WILLIAMSTOWN – The School Board didn’t spend much time in the spotlight this morning, fielding only a few questions during a town meeting that got off to a glitch-free start at 10 a.m. and broke for its first recess barely a half an hour later.
With the School Board’s $8.4 million budget request and several other school money matters scheduled to be decided using the day-long voting system commonly referred to as the Australian ballot, the school portion of the meeting didn’t take very long.
There was a question about the affect of sequestration, a brief explanation of the board’s plans for surplus funds, and one only one vote before Town Moderator Winston Chambers declared a 15-minute recess at 10:30 a.m.
The less-than-full-throated voice vote came in support of a non-binding referendum encouraging the state Legislature to preserve and encourage local government and control instead of pursuing a plan to consolidate school districts and supervisory unions.
The meeting resumed after the Select Board was seated and voters prepared to consider municipal budget requests and conduct most other town business.
Like school spending requests, contested races for seats on the Select Board, and the fate of a proposal to borrow $2.5 million for a new public safety building were scheduled to be decided by Australian ballot.