Barre voters reject DPW governance overhaul 94-59 at annual Town Meeting

BARRE -- June 25, 2024, Barre voters rejected a proposed DPW governance overhaul by secret ballot, 94-59, at the June 25 annual Town Meeting. Article 21 would have abolished the nine-member DPW Commission and placed the DPW superintendent under the direct supervision of the Town Administrator, bringing the department in line with other town departments; Select Board member John Dixon argued the change was needed for financial accountability, while DPW Superintendent Jason Pental called it a "blind side" that threatened 15 years of budget stability. Voters also defeated a 0.75-percent local-option meals tax on a voice vote, with restaurateur Janet Thompson of J&J Family Restaurant and Carter Stevens Farm owner Phil Stevens among those speaking against it; a Select Board estimate had put potential annual revenue at roughly $60,000. The meeting approved a $7,497,184 Omnibus operating budget, a $7,278,173 education assessment split among Quabbin Regional, Monty Tech, and regional debt service, and appropriated $212,690 from overlay surplus to clear grant deficits dating to 2018 that Town Administrator Tammy Martin attributed to unreturned reimbursement requests during prior administrative transitions.