GRAFTON — The Select Board has approved the 20 articles, including two that will address the Stiles Brook commercial wind project, for the Annual Town Meeting, which will take place March 5 at Town School District Offices at 10 a.m.
Polls by Australian ballot will open at 9 a.m. and stay open through 7 p.m.
The potentially most contentious part of the warning was dealt with on Jan. 24, in a meeting called promptly at the 4 p.m. deadline for all articles.
The board immediately began discussion and passed two articles to address the Stiles Brook commercial wind project. The articles, submitted by the board itself, will be voted on by paper ballot.
The first asks voters to weigh in on whether the board should “continue conversations with Meadowsend Timber and their developer, Atlantic Wind (Iberdrola), for the purpose of collecting information to share with the voters of Grafton.”
The article further calls for a nonbinding vote on the proposed project, once data from meteorological towers is collected and “a potential effect on Grafton has been reviewed.” The outcome of that vote will be sent to the Public Service Board, which would ultimately decide whether to issue a Certificate of Public Good.
The second of the two articles will decide whether subsequent votes on “any issue” having to do with wind power will take place by Australian Ballot.
Board members approved both articles unanimously in separate votes.
Humanitarian aid requests
Town Administrator Jackie LeBlanc explained she had received a request of $250 from the Current, a $1,000 request from Grafton Cares (a $500 increase), and a request from the Woman's Freedom Center in Brattleboro, all of which raised the humanitarian article to $9,141.
Grafton and Athens voters will be asked to approve the Athens and Grafton Joint Contract School District budget K-6 of $1,461,890, an amount that includes $500 compensation for each school director.
An article will ask the voters if Grafton should “levy an interest charge on all delinquent taxes on real and personal property of one percent per month or fraction thereof” as allowed by state statute.
Other line items
The board also approved line item budget requests for placement on the warrant:
• $139,000 for the capital budget.
• $478,758 for the maintenance of highways and bridges.
• $208,318 for the Selectboard budget.
• $9,000 for ambulance service.
• $23,000 for the Firemen's Association operating expenses.
Board members noted that the association funds have been level funded for several years.