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Date: 8/25/2020
SOUTHHAMPTON – After three months of waiting, the Annual Town Meeting took place on Aug. 15 on Labrie Field. Town Administrator Edward Gibson said approximately 110 registered voters and around 140 people overall attended.
“While it was less than we would get for an annual Town Meeting under ‘normal’ circumstances which would probably be 160 to 180, I was pleasantly surprised with the number of registered voters who did turn out. My original prediction was that we would probably have about 80 voters in attendance,” said Gibson.
Gibson added that everyone was very respectful of the social distancing and wore facial coverings.
The Town Meeting took place outside due to the coronavirus outbreak and restrictions. Gibson said it was easier to practice social distancing outdoors.
Town Moderator Robert Floyd kept the meeting moving along and it lasted approximately one hour and 35 minutes.
During the meeting, they discussed the fiscal year 2021 (FY21) budget appropriation, approval for projects from their Community Preservation Committee, upgrades to the Hampshire Regional School HVAC system, and a loan for a new police cruiser.
All 18 of the articles on the warrant passed but only 15 of them were passed in their original form. Gibson shared that there were three amendments to the operating budget which passed and were funded through additional state aid in excess of the original revenue estimates promised to the town.
Matt Roland, a Select Board member and registered voter, made the motion to move to amend the FY11 operating budget in the General Government Section. He said this amendment was discussed at the Aug. 11 Select Board meeting and approved by the Select Board.
He presented that the assessor’s administrative assistant expenditure would go from $300 to $7,320 and the town clerk assistant’s wages from $205.73 to $11,648.33. That took the total of those two budgets from $505.73 to $18,968.33.
“To fund these increases that $18,462.60 to be added to the fiscal year 2021 unrestricted general government aid estimated state aid revenues for the town of Southampton as was outlined in the Department of Local Services July 30, 2020,” said Roland.
After Roland presented his motion, Floyd made it clear that they were not increasing the budget; there were extra funds.