Belmont Selectboard changes meeting time to 6 p.m., temporarily

BELMONT — The town Selectboard meeting on April 2 was at the usual time, 10 a.m. But after an advisory petitioned warrant article passed at Town Meeting to start selectboard meetings after 4 p.m., the board voted to hold the second meeting of each month at 6 p.m., temporarily through June.

The Wednesday, April 16 meeting will be the first at the new time. The first meeting of each month will still be held at 10 a.m.

The decision to make one meeting per month at 6 p.m. was described as a compromise. Some selectboard members have a preference for 10 a.m. meetings, and expressed skepticism as to whether the time change would make a difference in attendance. Residents were invited to voice their opinions on the matter, but no one spoke during public comment at the meeting, held in the Tioga meeting room at the Belmont Mill.

“We'll look and see how many people show up at these meetings and participate, and if we have the same participation as we'll have today at this meeting,” Selectboard Vice Chair Jon Pike said.

There were 10 people in attendance during the meeting, with more than half of those department heads and town staff.

The vote passed with a slim 3 to 2 majority, with members Travis O’Hara and Sharon Ciampi voting against. Both O’Hara and Ciampi are in favor of late meetings, but thought the compromise was not enough.

“Since it's only a temporary thing, I think that we should do 6:00 for both meetings,” Ciampi said.

The petitioned article was an advisory one, meaning the final decision is left to the discretion of the selectboard. At Town Meeting, 642 residents voted in favor, compared with 210 against. With 75% of voters requesting later meetings, O’Hara felt the need to advocate for the people. If the vote was different, he said he wouldn’t be persistent on the issue.

“That was a temperature check of what the public wants,” he said. “And what the public wants is now what I'm echoing.”

Department heads are not required to attend meetings, but come as a consideration for the board. The board would not require department heads to attend meetings at 6 p.m. meetings. The petitioned article also stated daytime meetings can be scheduled in the event of an emergency.

If late meetings bring more attendance, O’Hara believes the process and decision-making would feel more transparent for voters, and potentially lead to a passing budget. Selectboard member Claude Patten Jr. was skeptical of the time change, and if it would influence the perception of the budget.

“I've been on the board eight years, and we've never had a problem, and we never had a budget be shot down either,” Patten said. “But we'll try anything, see if it works, and then make everybody happy. Or try to anyway.”

The selectboard met for a workshop March 27, to start discussions on changes to town departments to fit the budget. Department heads attended to provide their perspective. The discussion included cutting Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day, which costs $9,000 cost, as well as the town’s contribution to Old Home Day festivities. Old Home Day is traditionally a volunteer-led initiative funded by donations. The minutes for the workshop, originally scheduled for vote during the April 2 meeting, are now set to be approved at the next selectboard meeting.

During Wednesday’s meeting, the board approved the hiring of a part-time police officer at the request of Police Chief Stephen Akerstrom. The part-time officer would monitor traffic, and come out for community events and accident reconstruction.

“It gives us more boots on the ground when we need it,” Akerstrom said.

The board also passed motions to require selectboard approval for all new hires, and to approve use of town property for a Easter egg hunting event on Saturday, April 19, with crafts and a bounce house.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to accurately reflect officer positions of selectboard members, and clarifies attribution of a quote about the town budget's passage.