HARDWICK – Three petitions were submitted to Hardwick Town Clerk Tonia Chase last week. One calls for reconsideration of the town meeting vote to donate $25,000 toward purchase of land for a Town Forest. The second two ask for votes on changing voting procedures for future town meetings and reconsideration votes.
They will be taken up by the Hardwick Select Board at its meeting this Thursday, April 2, at 6 p.m. All three have the 177 signatures required to be valid, said Chase.
The first of the motions to be considered by the select board Thursday asks that a special meeting be called for the purpose of reconsidering town meeting Article 7, which passed then, authorizing the contribution of $25,000 toward the acquisition of plus-or minus 329 acres of land on Buffalo Mountain to become a town forest. The article indicates the town’s investment will “be matched by more than $700,000 of other public and private funds.”
The town forest would serve to “protect recreational access, fish and wildlife habitat, forestry and Lamoille River water quality, and to provide outdoor educational opportunities for schoolchildren,” said the article.
The reason for submitting the petition is not stated in it and a range of reasons have been suggested, but none confirmed.
The select board must schedule the special meeting within 60 days of the petition being turned in and the meeting must be warned 30 days in advance of the special meeting, said Chase. That will give the select board just under 30 days to set a date for the special meeting.
The second two petitions ask for special meetings to be called to make all future town meeting votes by Australian ballot, including those to reconsider town meeting floor votes. They also ask that the petition questions be decided by Australian ballot.
The petition asking that reconsideration of votes originally taken on the floor of town meeting be done by Australian ballot is designed to cause the vote on the town forest to be reconsidered by Australian ballot. Vermont statutes require the reconsideration vote be taken in the same manner as the original vote, which would mean a floor vote would be the only way to reconsider the town forest vote.
Upson said the town attorney is being consulted, with more information to be available before the Thursday select board meeting.
The third petition would have all future town meeting articles voted by Australian ballot. It asks that a special meeting be called to vote by Australian ballot on a proposal that town meeting “public questions, town budget and appropriations” be voted by Australian ballot instead of with floor votes, beginning with the next town meeting.
Chase said she will present all three petitions to the select board Thursday for their consideration and further action. She said the select board is not required to do anything in response to the second two petitions, a question Upson said the town attorney is being consulted about.
Paul Fixx is editor of The Hardwick Gazette and lives in Hardwick.
