Hermon council votes to leave reserves in budget

HERMON – Walking the tightrope Wednesday, town councilors voted to keep intact $371,400 in reserve accounts to defray the costs of a new fire station and renovations to the middle school, projects voters had rejected earlier this month.

Voters opposed both projects by wide margins at the polls June 8 but voted to include the reserve accounts in next year’s budget at town meeting, providing a quandary for town officials.

This week, Town Manager Clint Deschene asked the council how to proceed. After hearing arguments, the council voted unanimously to keep $74,200 in a new fire station reserve account and $297,200 in an account for the middle school repairs.

Spending the money will require approval from a special town meeting, but supporters saw this as a chance to do what should have been done years ago: squirrel away money for needed improvement projects.

Councilor Janet Bart and some members of the audience said the decision was in keeping with the decision at the annual town meeting.

“That’s what we voted,” Bart said.

Others feared a backlash when the projects come before residents who this year faced steeper than expected tax increases due to a revaluation.

Hermon resident Chris Reynolds voiced his concerns about the potential for heavy opposition to the projects from voters. Reynolds served on the building committee that reviewed the town’s need for a new fire station and middle school renovations.

Reynolds told the council that residents weren’t happy about their property taxes going up and that putting the reserves in place could further anger them. He suggested regrouping and finding out what residents didn’t like about the projects.

For Bart, the answer had come at town meeting where the reserve accounts were approved, but Reynolds contended that some voters may have considered approval of the reserve accounts contingent upon the results from the polls, which weren’t counted until after town meeting ended.

There was agreement on the need for the projects, particularly the middle school renovations that would replace a deteriorating gymnasium with a new gym-cafeteria and add classroom space. Both Reynolds and Councilor Donald Shepley said the middle school can’t wait years for the reserve funds to accumulate to cover the cost of the project.

“If we wait five years, they’ll be having school out in the parking lot,” Shepley said.