Mason Town Meeting approved all 19 articles before it Saturday morning, including making changes to the budget due to last week’s snowstorm.

An amendment increased the emergency management budget from $1,500 to $31,500 to account for storm cleanup. Also, the road restoration budget was cut from $160,000 to $150,000, with the $10,000 added to the salt budget. Overall, the municipal operating budget increased from approximately $2.48 million to $2.51 million.

Town Meeting also approved:

– $40,000 for repair and maintenance of town roads.

– $25,000 for the Highway Department Equipment Capital Reserve Fund.

– $10,000 for a commercial-grade zero-turn riding lawnmower.

– $8,000 for replacing library flooring. Select Board member Charlie Moser is looking forward to having the floor replaced.

“It’s the floor that our kids play on,” he said.

– $10,000 for the Fire Department Vehicle Capital Reserve Fund.

– $7,774 for purchasing two wireless headsets for the Fire Department to comply with hearing protection per the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

– $5,000 for the Fire Equipment Capital Reserve Fund.

– Changing the payout agents for the Recreation Revolving Fund from the Recreation Committee to the Board of Selectmen in the absence of a Recreation Committee.

– $7,500 for the Recreation Revolving Fund. The town is looking for people to participate on a Recreation Committee. Select Board Chair Kate Batcheller said recreational events are often costly, but they bring out the community, which she believes is notably strong in Mason.

– $5,000 for the Fire Station Capital Reserve Fund.

– $10,743 for the Town Hall Renovation Capital Reserve Fund.

– $1,600 for the Cemetery Maintenance Fund, along with making cemetery plot sales part of the general fund.

– $1,500 for maintenance on the rail trail.

– Adopting the Optional Veterans’ Tax Credit and the All Veterans’ Tax Credit, both for $500.

The meeting lasted roughly 90 minutes.

]]>