Paris voters okay $3.4 million budget

Photo: Matt Hongoltz-Hetling

CIVICS LESSON — A local brownie troop appeared in force at the Paris town meeting on Saturday to make the case for a safety fence surrounding the playground area of Moore Park.

PARIS — Pastries and other breakfast items were on offer during Saturday's town meeting, but it was a handful of Brownies that caught the attention of voters, resulting in a $2,857 adjustment to the $3.4 million budget.

The Brownies in question were a troop of girls who came to Paris with a request for funds to build a small fence around the playground area in Moore Park.

Troop leaders Bobbi Hodgdon and Sandy Landers made the case on behalf of the girls.

"Several of the girls had seen smaller children that had run towards Route 26," Hodgdon told voters. "The speed limit is only 25 miles per hour, but cars very often fly through there. Small children are very fast; a parent turns her back for one second, and something can happen."

Recreation Committee Chair Dana Chandler and Town Manager Phil Tarr had assisted the troop in researching the project so that it could be brought to town meeting.

"Dana and I both looked at it from a common-sensical point of view; a fence makes sense," said Tarr.

The town voted overwhelmingly to appropriate the money from the subdivision recreation assessment fund, with a plan to have the money restored to the account by fundraising.

Police Chief David Verrier said that he would work with Chandler to spearhead the fundraising effort.

The fence will be provided by Bancroft Contracting.

Most warrant articles passed with little discussion, but the $480,434 amount recommended for Police Department services came under fire from voters.

Under their contract, police officers were slated to collect a 3 percent pay raise, contingent on voter approval.

The recommendation of the board and the budget committee made no mention of the contract clause, which left some feeling like they hadn't been properly presented with the choice.

"If we vote on this the way it's written," said citizen Janet Jamison, "it gives the town the ability to say, 'I'm sorry, the people didn't vote to give you that raise.' We needed to have that information."

After the matter was aired, voters approved an amount that did not allow for the increase.

After the meeting, incoming selectmen Ryan Lorrain and Bob Kirchherr were sworn in. They replace outgoing selectmen Lloyd "Skip" Herrick and Ray Glover.