Phillipston won't appoint assessors

Phillipston won't appoint assessors Residents also reject Secret Lake payment

Tara Vocino Reporter PHILLIPSTON  Two articles were defeated at a four-hour Annual Town Meeting on Wednesday, including making selectmen the appointing authority for the assessors and paying an old bill for residents along Secret Lake Road. Sixty-eight people attended the meeting. Many of the articles went through several amendments before a resolution was made. After a vote that was originally defeated then reconsidered, Article 31, for $2,395 to pay outstanding invoices for road maintenance fees from fiscal 2007 through fiscal 2015 on properties located at Lot 16 and 66, Secret Lake Road, ultimately failed. A four-fifths vote was required to approve the article, which sought to pay bills from prior fiscal years. Residents rejected an article to make the Board of Selectmen the appointing authority for the Board of Assessors. It would have been for a term of three years, and the selectmen could have terminated them at any time after a hearing. If the article had passed, it would have been relevant starting with the 2017 Annual Election. Residents also approved three articles for three separate fire trucks, one through a grant, one for the fire chief and a tanker truck. They also approved $130,000 to fix the dam at Queen Lake. Resident also approved several Community Preservation transfers including one for $79,625 to buy the Coppolino-Schlicke property of 56 acres off Baldwin Hill Road for passive recreation. Residents also approved the annual budget with quite a bit of discussion. Incoming assessor Reginald Haughton voted to reduce the board’s salary from $8,940 to $7,460. The Board of Health slightly increased its stipend from $3,471 to $3,558. The Cemetery Commission slightly upgraded from $913 to $936. The School Committee’s compensation went from $5,481 to $5,618. The selectmen’s stipend was raised from $8,700 to $8,918. After much discussion, the tax collector salary will be $25,031, and also after much discussion, the town clerk will make $40,295. One resident, Jim Mackie, wanted to cut the town clerk salary in half, saying she could reduce her hours back to 15, sinced there hasn’t been an influx of residents moving into town, but that idea failed after much discussion.