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Town-clerk budget, mortgage-search line and record‑preservation needs draw questions; election coding and new voting‑machine costs reviewed
Summary
The board reviewed the town clerk’s proposed budget — including a $500 mortgage‑search line to be paid by residents — and discussed persistent records‑digitization backlogs (one vendor visit previously cost ~$45,000; annual digitization budget is $5,000). The elections budget also moved a $10,000 line for a new voting machine.
The Board of Selectmen reviewed the town clerk’s proposed budget and spent significant time on records preservation and election‑related costs.
Town clerk S3 (newly in the role; transcript identifies the speaker as Amy in the discussion) explained a new mortgage‑search line of $500 that would be charged to residents who need liens or deeds researched; S3 said the cost will be paid by the resident and not by the town. She reported an overall budget decrease of about 9.8% in the clerk’s office driven in part by reallocation of tasks and by other efficiencies.
Selectmen pressed S3 on record preservation and digitization. The clerk explained a prior large vendor engagement (about eight to nine years ago) cost roughly $45,000; at current funding levels the town budgets about $5,000 per year for preservation work and follows a multi‑year schedule to address the most fragile records first. Board members noted space constraints at town hall and potential fire/flood risks and urged a sustained digitization plan.
On elections, the group discussed a $10,000 equipment line for a new voting machine (moved from the town clerk budget into the elections budget) and recurring costs for coding voting cards and printing ballots; S3 explained that coding for AccuVote/AccuBallot cards can run hundreds per card and that reduced numbers of elections in 2025 lower anticipated costs.
Next steps: the clerk will proceed with the budget as presented, ensure the mortgage‑search line is structured to be paid by residents, and continue working with vendors and trustees on a multi‑year records preservation schedule. The board asked staff to track and report digitization progress and any backlog.
