PLAINFIELD — At Saturday’s marathon Town Meeting, voters spent about two hours debating a ballot measure to appropriate $975,000 for a new Meriden Library before defeating it by 44 votes. The proposal, which included borrowing almost $500,000 through bonds, required a two-thirds majority to pass, but it fell short on a 249-190 vote — just under 57 percent support. Town Moderator Paul Franklin said 293 votes were needed.
After the defeat, a supporter of the library project sought another way to pay, making a motion to fund the project with $464,000 in pledges and donations for the library, $300,000 raised through taxes, and the remainder with the town’s fund balance.
But several residents — even some who supported the original article — criticized the alternative funding method, which needed only a simple majority to pass, and eventually the motion was withdrawn.
It was just one contentious part of a six-hour meeting that packed the Plainfield Elementary School gym and saw all other spending articles on the warrant, including the $2.3 million budget.
The library article, the first that was discussed, drew the large turnout of 26 percent of the town’s registered voters. Supporters and opponents spoke passionately about the proposal, with those in favor saying a library is the backbone of the community and the Meriden Library, which has several problems including handicapped access, contamination and limited space for progams, needs replacing, while those against said now is not the right time and the tax impact is too much.
“I’m voting ‘no’ because we got people in town struggling to pay their taxes,” said newly elected Selectboard member Eric Brann. “This is the time to draw a line in the sand and say, ‘no.’ ”
Another opponent, Larry Greenwood, said “I think our taxes are high enough,” adding that maintenance of a new library would drive them higher.
The projected tax rate impact on the 15-year bond would be 13 cents, or $39 a year on a $300,000 property. Additionally, the bond to renovate the Philip Read Memorial Library has been paid off this year so supporters said no new taxes would be added.
“Nobody’s taxes are going up because of the library,” said Kesaya E. Noda. “We are not asking for more money in the budget.”
Noda said the question before voters is not just finances but also “heart” and that people should not view the library debate or the town as two villages with an “us against them,” mentality, which was mentioned more than a few times.
“A village without a library is decimated,” Noda said. “We need this library.”
Mike Sutherland, chairman of the finance committee, which was divided on the question, said he initially was against the plan because of the burden on taxpayers but changed his mind.
“It is important that we support a library in both places,” Sutherland said.
But another finance committee member, Ken Gilchrest, echoed what many felt was the bad timing with other capital projects on the horizon.
“The question you should ask yourself is whether this is just another added cost and something we don’t need at this time,” Gilchrest said.
At the start of the meeting, Joe Crate, a member of the Meriden Library Building Committee, outlined the project and its history. Crate said that, when both libraries were in need of improvement in the 1990s, Meriden Library trustees agreed to “back off” and support renovations to the Philip Read Memorial Library, and now funding should be approved for Meriden. He said surveys support a library in each village and noted two years ago that voters easily rejected an article to close the Meriden Library.
“This isn’t new work. This has been building for 20 years,” Crate said.
Before the library vote results were announced, voters passed the next article, the borrowing of $135,200 to buy the outstanding debt of the volunteer fire department because the town now has a municipal department.
After the library question was defeated, Noda made a motion to use the donations, $212,000 in fund balance and raise $299,000 in taxes for next year to pay for the library. She said it would add a dollar to the tax rate, save $100,000 in interest payments, and would not leave the town with any debt.
Resident Ron Wendt supported the motion, pointing out that a majority in the audience voted for the bond and that is what prompted the decision to seek another avenue for approval.
“We asked, ‘If the majority wanted a library, can we find another way to do it?’ ” Wendt said, explaining the reasoning behind Noda’s motion. “We are not encumbering the town for 15 years and are leaving the borrowing capacity intact.”
But some saw Noda’s motion as a backdoor effort to gain approval that should have been presented sooner in the meeting. Some said it would divide the town even further.
“This will drive a big wedge between the two towns,” Brann said.
“It is not fair. It is underhanded and it is despicable,” said Heidi Holdsworth, who spoke against the first article and said she hung around because she got a “heads up” about Noda’s motion.
Even some supporters of the first vote said they weren’t comfortable with the alternative process being proposed to gain approval.
Crate said he would prefer the committee raise more money in donations and come back next year.
“I’d much rather see us come together as a community and build a great library,” Crate said. “In my gut I don’t feel this is right.”
Others defended Noda, saying she was simply following parliamentary procedure.
“Asking for another way to fund it seemed fair to me,” Noda said.
Seeing the divide, a resident asked for the motion to be “laid on the table,” to end discussion.
But when it was explained it had to come “off the table” by the end of the meeting, concern grew that it could be passed as opponents filtered out of the hourslong meeting, succeeding despite the decision in the early going.
Noda decided then to withdraw her motion, saying she was upset by the “acrimony” in the room and assured residents she did not have bad intentions.
“I expect we will be back next year,” Noda said.
With four hours — one for lunch — in the books, the meeting moved on to the rest of the articles. Though there was plenty of discussion and explanation on the budget and other appropriations, no one objected to the spending, and everything passed easily either by ballot or voice vote.
Town Administrator Steve Halleran said it now appears the town tax rate could drop a couple of cents.
Also approved was $242,500 for several capital reserve funds; $123,000 for a new dump truck with a plow; an increase in property assessment exemptions for the elderly and the disabled; and the creation of a new property assessment exemption of $47,000 for the deaf or severely hearing-impaired.
The exemptions, all governed by state law, include residency requirements, limits on income and assets, and an age requirement for the elderly exemption.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
Correction
Voters at Plainfield Town Meeting approved a new property asse ssment exemption of $47,000 for the deaf or severely hearing-impaired. An earlier version of this story incorrectly described who will benefit from the exemption.
