A raise for the town administrator, capital reserve funds and the possibility of looking into studying SB2 were the most hotly debated issues at Greenfield’s town meeting on Saturday.

Over 100 town residents attended Town Meeting at Greenfield Elementary School. The Greenfield Meetinghouse, which has hosted Town Meeting nearly every year since 1795, is under construction.

Resident Andra Hall proposed an amendment to Greenfield’s operating budget, proposing the town list the salary of the town administrator as a separate line item going forward. “All the highest-paid people in town should have a separate line item,” Hall said. “The other department heads’ salaries are all listed as line items – the police chief, the fire chief, the director of the library. Why isn’t the town administrator’s salary listed as a line item?”

At January’s budget hearing, several residents raised concerns about the increase in salary for Town Administrator Aaron Patt, who received a $20,000 raise in early 2024. Hall pointed out that average raise for town workers was 4%. “Who makes $20,000 more than in the previous year?” Hall asked. “Aaron has had an 84% increase in his salary since he started working for the town.”

Resident Ginnie Plourde also spoke on the amendment, saying she had done a study of town administrator salaries for towns the same size as Greenfield and determined the average to be about $90,000. Patt’s salary was raised 23%, from $85,000 to $105,000.

Moderator Andres Wood advised that since Patt has an employment contract with the town, no amendment to the budget could change his salary at this point.

Select Board member Tom Bascom defended Patt’s raise, stating that Patt is “highly valued by the town.”

“We are not competing with towns the same size as Greenfield. We are competing with larger towns who are able to pull our employees away and pay them more,” Bascom said.

Fire Chief Jeff LaPlante also spoke up for Patt, calling him “invaluable to the town.”

The proposed amendment to the operating budget failed by 12 votes, 59-47, by a secret ballot vote.

Bill Nichols, former town moderator, introduced and then rescinded an amendment to cut the capital reserve fund in half, after residents spoke against it. A similar measure was proposed at last year’s Town Meeting.

“The property tax burden is not sustainable for people. I know it is not the fault of this Select Board or this town; it is the fault of the legislators in Concord and in Washington. But this is the only place we have some control,” Nichols said.

Residents supported a police regionalization study project, which will look at the feasibility of establishing regional police service between Greenfield and Hancock. The Select Board is seeking volunteers to serve on the study committee.

A proposal to establish a Town Meeting Study Committee to explore either moving town elections to May, as is done in Peterborough, and changing to an SB2 form of government, was voted down. All other warrant articles passed without significant opposition.

During the meeting, the town honored outgoing Treasurer Katherine Heck, who served as treasurer of Greenfield for 17 years as well as on the ConVal School Board and other town committees.

“She will be greatly missed,” said Select Board member Mike Borden.