By HOWARD WEISS-TISMAN, Reformer Staff
Brattleboro Reformer (Vermont)

BELLOWS FALLS -- Village residents voted almost two-to-one to keep a full-time paid fire department at the Bellows Falls annual meeting Monday night. In a paper ballot vote, the motion to keep the department full time passed by a 95-49 vote.

A paper vote was taken after the crowd debated the future of the fire department for about an hour. The trustees spent a good part of the last year trying to reduce the tax rate by slashing the full-time department, but voters clearly showed they were willing to pay for the service.

The decision to support a full-time department led to a separate vote on the $1,687,250 budget, which was adopted on a 73-36 vote. The $1,687,250 vote supports the full time fire department.

Before the vote, residents spoke on both sides of the issue with some in the audience supporting some kind of change to the full-time department, while others saying they wanted to keep the department as it is. For Pam Kissell, the estimated $220 that each property owner pays to fund a full-time department is well worth the investment.

"I hear that we have a Cadillac service," she said. "We do have a Cadillac service but we're paying a Kia price."

Supporters of the full-time department said that changing the makeup of the department would affect insurance rates. But Tim Powers, an insurance agent in the village, said neither residential homes, nor commercial properties would see a change in their rates if the department changed to a part-volunteer department. Judy Lidie, who was a member of the Fire Department Restructure Committee, reminded the crowd that the committee came up with many alternatives to a full-time department. She said there were many options between keeping a full-time department and going to a volunteer department.

BFFD Chief William Weston warned the crowd, however, that the options have not been adequately investigated and he questioned whether any of the options were truly workable.

In the end, voters strongly supported the department.

In other business, village residents unanimously voted to encourage the village trustees to explore the option of consolidating with the town of Rockingham. The overwhelming support came without any discussion and it is not clear what the next step will be between the village and the town and the village of Saxtons River.

And in a very close count, residents voted 61-54 to encourage the trustees to adopt a new housing code. The trustees have been meeting over the last year on the proposed code, and those meetings have been largely attended by landlords. The vote by a wider section of the public now gives the trustees authority to move ahead with a proposed village-wide housing code. Voters also rejected a call to adopt future budgets by Australian ballot.

The polls will be open today at the Masonic Temple on Westminster Street from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. for trustee elections. The village president position and two seats on the board of trustees will be decided by Australian ballot.

The village will also vote today on a $1.5 million waterline project and a $3 million upgrade to the waste water treatment plant.

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May 19, 2009