GRANBY — Voters passed every article put to vote at the annual and special Town Meetings Monday night, but not without earnest debate about how the town can best spend money on schools, emergency services and road maintenance.
While several articles on the special Town Meeting warrant dealt with expenses from this year, the annual meeting addressed costs for the coming fiscal year. Annual Town Meeting addressed the first 18 of 24 articles on the warrant, and will continue June 11.
The meeting began with voters approving a motion to enter a “payment in lieu of taxes” agreement with Granby Solar LLC to build a 3.98-megawatt solar array on a site by Morgan, East and South streets. According to the meeting warrant, the array will generate $821,982 annually in taxes for the town in 20 years time.
Town Meeting also agreed to give the town’s legal services department an additional $18,000 to cover legal expenses for two major lawsuits this year. The town has spent $20,615 on two legal cases this year, with a lawsuit involving the Granby Bow and Gun Club ongoing.
Voters also agreed to place $175,000 in an account for post-employment benefits, a fraction of the $1.25 million that’s recommended annually by the state to keep up with an estimated $23 million needed to pay for retiring employees’ health insurance in the coming years and decades.
The special Town Meeting addressed two loose ends from this school year’s budget, including two school-related articles for this fiscal year that were rejected at a special Town Meeting in February.
Voters reversed course Monday, approving two articles that funded the $16,728 tuition for a Granby student attending Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School, and the $49,163.03 salary for a second-grade teacher hired this year. With 55 second-graders this year, another teacher was necessary to keep class sizes down, according to School Committee Chairman Emre Evren.
Voters also approved using $1.4 million in free cash to pay for a $1.5 million roof repair at the high school, after much debate. The repairs will address a leaking roof, skylights and ventilators in the gymnasium and around the school.
Some residents were wary of the big-ticket purchase, like Richard Domeracki, who said any money saved could help lower taxes.
“Free cash is not free cash — it is tax money that could be used to lower the tax rate,” Domeracki said.
Altogether, Granby has $1,428,019 in free cash left over from this fiscal year, according to Town Administrator Christopher Martin.
During the annual Town Meeting, voters approved routine school choice tuition — $307,795 to pay the tuition of 18 Granby students attending Pathfinder Regional Vocational School next year, and $34,532 to fund the tuition for two students to attend Smith Voc.
A larger $297,000 gap in next year’s school budget will be discussed at June’s meeting, along with the town’s overall budget.
Voters at the annual Town Meeting approved spending $44,022 for a new marked police cruiser; $225,000 for a rescue vehicle for the Fire Department; $150,000 for a new dump truck for the Highway Department; and $80,500 for a road patching equipment for the Highway Department.
Fire Chief John Mitchell argued that the mini-pumper fire truck is needed because many of the department’s main fire apparatus are not capable of accessing all residences and structures in town.
Two former members of the Fire Department spoke against the mini-pumper, saying it would not be a smart investment. Retired fire chief Dennis Houle said the truck does not provide all the proper tools or equipment to adequately respond to structure fires or medical emergencies.
“We’ve been very, very tight on funds, and we’ve done an excellent job,” Houle said.
He later added, “We now have a new chief who comes with new philosophies and we’re spending more money.”
Former assistant fire chief George Randall said mini pumpers hold only 400 gallons of water, not nearly enough to help during a structure fire.
“It’s like bringing a knife to a gunfight,” Randall said.
The annual Town Meeting will continue on June 11 at 7 p.m. in the high school gymnasium.