BY TIMOTHY LAROCHE
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CORNISH — Voters approved nearly $1,436,000 in expenditures on Tuesday during the annual Cornish Town Meeting.
The combined town budget and articles totaled about $100,000 more than last years approved expenditures, mostly due to paving and emergency management equipment cost increases. The approved budget means that the tax rate will be about $21.35 per $1,000, a 17-cent decrease from last year.
The Cornish Police Department budget received a last-minute $9,000 bump after Chief Douglas Haskett motioned to amend expenditures to include money for a speed-reading sign for Cornish Flat.
While the speed limit drops from 50 mph to 35 mph when cars enter Cornish Flat, one of the town’s village zones, Haskett said his department has received many complaints about drivers not obeying the speed limit. Rather than post an officer to catch speeders, he said it would be more effective and efficient to post a sign that would display drivers’ speeds as they pass.
“This is good money because I can’t put an officer out there all the time,” Haskett said. “Unless someone wants to hire three more officers, there is going to be this problem there.”
Previous efforts to post speed traps at the village have also proven mostly unsuccessful when passing cars warn drivers of the hidden officers, Haskett said. Flashing speed signs serve as a proactive reminder not to speed, he said. His motion to increase the budget from $88,000 to $97,000 passed, and the department budget passed shortly after.
One other article saw an increase from its warned amount as residents opted to increase town paving budgets from $75,000 to $100,000. Coupled with road and highway money the town received from Senate Bill 2 in 2017, the town will spend $175,000 in total paving projects to be used on a deteriorating section of Dingleton Hill Road. Selectboard Chair John Hammond estimated that the money will cover about 1.75 miles of road work. The town has close to 16.5 total miles of paved roadway.
Voters also approved: $4,500 for a conservation fund; $60,000 for a highway equipment fund; $35,000 for a fire department fund; $5,000 for a police fund; $12,000 for appraisal; $2,000 for a library fund; $10,000 for town bridge fund; $10,000 for capital improvements and maintenance; $4,000 for a cemetery fund; $2,500 for a municipal building fund; $1,551 for the police fund from the sale of a cruiser; $8,500 for a highway equipment fund from the sale of a dump truck; $7,800 to perform data verification of property values; $38,911 for emergency management equipment; $8,000 to restore a statue in Meeting House Park; $20,000 for Town Hall roof improvements and Little Town Hall painting; $5,000 for a new well; $1,500 to make town forest improvements; $1,500 for Trinity Church improvements.
Voters also approved a measure to authorize the trustees of Trust Funds to pay for capital reserve fund management services with capital reserve income and a goal to shift the town to sustainable energy sources by 2050.
Many of the articles saw overwhelming approval from town meeting-goers, who passed all but two of the 30 warrant articles.
The proposal to raise $13,000 to build a shed over a box trailer failed unanimously after several residents voiced concerns that plans to build the shed had several engineering flaws and could weaken nearby structures. A committee was established to study a more viable location for the shed, however, with several residents already volunteering to serve on it.
The only other article that failed was a proposal to authorize the Board of Selectmen to appoint a cemetery sexton rather than have the position be an elected, as it currently is. After a voice vote was deemed too close to determine a clear answer, Moderator Gwyn Gallagher requested that residents vote by hand, only to count an exact tie. A second hand vote failed by a small margin – 35 to 39 against it.
Several residents said they were pleased with the work that Cemetery Sexton Tom Spaulding, a fact with which town officials said they agreed. However, having an appointed sexton rather than an elected sexton would give selectboard officials greater authority to set cemetery policy.
For the town election, 115 ballots were cast throughout the day for several uncontested races. Selectman John Hammond was reelected with 101 votes. Trustee of Trust Funds Heather Meeks was reelected with 100 votes. Trustee of the George H. Stowell Library Kate Freeland was reelected with 114 votes. Sexton Tom Spaulding was reelected with 105 votes. Supervisor of Checklist Ruth Rollins was reelected with 106 votes. Town Treasurer Heidi Jaarsma was reelected with 112 votes, General Assistance and Senior Resources Director Marie Durusha was reelected with 110 votes. Moderator Gwyn Gallagher was reelected with 113 votes. Tax Collector Reigh Sweetser was reelected with 111 votes.
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