Townshend approves general fund and highway budgets after amendments and ballot votes

Townshend’s annual meeting on March 3 adopted the town’s principal spending measures after amendments and multiple paper ballots.

General fund: An amendment during Article 7 restored a full treasurer salary and associated benefits after the earlier Article 3 restructure failed. Select Board members said auditors recommended maintaining a prudent fund balance; proponents of restoring the treasurer pay said the town needs a full‑time treasurer to handle complex financial controls. The amended general fund appropriation passed after floor discussion.

Highways: The highway appropriation in Article 8 passed after residents debated gravel crushing, grant dependencies and hauling costs. An amendment to eliminate a $50,000 gravel‑crushing line failed in a paper ballot; the highway article itself passed by written ballot (72–32). Participants emphasized that some bridge projects rely on up‑front town funding to meet reimbursement requirements; Bridge 43 was repeatedly cited as a near‑term project requiring capital.

Later in Article 12 voters approved a revised highway reserve package to fund Bridge 43 and future equipment: the final amendment and vote produced a $360,000 allocation split $200,000 for Bridge 43 infrastructure and $160,000 for highway equipment. Supporters argued rising truck and construction costs make earlier incremental planning necessary; opponents urged caution about earmarking surplus funds.

Quotes from the meeting captured the fiscal tensions: “If we have an unforeseen need to replace equipment and we don’t have money for it, we have to deficit‑spend it,” a Select Board member said; the highway foreman urged residents to consider rising equipment prices when planning long‑term replacements.

The budgets as amended will be reflected in the town ledger and are subject to normal accounting, auditing and reporting procedures.