WESTFIELD — For the first time in recent memory, voters here elected a town treasurer who is not also their town clerk.

Earlier, Town Clerk Connie LaPlume had resigned as treasurer.  The selectmen appointed Mary Lou Jacobs to take over as treasurer.  Ms. Jacobs was elected to fill out the remainder of the term at town meeting on Tuesday.  Both she and Ms. LaPlume will be up for re-election for three-year terms next year.

Ms. LaPlume said that the clerk and treasurer positions have always been separate, but they have been done by one person.

Voters also elected a new school director.  Kevin Amyot will replace Dennis Beloin, who said he was not seeking re-election.

Mr. Beloin said he’s taken on a lot of work and needs to take a break from being on the school board.  He nominated Mr. Amyot, who said he has two children in the Jay-Westfield School and would like to contribute to continuing the fine education children receive there.

Richard Degre was re-elected to a three-year term as selectman.

Ladonna Dunn was elected auditor, replacing Deanna Buchner, who did not want to run again.

Jamie Pillsbury was elected library trustee for five years, replacing Ken Bryant, who also chose not to seek re-election and nominated Mr. Pillsbury.

All other officers were re-elected.

Hubert and Caroline Daberer, owners of Alpine Haven, received a plaque in appreciation of their contribution to the growth of the town of Westfield.

About 50 years ago, Mr. Daberer approached the town about 240 acres Westfield owned on the other side of Jay Peak, in the town of Westfield, although physically closer to Montgomery Center.  Mr. Daberer said that, if the town would give him the land, he would compensate Westfield by building chalets on it.

The town did give him the land, with the stipulation that he had to put up at least one building worth $100,000.  That was in June of 1962.  In 1963 Mr. Daberer sold the first chalet.

“Today, I believe you have about 65 chalets in Westfield,” said Yves Daigle, chairman of the selectmen.

Mr. Daberer said he thinks it turned out to be a good deal for Westfield.  He said he’s built 86 homes in all, although some are in Montgomery.  “I would say the town is collecting taxes on $50 million today,” he said.

Voters approved the proposed Jay-Westfield school budget of $1,121.571 by a vote of 46-5.  The assessment to the town of Westfield is $462,739.

This year’s school budget for Westfield is up 1.4 percent, largely because of employees, Mr. Beloin said.  He said a paraprofessional was made a full-time, permanent position, and the other increase was for the principal.

He said voters should take into consideration that the school has almost the same staffing level with its current 100 or so students as it did with 50.  And it’s a good school, Mr. Beloin said.  The New England Common Assessment Program (NEKCAP) scores showed that Jay-Westfield students are about 30 percent above the state average in reading, writing, and math.

“We are doing more with less money,” Mr. Beloin said.

Voters also appropriated $110,770 for seventh- and eighth-grade tuition and $37,674 for preschool costs.

When the daunting list of 28 requests for appropriations totaling $50,862, came up, Mike Piper said, “Can I make a motion to cut all of them in half?’

In the end, none were cut in half, or by any amount at all.  In fact, both the Jay food shelf and the Jay Athletic Association were given more than they’d asked for.

The food shelf had requested an appropriation of $250.  Voters doubled that amount to $500.

They had previously granted a $500 appropriation request to the Frontier Animal Society, and some people clearly felt that hungry people should receive at least as much money as homeless cats and dogs.

The animal society’s $500 request generated some resistance.  Ms. LaPlume explained that lately a lot of people have handed their animals over to the Frontier Animal Society because they can’t afford to care for them.

Also, Mr. Daigle said that, if the town ends up with a stray dog or cat it doesn’t know what to do with, the animal is taken to the Frontier Animal Society.

“We can’t just take it out behind the barn and shoot it in the head,” he said.  “We use this organization quite a bit.”

School Director Lawrence Berry asked that the $800 request from the Jay Athletic Association be increased to $1,000.  He said that, in many towns, local sports for kids are supported by the school, but not so in Jay and Westfield.

“None of it comes out of the school budget.”

He said work needs to be done on the baseball field, teams need uniforms and equipment, and there are other expenses.

Upping the appropriation to $1,000 still would not be enough, Mr. Berry said.  “But it will be an effort on our behalf to show people that we support local sports.”

Mr. Amyot said that 40 to 60 percent of the school’s kids play some sport or another.

If there’s not enough money through appropriations, where does it come from? some people wondered.

People make do, said Lara Starr, mother of a young child who plays sports.  She said helmets don’t fit, and there aren’t enough uniforms.  “But you’re not going to tell a kid he can’t play.”

The increased appropriation easily passed.

Town and road budgets totaling $437,286 passed easily on a voice vote.

In other business John Farara said he’d like the selectmen to think about putting ‘No Thru Truck Traffic’ signs on North Hill, which leads from Westfield to Jay.  He said there’s been a heavy increase in truck traffic because of the growth of Jay Peak.

Mr. Farara also said he’d like a moratorium on shipping containers used for storage, or at least some regulation on disguising them.

Selectmen said that was a matter for the zoning board.