Barre Adopts Town Administrator Bylaw 32-25 After Tabling Vote Nearly Succeeds

BARRE — November 29, 2023 — Barre special town meeting votes 32-25 to adopt a formal Town Administrator bylaw, narrowly surviving a tabling attempt. The November 29 meeting first rejected a motion to delay the article until the next annual town meeting, with 28 voters in favor of tabling and 27 opposed — short of the two-thirds threshold required. Interim Town Administrator Greg Bonus, finishing his final week after eight and a half months on the job, argued the bylaw would address a fraud risk assessment finding that auditors have cited in the town's books every year since 2018. Select Board Chair Dr. Marshall said the town has cycled through five administrators in seven years and that codifying the role's duties would bring stability. Two floor amendments passed unanimously before the final vote: one striking a parenthetical reference to "town hall" from a security-policy clause, and one adding "and all applicable laws and bylaws" to the facilities-jurisdiction paragraph to prevent conflicts with the DPW Commission and other independent bodies. Voters also unanimously approved $52,160 to fund the DPW/Teamsters Local 170 contract and adopted the state's prudent investor rule for town trust funds, a change Treasurer-Collector Jacob Fuller said should increase investment returns beyond the 22 companies currently permitted by the Department of Revenue.