WILTON – Residents passed the town budget last night at Academy Hill School, following the recommendations of the Board of Selectpersons for all articles aside from one.
Article 32 which requested $2,500 toward the Wilton Area Food Pantry was amended to $3,000 by voters. With that additional $500, the budget was set at $3,168,453. That number represents a .91 percent increase, or $28,591 over last year’s budget.
In addition to budgetary items, the town collectively made decisions on several issues regarding zoning laws and ordinances, as well as a resolution on their stance on the non-profit funding issue. Article 7, which addressed the issue of funding several non-profits at the county level or a town-by-town basis, was passed by voters after some discussion. The statement declares that the town is in favor of funding a designated number of non-profits and social service agencies, and requests that the Franklin County Commissioners rescind their decision to cut that funding.
“I was sitting on the selectmen’s board when we decided to move these to the county level a number of years ago. These organizations would come to every town and ask to be put on the town budget, some towns would vote them in and some wouldn’t. These organizations were serving the whole county, but we noticed that five or six towns were supporting the majority them- Jay, Wilton, Farmington and Rangeley. There were a lot of towns – Carrbassett Valley, Dallas Plantation, New Vineyard – that were getting these services but they were not contributing because they were voting them out at the town level. We thought it was the fairest thing to do to have the whole county, all the people who were using them, pay a small tax rather than five or six big towns supporting them. It worked good for a number of years,” State Senator Russell Black, a Wilton resident, said.
Others agreed with Black’s sentiments, while a handful of residents disagreed, commenting on inefficiencies within the non-profit budgets. Mike Wells of Wilton relayed information about several of the agencies’ staff salaries compared to the amounts used directly for clients.
“I’m not saying these aren’t great organizations, but they are highly inefficient,” Wells said.
The resolution sends a message to the commissioners indicating the town’s support in reestablishing the nonprofit funding at the county level.
Article 5 brought significant discussion from townspeople, the article asked voters to consider amending the Wilton Zoning Map to extend the Residential Zone I to Residential Zone II on the Weld Road. The change would have allowed more businesses to operate on the Weld Road, specifically a new antique business that was hoping to open.
“Changing this allows for a lot of different businesses to be in a mostly residential area that don’t exactly fit with a residential area. I want a no vote, but I still want an antique store,” resident Kate Whitmore said.
The article was voted down, as per the Planning Board recommendation. Board member Cherieann Harrison said the board discussed an alternative option of allowing antique stores within the zone.
The town also opted to allow medicinal marijuana sales in the commercial zone, residents voted last year to allow the sales of adult use marijuana. Sales of marijuana are still not allowed in the downtown business zone, except for those that are grandfathered in.
