WESTFIELD — Voters here narrowly agreed to offer health insurance to their town clerk and road foreman for the first time, though many were not enthusiastic about the town paying the full premium as proposed and suggested that perhaps the two employees could pick up a share of it.
Selectman Jacques Couture said he believes the board has the authority to work out the details if voters approved, but it would be helpful to know people's wishes. Some of those voters said they thought it was a particularly bad time for the town to start providing health insurance. Others said the request for insurance was reasonable, but most state or municipal employees do pick up some of the premium. Many didn't like the idea one bit.
"I have a real problem with this," said Jan Degre. "My insurance costs a fortune. We can barely pay it, and I don't think this is a good time to be putting this in the budget."
A few people wondered if the measure could be amended to say that the employee pays something, but in a meeting that often struggled with procedural questions, the amendment never surfaced. The request passed 39-35.
If the town pays the full premium, this year's cost will be $12,534. Town Clerk Connie LaPlume said it would add a penny to the tax rate.
That's not the point, a couple of people said. The stickler seemed to be that many government employees do pay a portion of their insurance premiums, and even many of those who were not opposed to providing insurance said they'd like to see the employees pick up at least 20 percent of the cost.
It was an unusually well-attended, and unusually long, meeting that didn't even take a lunch break. The 75 or so people plodded on, taking several close ballot votes. Selectman Yves Daigle said it's the longest meeting he's attended in 40 years on the board.
Larry Berry defeated Kay Courson for a three-year term as school director. Ann Lazor had decided not to run again. The vote was 36-37 in favor of Mr. Berry, but there were two blank ballots.
Moderator Pat Sagui suggested that, in view of how close the vote was, the only fair thing to do was hold a re-vote. "The number of people who voted and the total number of ballots aren't the same," she said. "It doesn't seem fair when it's that close."
Ms. Courson decided to drop out, however, saying she'd rather avoid controversy.
Mike Murphy unseated incumbent June Rosenberg as Westfield's representative to the North Country Union High School Board. Ms. Rosenberg had served for nine years. The vote was 47-31.
Mr. Murphy said he taught for ten years, and he has a daughter at the high school. He said he has serious concerns about the school's curriculum, and he thinks the board needs to hold the administration accountable for its actions and choices.
Incumbent Katherine Simms fended off a challenge for auditor from Debra Dykeman. The vote was 42-39.
Other officers were elected unopposed.
Westfield's $1,028,030 share of the joint Jay-Westfield School budget passed easily by a vote of 60-17, although it prompted a discussion of how officials plan to deal with a rapidly growing student population. In 2003 there were 52 students at the school; in 2009 there are 87, said school director Loren Petzholdt.
Part of the reason that Westfield's budget is up by roughly $90,000 is that it now has 42 percent of the student body as opposed to 38 percent last year, he said.
The school can still take more students, but officials from both towns have been meeting to talk about what to do if there's a sudden jump, Mr. Daigle said. There's a room in the town clerk's office that could be used temporarily to handle an unexpected leap, he said. "That could heal the wound for now and give us some buying time."
There's no immediate problem, Mr. Petzholdt said, so meetings have simply been exploratory, aimed at addressing any short-term problem that could arise. He noted that Jay Peak Ski Resort is planning a big expansion, and town officials don't yet know how that might affect student numbers. "Right now, they're saying no, they're going to hire their part-time people full time," Mr. Petzholdt said.
Voters also approved spending $35,000 to replace the school's roof. "The roof is 16 years old, and the shingles are starting to crack," said School Director Denis Beloin. "We're being proactive here." If the roof starts to leak, the water would get into the insulation and lead to more expensive repairs, he noted. That item passed 56-14.
The Northeast Kingdom Waste Management District budget of $610,015 was voted by Australian ballot, but there was discussion. Mr. Daigle said that about 62 percent of Westfield residents are recycling. He urged more to participate. "Recycling increases the life of our landfills and helps keep the roadsides clean," he said.
All of the 28 appropriation requests passed, though not all of them easily.
Several people questioned what the $6,036 appropriation for the Missisquoi Valley Ambulance bought them, and what would happen if they did not appropriate the money.
"We ought to send a letter to these people and ask what does it buy us," Mr. Couture said. "There are a lot of questions people don't have the answers to." They could be invited to a selectmen's meeting, he suggested.
Despite the discussion, the item passed unanimously on a voice vote, which prompted surprise and laughter. After all that, you'd expect someone to vote against it, a couple of people said.
When the $500 request from the Frontier Animal Society came up, Theresa McAvinney said she had a problem with spending more money on animals than hungry people. A few items previous, the meeting had appropriated $250 for the Jay Food Shelf.
"The Jay Food Shelf is almost bare bones," Ms. McAvinney said.
It took considerable wrangling to figure out how to add money to the Jay Food Shelf, but it was finally managed through a series of amendments under the $100 request for support for the Halloween party. The Halloween party request remains, but $250 was added to go to the food shelf.
A $10,000 request for playground equipment also passed. The same amount was appropriated last year. Since then, through fund-raisers, the account has risen to $24,365, Mr. Daigle said. There's now enough money to build a basketball court. The plan is to build a basketball court, a tennis court, and a playground for smaller children.
Some of the money has come in through grants, but townspeople have worked hard at raising money. Selectman Richard Degre held a dance at his auction barn that raised $2,600. Children raised $700 through a penny drive, and there have been private donations as well.
