Waterville Valley Town Meeting 2024: In-Depth Debates and Decisive Votes Shape Town’s Future
The annual Waterville Valley Town Meeting on March 12, 2024, featured extensive discussions and critical decisions on a range of town matters. The meeting, moderated by Patty Furgal (link), addressed election results, zoning amendments, and numerous warrant articles concerning town finances, infrastructure, and community initiatives.
Podcast Review
Election Outcomes and Procedural Notes:
Prior to the main body of the meeting, the results of earlier balloting were announced, confirming the election of Rich Rita to the Select Board, along with Patty Furgal as Moderator, Mark Ritturner as Supervisor of the Checklist, Carol Flaggle as Trustee of the Trust Funds, and Gretchen Williams as Library Trustee (link). The passage of all Zoning Amendments from Article 2 through 11 was also noted (link).
The moderator outlined the voting procedures, emphasizing that the first three warrant articles, being bond articles exceeding $100,000, required written secret ballots (link). Residents were also informed of their right to request paper ballots for other articles if at least five registered voters presented a signed list (link). A reminder was given to speakers to state their name and residence before addressing the meeting (link) [1]. Patty Furgal also clarified that the meeting would follow “Patty’s Rules,” a less formal version of Robert’s Rules of Order (link).
Key Financial Matters and Debates:
The town meeting saw extensive debate on several financial articles, reflecting the community’s careful consideration of expenditures and priorities.
- Article 12: New Fire Engine Pumper: A significant appropriation was proposed for a new fire engine pumper. The motion sought $690,000, with $645,000 to be raised through bonds and notes and $45,000 sourced from the fire apparatus maintenance and replacement capital reserve fund (link). The Select Board unanimously recommended approval, and this article required a three-fifths majority to pass (link). Discussion touched upon the gross budgeting requirements and the Select Board’s authority to manage the bond process (link), (link).
- Article 13: New Ambulance: Another major capital expenditure concerned the replacement of the town’s ambulance, with a total authorization of $500,000 being sought (link). Similar to the fire engine, this required a three-fifths majority (link). The Select Board indicated their intention to apply any funds from the trade-in or sale of the current ambulance to reduce the bond amount (link). Articles 12 and 13 were voted on together via secret ballot (link), with the polls open for an hour (link). The results were announced later in the meeting, confirming passage of both articles (link).
- Article 17: Snows Mountain Engineering Capital Reserve Fund: The establishment of a capital reserve fund for Snows Mountain Road and related infrastructure received unanimous support. Voters agreed to raise and appropriate $100,000 for planning, maintenance, and potential new sewer infrastructure (link), (link).
- Article 19: Curious Cottage Program (Preschool Funding): This article, requesting $30,000 to support the Curious Cottage Program operated by the Race Center (link), sparked considerable discussion. An amendment was successfully proposed to remove the word “George” and “cultural events” and extend the non-lapsing nature of the appropriation to 2027 (link), (link). The debate explored the distinction between “daycare camp” as stated in the amended article and the known “Curious Cottage Preschool” program (link), with explanations provided regarding Department of Revenue Administration guidelines for warrant article language (link). Concerns were raised about the financial sustainability of the private organization (link) and whether this would be a recurring funding request (link). Despite these concerns, the article as amended ultimately passed with a vote of 73 yes and 37 no (link). A sheet breaking down the operating budget and the preschool budget was available in the information packet (link).
- Article 31: Negotiation for Valley Sanctuary Project Land: A significant point of discussion revolved around Article 31, which sought authorization for the Select Board to negotiate terms and conditions for the sale of approximately 0.8 acres of town land adjacent to Corcoran Pond to the Valley Sanctuary Committee (link), (link). Concerns were raised about the discrepancy in land size mentioned in the warrant versus the Sanctuary Group’s report (0.8 acres vs. 0.4 acres) (link). A presentation by the Valley Sanctuary Committee outlined the project’s vision and emphasized that the current vote was only to allow negotiation, with a final purchase and sale agreement requiring voter approval at a future town meeting (link), (link). An amendment was proposed and passed, stipulating that the Valley Sanctuary Committee would pay for all town expenses related to the negotiations (link), (link). Debate continued on the specific piece of land, potential impacts, and the long-term vision for the sanctuary (link), (link). Despite ongoing questions (link), the amended article passed (link).
Other Notable Articles and Decisions:
- Several other financial articles for leases and capital reserves were approved, often with brief presentations outlining the need and funding sources:
- The town voted to appropriate $6,381,824 for general municipal operations for fiscal year 2023 (link), with the budget details available in the town report (link). This article passed unanimously (link).
- A motion was made and passed to limit reconsideration on all articles already voted upon during the meeting (link), (link), (link).
- Article 25, concerning an amendment to the noise ordinance, saw discussion about flexibility in listing observed holidays, leading to an amendment and subsequent passage of the amended article (link), (link).
- It was noted that there was a typographical error in the warrant, with no Article 26 existing (link).
- Various other articles related to town ordinances, property tax exemptions, and veterans tax credits were presented and generally passed with limited discussion (link), (link), (link).
- Article 35, regarding the sale of town property, failed to pass with a ballot vote of 39 yes and 45 no (link), (link).
The Waterville Valley Town Meeting concluded after a lengthy session of engaged debate and voting, shaping the fiscal and operational landscape of the town for the coming year. Patty Furgal thanked the attendees and volunteers for their participation (link).