Francestown’s Annual Town meeting began and ended with a celebration of the town’s success in the vote to withdraw from the Conval School District, including an ovation for the committee that spearheaded the effort.
Town Moderator Stewart Brock opened the business of the day announcing the results of the town elections: All candidates ran unopposed, and all proposed amendments to the town zoning ordinance passed by wide margins.
The morning was taken up with an in-depth, often spirited, debate over the proposed 9.8% increase in the town’s annual budget. Town Administrator Jamie Pike presented an overview of the annual increase, pointing out that many of the cost increases were for items that were out of the town’s control, including insurance and benefits, IT contracts, and ambulance service.
A proposed amendment to cap the increase at 3% made by Linda Kundhardt was tabled, withdrawn, re-proposed at 5%, and ultimately defeated. Amendments to decrease line items for police and transfer station salaries made by Select Board Chair Charlie Pyle passed. More than a dozen residents spoke about their concerns over the size of the annual increase at a time when many residents are struggling with higher costs. Several speakers pointed out that the multi-year trend to increase annual budgets was unsustainable. After a two-and-a half hour debate, voters approved a budget of $2,477,417 by secret ballot, 101 to 46, a 7.7% increase over the 2025 approved budget.
Voters also unanimously or near-unanimously approved funding for capital reserves, improvements at the transfer station and the firehouse, rehabilitation of the baseball field, the purchase of Fire Department turnout gear, service-connected disability tax credits, and the renaming of the town’s cemeteries. By smaller majorities, voters approved the purchase of landscaping equipment and granted the Select Board authority to lease town property.