SHELBURNE — The town easily approved a $4.3 million budget Tuesday, while passing over some articles that aimed to relax zoning laws.
The town began the meeting with its operating budget, approving the request of $4.3 million, with roughly half of the amount directed to education.
As in most local towns, Shelburne’s largest expense is education, totaling $2.4 million in fiscal 2020 – an increase of $63,000 or 2.7 percent from the current year. This rise is partly due to seven additional students in town, Mohawk Trail Regional District School Committee member Jason Cusimano said.
Asked about school choice, Cusimano said 70.9 percent of eligible students go to a Mohawk District school, while 7.4 percent opt for private schools, 7 percent go to a vocational school, 6.9 percent choice out and 3.8 percent go to a charter school. The remainder go to different schools due to special needs that cannot be accommodated by Mohawk, or are homeschooled.
Superintendent Michael Buoniconti said these figures have stayed the same for a decade.
All other municipal operating expenses were approved: government expenses, $800,000, up 1.6 percent; public safety, $340,000, up 8.5 percent; highways, $467,000, up 2.5 percent; health and sanitation, $94,500, down 4 percent; recreation, $22,000, up 0.2 percent; human services, $187,000, down 4.9 percent.
A list of zoning changes, mostly seeking to relax laws and boost affordable housing, were up for a vote at the meeting. However the laws yielded confusion among residents, who said they could not see how the proposed laws would compel developers to create more affordable housing.Eventually, several items related to relaxing zoning laws and expanding affordable housing were passed over, with several townspeople saying they not feel fully informed about their implications.However, a couple zoning articles aiming to clarify several technical terms did receive a vote:
■An article to allow common driveways in town was passed by a two-thirds majority. However, the common driveway is contingent on the written approval of the Selectboard, highway superintendent, police and fire departments and Water District (as applicable).
■An article to clear up the terms “minor street” and “frontage” was narrowly defeated as it did not receive a two-thirds majority.
■An article was passed over that would give townspeople an exception to dimensional requirements for side and rear setbacks.
■An article to divide the residential district in two, separated by Route 2, was narrowly defeated as it did not receive a two-thirds majority.
■An article that would permit commercial greenhouses on lots of five acres of greater was approved.
Capital expenses
All capital expenses were approved at Tuesday’s meeting:
■$73,111 for facility improvements at Mohawk Trail Regional School District; $7,540 for facility improvements at Franklin County Technical School.
■$50,000 in funds for Memorial Hall renovations. The project is expected to cost roughly $600,000 altogether. To pay for the renovation, the Memorial Hall Association intends to request an additional $100,000 from Shelburne in the following two fiscal years and raise the remainder with fundraising and grants.
■$15,000 for a site review of a potential new Shelburne Senior Center.
■$32,540 toward a new backhoe.
■$42,500 toward a new front end loader.
■$49,963 toward a new police station at 623 Mohawk Trail.
■$80,000 for a solar array on a new Highway Garage roof.
■A bevy of routine capital costs were also approved, including money for a highway equipment fund and a town-owned building repair fund.
The town voted to defund the Greater Shelburne Falls Area Business Association, after the organization asked to amend the budget to provide $10,000 in funding. Following some discussion, the amendment was opposed by the town.
The business association was defunded by Selectboard for fiscal 2020 after Buckland declined to fund the organization for a second consecutive year.
Selectboard member Andrew Baker said the decision was “regretfully” made because a position had been made part-time and also called the partnership was “lopsided” as Buckland is no longer participating.
Selectboard member Matthew Marchese added that the business group “is truly a partnership” and is unsustainable without Buckland.
“I don’t take the unfunding of it lightly … it is something we are anxious to revisit,” Marchese said. “Do we need to look at it in a different way if Buckland doesn’t want to be in it?”
One item submitted by a citizens petition concerning the state flag and seal was approved. The article supports a state bill to create a commission to examine the state flag and seal, in particular its depiction of Native American history.
■The town approved the stipends and salaries of various elected officials and employees ranging from $170 for the moderator to $30,359 to the town collector. A discussion ensued about the town assessor’s stipend, which was proposed to be $3,500 for three seats, was amended to be $7,510 with 54 votes in approval and 39 in opposition.
■Voters approved an article to permit Shelburne to enter into a 10-year contract with a five-year extension option with a recycling vendor selected by the state Department of Environmental Protection.
■The town permitted the elected tax collector become an appointed position.
■Voters OK’d an article to accept a state law imposing a 3 percent excise tax on retail sales of marijuana or marijuana products and one to accept a state law imposing a 6 percent lodging tax on short-term rental housing.
■The town approved an article to permit the Selectboard enter into a 30-year lease with the option of a 20-year renewal with the Arms Library Association for the Pratt Memorial Library Building. This is for the purpose of collecting historic tax credits of $275,000.
Reach Grace Bird at gbird@recorder.com.