

[28:42] >> Can you say your name?

[28:43] >> My name is Matt Ariwak. Uh, I'm live off

[28:46] of Mccau Hill Road on Merill Road. Um, I

[28:50] was involved in the budget process that

[28:52] the normal budget process that led up to

[28:54] town meeting this previous year. I I

[28:56] didn't

[28:57] >> just a little louder.

[28:59] >> I didn't see anything that I thought was

[29:01] unusual. No process is perfect. I

[29:04] wouldn't claim that this one was. I

[29:05] thought we had good discussions. Since

[29:07] the petition has been filed, I haven't

[29:10] heard a rationale or a new piece of

[29:12] evidence for why we should reconsider

[29:14] the vote as part of the budget in the

[29:16] committee. I haven't heard anything that

[29:17] would make me think that we need to

[29:18] change a line item. Um, and I'll end my

[29:22] thoughts there. I think we should just

[29:24] keep the budget as voted through and as

[29:26] the voters at town meeting approved it.

[29:30] So, somebody who'd like to ask a

[29:32] clarifying question. General Yeah. Dave

[29:35] Shepard.

[29:44] Um, it's what I was wondering is if

[29:47] someone from either the select board or

[29:48] the budget committee might be able to

[29:51] just I mean I think I would benefit from

[29:53] knowing between the last vote and the uh

[29:57] special budget meeting that I attended

[29:59] here and now what has happened and

[30:03] because my understanding is that both

[30:06] the committee budget committee and the

[30:09] select board

[30:10] >> the budget committee

[30:12] So I don't have to say my name again.

[30:14] >> Yeah, I know. I see. I shouldn't. I'm

[30:15] enabling, right? I shouldn't.

[30:19] >> So, um,

[30:21] so let's back up a little bit in terms

[30:24] of the process because it is at times

[30:28] confusing when we get into a situation

[30:31] that's as challenging as this one is.

[30:35] Um,

[30:37] so at the I think it was the April 7th

[30:40] select board meeting, we had a

[30:43] discussion on what next steps were about

[30:46] the petition

[30:48] which was submitted to the town clerk I

[30:52] think on April 2nd with a hundred little

[30:55] over 100 signatures. So clearly over 5%

[30:59] of registered voters in the town. And

[31:02] for folks who aren't familiar with that

[31:04] particular aspect, Vermont law states

[31:07] that anyone

[31:10] can question an article at a town

[31:13] meeting and ask for a revote if they get

[31:17] 5% of registered voters to sign a

[31:21] petition within 30 days and submit it to

[31:24] the town clerk. So that's what happened

[31:26] in this case.

[31:29] So again, democracy is not always clean

[31:32] and neat. Sometimes it's messy. We're

[31:34] probably in the messy portion right now.

[31:38] So, at the April 7th select board

[31:40] meeting, the decision was to hold a I'll

[31:43] call a special budget meeting that was

[31:46] to be moderated by the budget committee,

[31:49] namely myself, and to meet with

[31:52] petitioners with basically two

[31:54] objectives. one to gain common

[31:57] understanding of petitioners concerns

[32:00] because it was clear that withund and

[32:04] some odd signatures on that petition

[32:07] not every petitioner was signing it for

[32:10] the same reason. So there may well have

[32:12] been different

[32:15] people signing that petition. So that

[32:17] was the first objective of the April

[32:20] 23rd special budget meeting. The other

[32:22] was to take feedback from petitioners

[32:25] and other folks in the meeting as to

[32:27] what they wanted to see in a an

[32:30] alternate or revised budget. So we held

[32:33] the April 23rd meeting. I think we got a

[32:37] much better understanding of petitioners

[32:40] concerns. I thought the meeting went

[32:43] well. there are a lot of viewpoints

[32:44] expressed and in my mind it was quite a

[32:48] civil and open and inclusive meeting

[32:51] which was encouraging.

[32:53] Uh the second aspect is there were uh

[32:57] quite a few points of view about what to

[33:00] do about the current budget and they

[33:02] were both to increase it and some folks

[33:06] wanted to reduce it. So, we held an

[33:10] alternate budget meeting which was open

[33:12] to the public on Wednesday, April 29th

[33:16] at which the budget m committee

[33:18] discussed what should we do about an

[33:21] alternate budget.

[33:24] While the reality was we really couldn't

[33:26] come to consensus over what to do about

[33:29] the approved budget, whether to increase

[33:31] it, we had some folks who said let's

[33:34] increase it a little bit. We also had

[33:36] some feedback about

[33:38] maybe we should cut some areas in that

[33:40] budget. And we also had people who said,

[33:43] I don't know, let's just keep it the

[33:44] same and talk to the select board. So,

[33:47] we came out of that meeting with the

[33:49] recommendation to keep the budget as is

[33:52] and have the discussion at the May 5th

[33:54] select board meeting, which was this

[33:56] last Tuesday. So there was quite a bit

[34:00] of discussion over what to do, what what

[34:02] are we going to do with this budget and

[34:04] we landed on leaving the alternate

[34:08] budget the same as the approved budget

[34:10] because if we get to article two, I

[34:13] think people felt comfortable with

[34:17] voters coming up with floor amendments

[34:19] again like we did for article six at our

[34:23] town meeting on March 3rd and we just

[34:25] simply redo article six and

[34:30] let folks talk for as as long as they

[34:32] felt they needed to if we got to article

[34:35] two. So that's where we are folks. I

[34:37] hope that clarifies things.

[34:43] Okay. Is there somebody who'd like to

[34:45] speak in art in favor of article one?

[34:47] Somebody else other points you'd like to

[34:51] clarify?

[34:52] >> Yeah.

[34:54] >> My name is John Christian.

[34:56] >> Okay. Let's John. Sorry. A second John.

[34:58] Just

[35:00] >> Thank you.

[35:02] >> Is it working?

[35:07] » You hear me now?

[35:08] >> No.

[35:10] >> I'm so sorry.

[35:22] » I think the the microphones work in the

[35:24] front of the room and not the back.

[35:27] It's not on. Okay. So, Kimberly, why

[35:29] don't you go over and talk to Bennett

[35:31] about how our microphones work? These

[35:32] are

[35:33] >> Is this working now?

[35:34] >> Thank you.

[35:34] >> The last gen who just spoke

[35:38] just to clarify this.

[35:40] So, the existing budget and this new one

[35:42] that you have, they're identical

[35:44] >> microphone around

[35:47] >> because they're supposed to be talking

[35:48] to the moderator.

[35:51] >> John,

[35:51] >> so what you're saying,

[35:52] >> John, I'm sorry. I I know it's

[35:54] confusing, but please address the

[35:56] moderator. We we it can de I know it

[35:59] gets messy, but pretty soon we're like

[36:01] >> So the last gentleman we just spoke

[36:03] >> Yeah.

[36:04] >> as I understand it,

[36:06] the existing budget and the new budget

[36:08] are identical.

[36:11] >> Correct.

[36:11] >> Do you want to answer that question?

[36:14] >> The answer is yes.

[36:15] >> Yes.

[36:16] >> Oh,

[36:18] so I just like to say it's a nice to be

[36:20] treated like sheep then. You can amend

[36:23] at any time. If we move on to article

[36:25] two, it's just like at town meeting

[36:28] where we start with the number that we

[36:31] started with at town meeting and if we

[36:33] if we're on article two, the body can

[36:35] move to amend that article.

[36:37] >> Okay.

[36:40] Um are is there a clarifying

[36:43] question?

[36:47] » Okay. Yeah. Um and Green and

[36:51] Greenfelder.

[36:53] It was my understanding from town

[36:55] meeting that there was a considerable

[36:58] expense acrewed because we did not have

[37:02] a person in the town who knew how to

[37:05] deal or who had the time to deal with

[37:08] fundraising, FEMA, etc. So, I'm

[37:12] wondering if there's somebody here who

[37:14] could readress some of that expense that

[37:18] justifies having a town administrator.

[37:21] >> Okay.

[37:21] >> Thank you.

[37:22] >> So, um we have to we're it's a fine line

[37:26] here and um basically what we really

[37:28] need to focus on is whether we want to

[37:31] revisit the budget or not. So, if

[37:34] somebody who helped create the budget

[37:36] can answer Annie Greenfelder's question

[37:38] in the context of why it makes sense to

[37:41] revisit or not revisit. If we do revisit

[37:44] this, if we move on to article two, we

[37:46] can dig into the details. But at this

[37:48] point, the question is, should we

[37:50] revisit? Yeah.

[37:52] >> So, it's it's my understanding that if

[37:54] we vote no today, then we keep the town

[37:57] administrator. Um and to speak to that

[38:00] um like yeah we just

[38:05] Mike Klene uh who's a for river

[38:07] scientist the road committee we just

[38:09] applied for a $200,000 brick grant

[38:12] through FEMA which is building resilient

[38:14] infrastructure in communities and I

[38:16] believe the town administrator can take

[38:19] those things on. We have we've missed

[38:21] other grant opportunities. I don't know

[38:23] if we're going to get this one, but yes,

[38:26] if we vote no, we get our town

[38:28] administrator, which is like a higher

[38:29] kind of functioning

[38:31] um person who can take care of town

[38:35] issues that come up um versus filing and

[38:39] dog licenses and marriage licenses and

[38:42] the the administrative things that go on

[38:45] in town hall. This would be a person who

[38:48] deals with kind of the bigger problems

[38:50] that this town has been facing for far

[38:54] longer than I have been volunteering. If

[38:57] we do reconsider, then the town

[38:59] administrator position is very likely to

[39:02] go away.

[39:04] It's there's no knowing the outcome.

[39:06] >> Okay, that's my understand it it opens

[39:07] it up. Yes. Is there someone who'd like

[39:09] to speak in favor of article one? Yes.

[39:12] Mr.

[39:19] Partial knee replacement. I have to know

[39:21] >> on Wednesday.

[39:24] >> No narcotics.

[39:31] » I am Dexter Lefver, Middle Sex resident

[39:34] on Dolan Road. You may want to call me

[39:37] Dexter on Dolan.

[39:43] Uh it's unfortunate that this article is

[39:46] becoming about the town administrator

[39:49] because it really shouldn't be about the

[39:50] town administrator. It should be about

[39:52] the budget. Um the budget is framed to

[39:56] include a position of town

[39:57] administrator. But there's really no

[40:00] reason that the select board at any time

[40:02] could not create that position and hire

[40:04] a town administrator without a town

[40:08] vote. So just put keep that in mind. I'm

[40:12] also the author of a posting on front

[40:15] porch forum called the top 10 reasons to

[40:17] vote yes on one and no on two. Although

[40:22] I'm certainly going to reserve any

[40:24] comment I have on two because I am

[40:26] hoping for a yes vote on two today.

[40:30] I'm sorry. Yes, a yes on two and a yes

[40:32] on one. That's two yeses. That's pretty

[40:34] good for me.

[40:37] I was proud to be the only one that

[40:38] voted no on the budget last year.

[40:42] Uh let's see.

[40:45] The past budget total was set on how

[40:48] much of an increase the town boards and

[40:50] committees thought the voters will

[40:51] accept. It should be based on real

[40:53] historical and planned expenditures.

[40:55] Such information has been absent through

[40:57] the budget process. There's just been a

[41:00] real lack of up-to-date information

[41:03] about spending status on the FEMA

[41:06] project, the town budget, um, and things

[41:10] such as that. So, it's difficult to have

[41:12] a realistic picture on what our spending

[41:14] was in the last fiscal year.

[41:17] The FEMA audit is not done. Our prior

[41:20] budgets have included items subsequently

[41:23] covered by FEMA. Those funds have not

[41:25] been returned in the budget. We need to

[41:27] demand an accounting of these reimburse

[41:30] reimbursements in a return of those

[41:32] funds to the town

[41:34] to the operating budget.

[41:36] The town audit for FY 24 I think I might

[41:40] have meant 25 is not done. We should

[41:44] base our new budget on accurate FY25 and

[41:48] prior year actuals. actual expenditures

[41:51] to date for FY26

[41:53] have been unavailable throughout the

[41:55] budget process.

[41:59] I was I've been in too deep well I don't

[42:02] know if I've been I've been in deep with

[42:03] the budget process. I've been to uh the

[42:05] two budget committee hearings and I've

[42:08] got the spreadsheet

[42:10] on my computer that was the basis of the

[42:13] town report and I've got my own

[42:15] spreadsheet cooking

[42:17] uh but just in too deep. Anyway, our

[42:20] budget has rapidly increased and

[42:22] escalated as a result of COVID. So

[42:25] that's, you know, 2020 through

[42:28] 21 COVID impacts, 23 24 floods. We need

[42:32] to go back way back to see

[42:34] representative expenditures. Then we can

[42:37] adjust for actual inflation needs. The

[42:40] average 300 number five because I got

[42:42] 10. The average $38

[42:46] tax bill increase, which has been

[42:47] estimated by a member of the budget

[42:49] commission committee, is an average

[42:51] month's food bill for one person. Those

[42:54] without disposable income may choose to

[42:56] go without food rather than lose their

[42:58] property for tax sale. Our neighbors,

[43:01] the number six, our neighbors and other

[43:03] good people are fleeing the state due to

[43:05] high taxes. This is a step we can take

[43:08] to make Vermont more affordable.

[43:11] Not everyone. Number seven, not everyone

[43:13] can afford an increase even if you can.

[43:16] And I can afford this increase and I

[43:19] choose to live here even though it's

[43:21] very costly.

[43:24] There are redundant items in double

[43:26] counting within the budget. That's

[43:28] number eight.

[43:40] Number nine, a reworked budget proposed

[43:43] for article two could not be developed

[43:45] because it requires more than a 2-hour

[43:47] budget committee meeting and a 30 minute

[43:50] discussion by the select board. We

[43:52] really need to roll our sleeves up,

[43:54] folks, and get a real um solid budget

[43:57] together. And a lot of it goes back to

[44:00] like my first or second item where

[44:01] there's just a lack of up-to-date cost

[44:03] information.

[44:05] Number 10, accelerating budget

[44:08] increases. Widen the divide between the

[44:10] halves and the halves not. We all know

[44:11] there's a lot of division in our world

[44:13] and things we do to make uh the cost of

[44:16] living here, our tax bills higher and

[44:18] greater uh just furthers at least one of

[44:20] those divides. Thank you.

[44:26] » All right. Is there somebody who would

[44:27] like to uh has has concerns about

[44:30] passing article one as opposed to

[44:31] passing article one to reconsidering the

[44:33] budget? would like to speak.

[44:36] Uh, yeah, I saw I hit it right here in

[44:37] the middle.

[44:47] » Yes. So, uh, my name is Tracy Liboitz

[44:50] and I'm a Middle Sex resident and um I I

[44:55] I've just I just my my thoughts on this

[44:58] and I think a lot of people some people

[45:00] may feel the same is just I think that

[45:02] the biggest thing is that you know we

[45:04] already had the town meeting um and the

[45:07] budget was passed and there were a lot

[45:09] of Middle Sex residents that came here

[45:12] and participated in a very long

[45:14] discussion and considered everything

[45:16] that that came up that day and

[45:18] considered everyone's opinions. Um, you

[45:21] know, that was the meeting. That was

[45:23] everyone's chance to come up, have a

[45:25] say, um, and participate in in the

[45:29] democratic process. Um, and I just feel

[45:33] it's

[45:35] I can't I can't vote to reject that, to

[45:37] throw that out, um, because of

[45:39] everything that went into that. Um, I

[45:42] just cannot justify any type of decision

[45:46] to to throw that out. Um, and I think,

[45:49] you know, I recognize that the process

[45:52] that we everybody went through to get to

[45:54] this special meeting is legitimate um,

[45:58] and legal and nothing wrong with it, but

[46:00] it was also legal and legitimate, you

[46:03] know, that we came and passed the budget

[46:05] at the town meeting and more people were

[46:08] present for that. Um, it just, hate to

[46:11] say this, I don't want to be

[46:12] inflammatory, but it seems undemocratic

[46:15] to have a smaller group here rejecting

[46:18] uh the decision that was made by

[46:20] everybody who showed up uh at the last

[46:22] town meeting. So, I think

[46:26] I've uh I've heard it said that in

[46:30] Vermont politics to to accomplish

[46:31] something, you just need 10 friends. Um,

[46:35] and that, you know, that can be that can

[46:38] be a good thing. you don't need a big

[46:40] army of people to to get something done

[46:42] here, but it can also be a bad thing.

[46:44] Um, and I just it doesn't sit well with

[46:47] me that somebody, you know, had 10

[46:50] friends and then those individuals had

[46:52] 10 friends and that got a 100 signatures

[46:54] and then we're all back here to

[46:56] reconsider a decision that was already

[46:58] made. So, I that's why I just will not

[47:02] be supporting um rejecting the the

[47:05] budget that was already passed.

[47:12] Okay. Is there someone who'd like to

[47:14] speak in favor of article one?

[47:19] » Ask a question.

[47:20] >> Yes, you can ask a question.

[47:24] » Oh, sorry.

[47:25] >> Uh, Dave Smith, this is just a simple

[47:28] question. Is this a simple majority to

[47:30] decide article one?

[47:31] >> Simple majority. Yes, is the answer. Did

[47:34] you want to um Cheryl? Yes.

[47:42] Not a public speaker.

[47:43] >> Cheryl hates public speaking. We know.

[47:45] this about her. She hates this.

[47:48] is why I am treasurer. So we don't

[47:50] have to do this.

[47:52] >> Kiss the microphone.

[47:54] >> Can you hear me?

[47:55] >> Yes. Okay. So, there's important

[47:57] realities being left out of the entire

[47:59] conversation. There's an old saying that

[48:00] this town has a whole lot of chiefs and

[48:02] not a lot of engines. Frankly, I'm

[48:04] extremely sick of the misinformation as

[48:06] it keeps occurring. The town cannot

[48:07] simply go back to pre-COVID and pre-

[48:09] flood spending levels and pretend that

[48:11] the world did not change. Middle Sex,

[48:12] like many Vermont towns, has faced

[48:14] dramatic increases in infrastructures,

[48:16] costs, insurance, fuel, health

[48:17] insurance, emergency response, road

[48:19] repairs, state mandates, cyber security

[48:21] requirements, and administrative

[48:23] demands. We have had two historic floods

[48:25] alone permanently changing the financial

[48:27] landscape of our town. The FEMA process

[48:29] is also as nearly as simple as some make

[48:31] making it sound. and reimbursements do

[48:33] not arrive immediately. Towns often have

[48:35] to front millions of dollars while

[48:37] waiting months and sometimes years for

[48:38] approval and repayment. That creates an

[48:40] enormous cash flow pressure, borrowing

[48:42] costs and engineering requirements,

[48:44] audits and compliance obligations that never existed before. FEMA

[48:48] reimbures towns for the money that's

[48:50] already been spent. It does not hand out

[48:52] extra money. Middle Sex has to carry the

[48:53] burden of two floods while also paying

[48:55] the legal fees, engineering fees,

[48:57] interest costs, bond expenses, and other

[48:59] professional costs every time borrowing

[49:01] has been required. Suggesting that the

[49:03] town is simply holding on to FEMA money

[49:05] ignores how municipal finance and other

[49:07] disaster recoveries actually work. As

[49:09] for the audit timing, many Vermont

[49:11] municipalities are behind because of

[49:13] flood related reporting. FEMA

[49:15] documentation, grant compliance, and

[49:16] staffing shortages. That is not unique

[49:18] to Middle Sex. The FY24 budget was

[49:21] completed and posted online.

[49:24] Okay, just so you know, the FY25 regular

[49:28] audit was actually completed in February

[49:30] and the single audit required enormous

[49:31] amount of documentation and detail and

[49:33] was complete pending a meeting with the

[49:35] select board for a formal presentation

[49:36] and acceptance of that audit. We are not

[49:39] auditors. We are not this auditor's only

[49:41] client and many towns are in the same

[49:43] exact position. And while everyone feels

[49:45] rising costs differently, framing this

[49:46] as has and have nots risk dividing the

[49:49] neighbors instead of trying to solve

[49:50] problems. The people working in the

[49:52] office on committees and on the road

[49:54] crew, fire departments, lead board and

[49:55] commissions are not trying to hurt

[49:57] residents. Most are trying to keep the

[49:58] town functioning under enormous pressure

[50:00] with limited staffing and increasing

[50:02] demands. At the end of the day, nobody

[50:04] wants our taxes to increase, but nobody

[50:06] wants a failing infrastructure, delayed

[50:07] emergency response, understaffed

[50:10] offices, and compliance failures or

[50:11] losing because of workload has become

[50:14] impossible either. Those are difficult

[50:16] realities that towns across Vermont are

[50:17] facing right now. The can has been

[50:20] kicked down the road for years, and that's why we are here today.

[50:25] Budgets were repeatedly cut to suppress

[50:27] tax rates while infrastructure and

[50:28] operational needs have continued to

[50:30] grow.

[50:32] Had there been

[50:34] Okay, wait a second.

[50:37] The continued misinformation being

[50:39] spread is creating mistrust in the town

[50:41] and government and undermining the hard

[50:42] work. I've had many sleepless nights as

[50:44] many as the slate board has and

[50:46] countless hours and many people have put

[50:47] into making these difficult decisions

[50:49] under incredibly difficult

[50:51] circumstances. I live personally on both

[50:53] sides of this property tax coin. I

[50:55] understand exactly what rising taxes

[50:57] mean. Paying roughly $13,000 a year

[50:59] myself and property taxes is not an easy

[51:01] task and certainly will not be any

[51:03] easier in my retirement. But the town

[51:05] does need a town administrator. We need

[51:06] office staffing beyond an 8 hour day. We

[51:08] need our roads paved. We need our trucks

[51:10] that are safe and reliable. We need

[51:12] functioning highway garage. We need

[51:13] working town space. We need equipment

[51:15] not for that is constantly filling. We

[51:17] need to address years of the backlog.

[51:20] We need security upgrades and we need

[51:22] the building maintenance. We need

[51:23] windows replaced before it become before

[51:25] this rot has become instructional

[51:26] damage. Those are not luxuries. They are

[51:28] the realities of operating a town

[51:29] responsibility.

[51:31] And that's all I got.

[51:45] » Uh so we need to um do this by process.

[51:48] Can you raise your hand please and your

[51:51] name?

[51:51] >> Robert Edson.

[51:52] calls the question. And

[51:54] there was a second. Penny.

[51:57] >> Rob Penny. So, um the question has been

[52:00] called. Um uh moved and seconded. Um

[52:04] this is a call to um cut off debate. Um

[52:08] and uh in order to cut off debate, we

[52:11] need to have a twothirds uh vote in

[52:13] favor of cutting off debate. So, this is

[52:15] a question of whether we're going to

[52:17] stop talking about this um and and uh

[52:20] and vote. So, I need uh a couple of

[52:22] border civil authority folks up here. Um

[52:25] Chris McBay or because you need to help

[52:27] me do the hand count. Um when it's a

[52:29] twothirds, I prefer a hand count.

[52:34] Um so if you can count the folks on this

[52:37] side and Chris can count the folks on

[52:40] this side. Okay. All those in favor.

[52:45] >> Yeah. Yeah. Folks in back, pick a side.

[52:52] like the approach.

[52:55] >> I need to try file. I'm going to dump.

[52:58] >> So, to be clear, we're voting on whether

[53:02] or not to stop talking right now. Um, if

[53:04] you vote yes, you would like to stop

[53:07] talking and move on to vote on article

[53:10] one. If you vote no, you would like to

[53:12] continue the discussion on article one.

[53:15] All those in favor of ending discussion,

[53:18] please raise your hand.

[53:21] Whoa. Okay. Actually, hang on a second.

[53:24] Um, can

[53:25] >> let us down.

[53:26] >> Well, tell I'd like to do it the other

[53:28] way. All those opposed to ending

[53:30] discussion right now, please raise your

[53:32] hand. This will be a little quicker.

[53:33] >> That's fair.

[53:37] » Put your put your hand down after I get

[53:39] you, please.

[53:50] You have three.

[53:51] >> We have five. Okay. So, we have no

[53:54] eight. Okay. And I'll just ask you again

[53:56] to raise your hand if you're ready to

[53:57] end discussion. Please say I. Can

[53:59] everybody just agree that this is more

[54:01] than eight? Um more than 60 I should

[54:04] say. Yeah. Thank you. With your with

[54:07] your permission, I will not um uh do a

[54:10] further assessment on that 2/3. Okay.

[54:14] So, that means that we're done talking.

[54:15] Um, and

[54:16] >> explain what the votes mean.

[54:18] >> Uh, yes, we will. Um, do uh is there I

[54:22] understood that there was some interest

[54:23] in doing this by paper ballot. Is that

[54:25] the case?

[54:26] >> I need a motion.

[54:29] >> Okay.

[54:30] >> I Ursula Stanley, I move that we vote by

[54:32] paper ballot.

[54:33] >> Okay. And um are there seven other

[54:35] people who agree with Ursula Stanley

[54:37] that we should do this by paper ballot?

[54:39] Yes, there are. Okay. Thank you. Um, so

[54:42] we will be voting this by paper ballot.

[54:44] Um, and

[54:49] the way that's going to work is that we

[54:52] are all going to go to the Well, we're

[54:54] Okay, so we're going to divide by um

[54:57] what is the dinner party rule? You

[54:58] >> want me to do it? Larry,

[55:00] >> Larry is a former um

[55:04] crowd control officer.

[55:08] >> Sorry. Oh, hang on a second. Just a

[55:09] second. Uh, Larry, there's a question in

[55:10] the back. Yes,

[55:12] >> I had a suggestion to take advantage of

[55:14] the excellent planning that was done to

[55:17] make this efficient and have three

[55:19] tables and if we do it a first and then

[55:22] otherwise we're going to have two empty

[55:24] tables going

[55:26] right and I'm wondering whether

[55:30] » that's Larry's idea exactly yeah yeah

[55:32] and um yeah so um I just want to Is

[55:36] there a mobile mic I can use or so what we did was we actually made a flip

[55:41] chart and it says um and there's um

[55:45] there's two of those you if you take off

[55:47] the top sheet you'll see there's a

[55:49] second one they can't hear me. Hey

[55:51] Bridget

[55:52] >> there there's two of those pieces of

[55:54] paper that are identical so you can put

[55:55] the other one on the other flip chart

[55:59] um and it explains um the way it is

[56:02] written. Do I have it in front of me? Um

[56:05] article one

[56:10] Just a just a second. I need another

[56:12] mic.

[56:17] » Everybody hear me?

[56:19] >> Yes. Okay. So, this is going to be on

[56:22] the flip chart.

[56:25] Article one. That's what we're voting

[56:28] on. If you vote yes, yes means that you

[56:33] want to reconsider the budget vote for

[56:36] March 3rd and you want to move on today

[56:39] now to article 2. That's a yes vote. If

[56:42] you vote no, it means you do not want to

[56:45] reconsider the budget. It means that you

[56:48] want to keep the budget as it was passed

[56:50] on March 3rd. So, we have that on flip

[56:53] chart back there because you probably

[56:54] forget by the time you get there. Yes.

[56:57] Why are we doing it? So obvious

[57:00] why are we wasting everybody's time?

[57:02] >> It's democracy, my friend.

[57:05] This is This is how we're doing it. So

[57:07] Larry, you have a you have a microphone.

[57:09] >> I'm going to talk loud so we can hear.

[57:10] >> Okay. Really loud.

[57:13] >> You know what? Use a microphone.

[57:15] >> Not loud enough.

[57:18] >> Sorry. Let's start with the uh people

[57:21] that are standing in the back. If you

[57:22] can go first and then these two rows

[57:24] right here. right here.

[57:34] » And anyone at any time is allowed to get

[57:36] a snack.

[58:00] Is that better?

[58:21] Yeah.

[58:37] This is Yeah.

[59:01] So

[59:04] happy about that.

[59:11] like this.

[59:18] » Thank you.

[59:32] » It's going to be a half hour.

[59:39] feel over by

[59:48] now.

[1:00:03] Seriously.

[1:00:08] Nobody sure

[1:00:26] know because you're know

[1:00:31] why

[1:00:43] Yeah.

[1:01:01] Okay.

[1:01:24] the next two uh rows here, this

[1:01:26] row here and this row here.

[1:01:40] Like, are you kidding me?

[1:01:51] It's

[1:01:54] a little black

[1:01:58] America.

[1:02:10] You are now

[1:02:31] clear.

[1:02:37] Heat. Heat.

[1:03:19] Okay. Can I have the next two rows? The

[1:03:22] next two rows here and here.

[1:03:26] » Excuse me.

[1:03:39] This row right here is good.

[1:03:57] Happy

[1:04:22] miles

[1:04:28] on

[1:04:51] Yeah.

[1:04:53] Heat.

[1:05:03] Heat.

[1:05:16] Oh yeah.

[1:05:20] Heat.

[1:06:00] Okay, the next rows. Let's go. Next two

[1:06:03] rows. We can go two rows. You're

[1:06:05] welcome.

[1:06:08] You're all set. People here, you good to

[1:06:10] go?

[1:06:13] >> Yes.

[1:06:16] Heat. Heat.

[1:06:47] If you have voted already and you're up

[1:06:49] back, can you guys take a seat or move

[1:06:51] back? Go back to your seat so we have

[1:06:53] room for people.

[1:06:55] Yeah.

[1:07:03] Heat.

[1:07:14] Heat.

[1:07:34] Yeah. Okay, people. If you have voted

[1:07:36] already, can you return to your seats?

[1:07:38] We got to have room, people. Thank you.

[1:07:48] » If you have voted already, please return

[1:07:50] to your seats.

[1:08:01] Heat. Heat.

[1:08:40] If your name ends with between N and Z,

[1:08:44] that table is empty. So people up front,

[1:08:46] if your name ends between N and Z, your

[1:08:50] last name is N and Z, that line is

[1:08:52] available on the very end.

[1:08:56] >> N through Z

[1:08:58] right here. We're Dinder. Our our

[1:09:01] wonderful our wonderful

[1:09:04] assistant Dinda.

[1:09:19] No, it's the last two rows.

[1:09:26] » The last two rows can go up and get in

[1:09:28] line. N through Z especially is empty.

[1:09:31] So everybody else, if you have not

[1:09:33] voted, go up and vote.

[1:09:38] It's going to get a little crowded.

[1:09:45] » If you have voted, please return to your

[1:09:48] seats. If you have voted, please return

[1:09:50] to your seats.

[1:10:18] What?

[1:10:28] » Anybody that has not voted can get in

[1:10:30] line. Anyone who has not voted can get

[1:10:32] in line.

[1:10:58] Oh my

[1:11:03] god.

[1:11:19] Heat. Heat.

[1:12:14] Yeah.

[1:12:17] Heat.

[1:12:27] Heat.

[1:12:49] She doesn't know.

[1:13:06] Never have too many.

[1:13:17] Yeah.

[1:13:21] Heat.

[1:13:51] If you have voted, if you have already

[1:13:53] voted, please return to your seats. If

[1:13:56] you have already voted, please return to

[1:13:58] your seats. Thank you.

[1:14:00] Heat.

[1:14:22] Heat.

[1:14:47] If you have not voted, please head up

[1:14:50] and vote. If you have voted, please

[1:14:52] return to your seat. Thank you.

[1:15:23] Ken, how are you?

[1:15:27] >> Good. Have you seen like big pile of

[1:15:28] lunch?

[1:15:30] Oh my goodness. You're working on your

[1:15:31] yard and mulch.

[1:15:34] This is like what? It's not done yet

[1:15:36] like this. But if it's done in 10 weeks

[1:15:38] when you come back, then I kind of patty

[1:15:52] anybody in N through Z. The table is

[1:15:55] available N through Z. Let's

[1:16:09] do that again.

[1:16:37] Thank you.

[1:16:53] Heat.

[1:17:05] Heat.

[1:18:03] Okay, anybody else needs to vote? If you

[1:18:06] guys could recite to return to your

[1:18:08] seats, we're almost completing it.

[1:18:12] Heat. Heat.

[1:19:29] I have

[1:19:31] Yeah, I didn't know.

[1:19:41] Heat.

[1:19:57] Anybody

[1:20:14] left to vote? If anybody not voted, come

[1:20:18] up to the front, please.

[1:20:23] Yeah.

[1:20:32] Heat.

[1:20:42] Anybody

[1:20:53] left? Anybody need to vote?

[1:21:08] Heat. Heat.

[1:22:21] I believe we are done voting. Ide

[1:22:30] Could

[1:22:36] we have all BCA members, all board of

[1:22:40] civil authorities, board of civil

[1:22:42] authorities to the library, please to

[1:22:44] count these votes,

[1:22:47] please? Anybody in the BCA

[1:22:50] go to the library to count these votes?

[1:22:53] >> Voting.

[1:22:54] >> So, the polls are closing. Anybody who

[1:22:56] hasn't voted, if anybody who hasn't

[1:22:59] voted, make sure you voted. We are

[1:23:01] stopping the voting right now. Anybody?

[1:23:04] Last minute. So now the board of civil

[1:23:06] authorities is going to go to the

[1:23:07] library and count the ballots.

[1:23:17] » Okay, the voting is now closed. Voting

[1:23:19] is now closed.

[1:23:24] Heat. Heat.

[1:23:34] Hey,

[1:23:56] good t-shirt.

[1:24:02] Heat. Heat.

[1:26:43] You want to make

[1:26:44] resource

[1:26:47] computer

[1:26:52] when we

[1:26:53] 3,000

[1:27:07] But Thank you.

[1:27:36] Heat. Heat.

[1:28:15] Sorry.

[1:28:28] Good morning.

[1:28:57] Okay.

[1:29:06] Heat. Heat.

[1:30:30] Yeah. Heat.

[1:30:41] Heat.

[1:31:17] Okay, folks.

[1:31:22] » We have our results.

[1:31:28] Before I read the results, I just want

[1:31:30] to give a shout out to Annette

[1:31:32] Fitzgerald of the Story Road Bakery.

[1:31:42] And she wants you to know that she does

[1:31:46] not want to take any of this food home.

[1:31:50] >> And in fact, she said she even has a

[1:31:52] table full of seconds at home. So, if

[1:31:53] you not only want to have take some on

[1:31:55] your way out, but follow her home,

[1:31:59] could be

[1:32:01] um I I will also uh I'd just like to

[1:32:05] point out that um I know that the uh

[1:32:08] budget committee um and uh some other

[1:32:10] folks, the solutions committee are

[1:32:12] interested in um doing some lessons

[1:32:14] learned um work. Uh uh so some follow-up

[1:32:18] meetings um about this about this

[1:32:20] process, how we can make things better,

[1:32:22] clearer, more transparent for next year

[1:32:24] and make every uh thing go more

[1:32:25] smoothly. Um okay, so we have the

[1:32:28] results that I just got handed by our

[1:32:30] board of civil authority. The results

[1:32:32] are yes to reconsider 40 votes, no to

[1:32:36] not reconsider, 142 votes. So, article

[1:32:41] one does not pass and that means that

[1:32:45] you can go rake your lawn.

[1:32:48] >> Motion to dismiss.

[1:32:52] » Motion to motion to adjourn. Yes.

[1:32:55] >> Second. All those in favor of

[1:32:57] adjourning.

[1:32:59] >> Thank you.

[1:32:59] all for coming. Thank you.

[1:33:02] Thank you.

[1:33:10] guys.

Middlesex Special Town Meeting LIVE on 5/9/2026 at 10:00AM

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