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By Katrina Margolis
Hometown Weekly Reporter
On April 27, the Walpole Finance Committee met to discuss a number of important issues to the town. The Walpole spring town meeting took place on Monday, May 1, so many of the items discussed were mainly to provide clarification to any residents before the town meeting took place. After voting past minutes into the record, as well as a few articles recapped at the town meeting, the Committee heard a request from Fire Chief Bailey.
This year, the fire department brought in a number of new firemen. Due to their start date, the department had some extra funds within the budget fund. Recently, during a particularly large fire, the department had to use all of four of the fire hoses they had. Usually, when they get to a fire, only the first truck’s hose is used. After pulling out all of the hoses, they discovered that some of the hoses, which were over 20 years old, had deteriorated. The unexpected cost of purchasing new hoses caused a depletion of funds within Chief Bailey’s expense budget. His request was granted to move funds from the budget to the expense, which was also a matter of safety for the town. While normally the equipment is inspected regularly, the man who filled that position retired two years ago and has yet to be replaced.
After Bailey’s request, the Committee went through articles in groups, just as they do in town meetings, and opened up the floor for comments and questions. Many of these articles were to be voted on during the town meeting, and so this was an opportunity for residents to better understand some of the questions, and to be more informed while voting. Some standout articles included Article 3 (covering supplemental budgets), Article 4 (on the budget for the 2018 fiscal year), Article 12 (which is in regards to the previous year’s unpaid bills), Article 13 (regarding snow and ice deficit), and Article 31 (in regards to zoning by-laws).
Overall, the Committee was steadfast in their decisions, and felt comfortable answering a number of questions regarding the nuances of the articles.
Planning for the rest of this year is in good hands.
