ROYALSTON – When temporary Town Moderator Andy West called for action on the first article of the Annual Town Meeting warrant, few in the audience could have anticipated they would still be conducting business more than four hours later.

The meeting began at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 10, and did not adjourn until about 2:15 p.m. There were 22 articles on the warrant. More than 70 residents attended the meeting.

The article generating the most discussion, Article 15, asked voters to approve a $196,000 Proposition 2 ½ debt exclusion to facilitate the purchase of a hybrid police car for $61,000, and $135,000 for a hydraulic heavy-duty lift and a vibratory roller, with trailer, for the town’s Department of Public Works (DPW). Passage of the article required a two-thirds majority.

One resident wanted to know why all three purchases were included in a single article, rather than voters being asked to consider each item separately.

“The way we’ve been doing this,” said Capital Planning Committee Chair Phil Rabinowitz, “this is a capital planning appropriation on the Town Meeting floor, but the voters are free to approve some of it but not all of it. That’s why it’s listed this way.”

Concerns were raised that the new police cruiser might require the installation of an EV charging station, which would create an additional expense for the town. While no one from the police department was present to answer questions about the proposed purchase, it was pointed out by several town officials that the new cruiser would be a hybrid vehicle and not need access to an EV charger.

Questions were also asked about the need for the hydraulic lift and vibratory roller for the DPW. Public Works Director Jaret Thiem said the lift would be used to facilitate work on the department’s heavy vehicles, adding it could also assist with repairs to those of the fire department. The roller, he said, would be used for compacting gavel roads.

Voters then approved a motion to separate the three proposed purchases for consideration by the town meeting. A majority – 32-21 – voted to endorse purchase of the hybrid police cruiser, but because it needed to secure a two-thirds majority, the vote failed. Separate motions to approve buying the hydraulic lift and the vibratory roller passed nearly unanimously, with only two dissenting votes on each motion.

The proposed FY24 operating budget of nearly $2.7 million, which included passage of several individual spending articles, was approved as presented.

Before the Town Meeting was officially convened, voters unanimously chose West, a former Selectboard member, to serve as temporary Town Moderator. It was necessary to pick a temporary moderator due to the June 4 passing of longtime Moderator George Northrop.

Before calling the meeting to order, West said, “George was moderator for 18 years. He had often stood in as moderator before that. George was a fair and even-handed moderator. He knew each person and their personal level of cantankerousness, often calming the storm before it started.”

West also noted that Northrop had been “a member of the zoning board of appeals, chairman of the Conservation Commission, a farmer, and friend. He helped shape the current Royalston as we know it today. I hope that I do justice to his memory as moderator.”

He then called for a moment of silence in Northrop’s memory.

West then read from a proclamation declaring June 10, 2023, Chris Long Day in the Town of Royalston. Long served as a member of the Selectboard for 12 years, several of those as chair, after first being elected as a write-in candidate in 2011.

The proclamation lauded Long for strengthening town policies “to better serve the community,” establishing the Royalston Town Common Restoration Committee and the Open Space Committee, creating the municipal office of finance director, and serving the town with “dedication, good humor, and a gracious intellect.”

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.

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