Bristol passes $6.8 million budget, defeats SB2 article

BRISTOL — Voters debated and then agreed to go forward with Town Meeting despite concerns about the coronavirus, approving a $6.8 operating budget but defeating a petitioned article that would have exchanged the traditional town meeting for the so-called SB2 form of decision-making.

There was an attempt to decrease the budget by $175,000, followed by a motion to increase it by $10,000, but voters defeated both amendments, leaving the budget committee’s recommendation untouched.

On petitioners’ third attempt to adopt the Official Ballot Act, which would split town meeting into a deliberative session followed by a ballot vote on election day, the 169 voters casting ballots defeated the measure, 49-120. Because the measure would have required a ⅗th majority vote, it would have taken 102 affirmative votes to pass the measure.

The other significant article was one to rescind last year’s vote to extend municipal sewer lines to Newfound Lake — a petitioned article that would be nonbinding because, by law, such a decision cannot be rescinded for five years. Notwithstanding that announcement, voters expressed “buyer’s remorse” and said they did not realize the plan included extending the sewer line through a wetlands area to Hall Road — despite extensive discussion of the plans last year.

Many of those voting to rescind the article said they agreed with protecting the lake, but did not believe the project would help and, in fact, because zoning allows greater density when municipal sewer is available, it could prove detrimental to the water quality.

Residents reached the ⅔ vote required to pass the article and rescind the decision, approving it 91-31.

A proposal to spend $100,000 to design a new public safety building for the police and fire departments failed on a 51-80 vote. Voters said the approval was premature because the town just last year committed to a new town office building project and is still paying for a library addition and a fire engine which will be paid off in the next couple of years.

Selectmen pointed out that there would be no payments until those bonds were paid off because the project would come to the town for approval next year and construction would not take place until the fall of 2021, with the bond payments starting in 2022. The cost of the architectural and engineering studies would come from the unassigned fund balance, resulting in no new taxation.

Voters approved an article to spend $56,000 for a lift in the new town office building so the second floor would be accessible to the public and to employees with disabilities.