BELLOWS FALLS â Voters approved a $1.6 million village budget in balloting on Tuesday.
But the participation was stunningly low, with less than 5 percent turnout.
Only 79 people cast ballots, with the only draw being the budget since there were no contested races. The budget passed 56-22. There are about 3,300 residents of the village, with 1,922 registered voters, according to Village Clerk Kathleen Neathawk.
Winning reelection in the uncontested races were Village President Deborah Wright and Village Trustees James âJiggsâ McAuliffe and Stefan Golec.
Tuesdayâs turnout was in stark contract to last year, when there were seven candidates for two trustee positions, and more than 300 people voted.
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BELLOWS FALLS Only a handful of Bellows Falls residents turned out Monday evening for the annual Village Meeting, which has been stripped of all serious decision making.
Voters a year ago approved switching the vote on the village budget to Australian ballot permanently. Last year, the budget was also voted on by Australian ballot, but that was at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The $1.61 million village budget, of which $1.59 million will be raised by taxes, will result in a tax increase of about half a percent 0.60.
The few residents who attended only raised a couple of questions about the village report, which was faulted for lack of financial information and erroneous information in the minutes of last year s meeting.
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BELLOWS FALLS Village President Deborah Wright, Bellows Falls Village Moderator Paul Obuchowski and Municipal Manager Scott Pickup had a Zoom dress rehearsal Friday morning to iron out any kinks for Monday night s annual village meeting.
There is one big change: Obuchowski and Pickup decided to hold the meeting downstairs in the Town Hall, in the Lower Theater, rather than upstairs in the Bellows Falls Opera House, because of the technology and equipment needed for a Zoom village meeting.
Determined to get as many people to attend the meeting as possible either in person or virtually the decision was only made after Gov. Phil Scott loosened the distance requirements for a public gathering, Pickup stressed.
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BELLOWS FALLS â Bellows Falls residents wonât be voting next month on an advisory opinion on whether to allow retail cannabis sales in the village.
Citing a lack of interest and support, Village President Deborah Wright said at Tuesday nightâs Village Board of Trustees meeting that she wouldnât even ask for a formal vote from the board about putting it on the Village Meeting warning.
Wright said she just wanted people to have the chance to weigh in on the issue, which would ultimately be decided by the Rockingham Select Board and a townwide vote. Under state law, communities have to vote to opt in to the state cannabis system.