Rindge voters approved the purchase of a new fire engine on Tuesday, albeit by a miniscule margin.
The warrant article, passed by a vote of 707 to 700, will authorize the town’s selectmen to enter a lease/purchase agreement of up to five years to purchase a $450,000 fire engine.
Two warrant articles last year – one with and one without an escape clause – asked for the town to raise money for a new fire engine, but they were both defeated.
“I’m hoping this is the year,” said Ron Osimo, while holding signs outside Rindge Memorial School on Wednesday afternoon. “The current engine is 24-years-old and it has broken down many times. It’s about the safety of our town and first responders.”
The agreement will have an escape clause, meaning voters will have to approve the annual payments on the vehicle. The article will raise up to $100,755 for the first payment and will offset the cost of the purchase by trading the old engine in for approximately $10,000.
Incumbent Selectwoman Roberta Oeser will retain her seat after defeating Tom Coneys by a vote of 727 to 672.
“I’m relieved,” said Oeser, in an interview Wednesday morning.
Oeser said she hopes to focus in the coming year on auctioning more town property, looking at expanding the use of the transfer station special revenue fund, and resurrecting the personnel committee in her tenure on the board.
“We need to retain employees,” said Oeser, of the desire to reform the committee. “The police department is one area we need to work on.”
A warrant article to raise $5,000 for the Rindge 250 Expendable Trust Fund was not passed as the vote was 715 to 715 (a majority is required). The money would’ve been used to help celebrate the town’s 250th anniversary.
Oeser, a member of the Rindge 250 volunteer committee, said Wednesday morning that she would be exploring the possibility of a recount. Nothing official had been filed as of the Ledger-Transcript’s Wednesday deadline.
“It’s peanuts, it’s negligible on the tax rate,” said Oeser. “It’s important to celebrate the town’s anniversary and its history.”
Rindge voters decided to not put money away for the future, as a warrant article asking for $100,000 for the highway capital reserve fund and $25,000 for the fire department capital reserve fund was not approved by a vote of 606 to 771.
Allowing the operation of Keno in town was also defeated by a vote of 686 to 698.
The following candidates won their respected contested races: Jason Paolino and Dennis Casey have been elected to the planning board, David Graham and Cheryl McCabe Charron have been elected to the budget advisory committee, and Karla J. MacLeod and Roberta D. Gordenstein have been elected library trustees.
On the school district side, Heidi Graff defeated Alicia Stenersen by a vote of 718 to 593.
This year’s $3.98 million operating budget was passed by a vote of 961 to 445.
All vehicle-related warrant articles were passed, including raising $150,000 for a Freightliner M2 plow truck, $35,000 for a fire utility vehicle, $15,723 for a Kubota zero-turn industrial mower, $206,000 for a three-and-a-half yard bucket loader with attachments, and $14,000 for a 15-passenger bus for the recreation department.
There is no tax impact for any of the purchases, as the unassigned fund balance, trade-in value, town capital reserve accounts, and other town funds will be used to purchase the vehicles.
Both petition articles were passed this year.
The first adopts the provisions of a state law that expands the eligibility of veterans in town to get a $500 tax credit. The credit will now be open to all Rindge veterans who served at least 90 days on active duty.
The second has the town expressing support for Gov. Chris Sununu to join Massachusetts and Maine to study the feasibility of developing offshore wind power of the Gulf of Maine.
The town approved getting a generator for the highway department. The generator will only be purchased if a FEMA or other grant is awarded to offset the entirety of the $40,000 price tag.
Two new expendable trust funds were established this year.
The Ingalls Memorial Library Trust Fund was established for the purpose of repairing and maintaining the library. A total of $20,000 will be raised for the fund.
The Cemetery Trust Fund was established for the purpose of repairing, maintaining, and expanding the cemeteries in town. A total of $12,000 will be raised for the fund.
The following monetary amounts will be placed into town accounts: $18,000 into the Wellington Road Bridge Replacement Capital Reserve Account, $28,000 into the Revaluation Capital Reserve Account.
Charlie Eicher (moderator), William L. Harper (cemetery trustee), J. Craig Clark Jr. (trustee of the trust funds), Lisa B. Wiley (supervisor of the checklist), and Janet C. Goodrich and Philip Stenersen (zoning board) were all elected in uncontested races.
Two zoning articles were passed by large margins.
The first eliminated the requirement to submit a site assessment study report for existing septic systems on land transferred or sold when the property is located within 200 feet of a great pond.
The second allows up to one home-based business with five or less employees per residence in the residential-agricultural district upon the granting of a conditional use permit.