WILMINGTON- The town’s award-winning downtown Bank Park won’t lose its pergola, after an Australian ballot measure to remove the controversial structure failed by a margin of almost 150 votes. Of the 653 voters who weighed in on the question, 248 voted in favor of the measure – fewer votes than the 300 signatures that appeared on the first petition calling for the removal of the structure. But 397 votes were cast to defeat the question. Several ballots were left blank.

In other contested Town Meeting races, Wilmington voters returned incumbents to office. With 314 votes, selectboard member Tom Consolino fended off a challenge by Lucille Rice, who took 291 votes. Gary Wax prevailed over two challengers for his position as second constable, receiving 304 votes compared to Doug Wheeler’s 213 votes and William Arman’s 55 votes. Donna Moore was returned to the cemetery commission with 330 votes; challenger Peter Morris received 252 votes. Incumbent Susan Haughwout took 364 votes in her bid for selectboard, beating write-in candidate Diane Chapman’s 241 votes.

Although several voters offered motions to cut expenditures in various articles, Town Meeting voters defeated any attempt to amend the warned expenditures. The most-discussed amendment was offered by Cliff Duncan, under Article 5, for a general fund budget of $1,500,458. Duncan proposed cutting the number by $36,731 by removing $51,731 budgeted for a new police officer under a federal grant program and using $15,000 of the amount for part-time officers and overtime. “It’s not my intention to increase my odds of getting a citation in the near future,” Duncan joked. “I have not heard an outcry from the community, and I have not heard a convincing argument that this is something we need. It would be nice to have someone in the rotation for the times the state police raid our department but, considering the economic times, I just cannot support this type of approach to fiscal restraint.”

Town manager Bob Rusten explained that cutting the grant-funded officer wouldn’t reduce the budget. “This would just be a movement in the budget, but it’s not a savings,” he said.

Jason Crawford said he agreed with Duncan’s philosophy, but if Wilmington votes not to accept the grant money, it won’t save any federal tax dollars, it will just shift it to another community. “If we don’t take advantage of this, someone else will,” he said. “And guess what? We still pay.”

Wilmington Police Chief Joe Szarejko explained that the proposed officer would save the town money by reducing the amount of overtime worked by other officers. Rusten said the additional officer won’t mean additional shifts, and selectboard member Jim Burke said the town wouldn’t purchase a new cruiser. “In my estimate this will save well over $15,000 per year,” Szarejko said. “It’s cost shifting from the money we’re spending now to the grant.”

The four-year federal grant program would pay for the training and salary for the police officer for three years. In the fourth year, the town would have to pay the officer’s full salary. Burke said voters will have the option of retaining the officer after the fourth year, or of eliminating the position.

Duncan’s amendment failed 97-52 in a paper ballot.

In two related articles, voters established a fund to pay for the officer’s fourth year, and put $15,000 in the fund – a third of the town’s obligation in the final year of the grant.

John Willard offered an amendment to cut the general fund budget by a flat 20% to $1,350,458, suggesting there were a number of places in the budget that could be cut. “I see $7,750 for fireworks,” he said. “I don’t see where that’s a necessary item. I know there are people in this town that are struggling. A neighbor told me they were just hanging on by their fingernails. We need to stop this.”

Michael Seitz said he couldn’t accept a decrease in the budget without more specificity. “Everybody in this town is generally hanging on by their fingernails,” he said. “But we can’t ask the guys who plow the road and put out the fires to take an additional 10% drop in their salary over the three percent cut they’ve already taken. Shaw’s isn’t dropping their prices, and gas isn’t going down by 10%. I say no to the proposed amendment.”

Selectboard chair Meg Streeter said the town couldn’t sustain a cut without “substantially changing the terrain of our town.”

Willard’s amendment failed 94 to 38 in a paper ballot, and the originally warned budget passed on a voice vote.

Voters passed Article 6, for a road budget of $1,179,757; Article 7, to allow the fire department to spend $400,000 on a new truck; and Article 8, for $120,000 for the department’s equipment reserve fund with voice votes.

Article 9, asking for $50,000 to fund long-term economic efforts with Dover, passed easily, but not without some discussion.

Dick Joyce asked what the towns planned to do to bring in broadband access that wasn’t already being done by local providers like Duncan Cable and Fairpoint. Selectboard member Bruce Mullen said broadband and cell service was only one aspect of what a new long-term planner will work on, but he said it hasn’t been economical for commercial providers to extend service in some areas of the two towns.

In related discussions, under “other business” Mullen asked voters if they would support an effort by the town to have Wilmington considered as a trial community in a Google fiber-optic grant program, and for a round-two stimulus grant. “Are you kidding?” asked Fred Houston. Voters agreed, and gave board members the go-ahead.

Fred Skwirut noted that one of the economic development planner’s responsibilities would be to seek grants. Chuck Clarici said that he and other volunteers had identified “scores of grants that could come back to this town and pay back this investment. I support this wholeheartedly.”

Noting that he had been an opponent of a previous proposal to fund economic development with a one percent local option tax, Crawford said he supported the $50,000 expenditure. “We need to get economic development in this valley,” he said.

The rest of the warning was passed with little discussion. During the school district portion of the meeting, voters passed the town school budget of $2,661,627.

During the breaks, voters heard from Representative Ann Manwaring and Senator Bob Hartwell.

Manwaring told Wilmington voters that she, Representative John Moran, and the late Representative Rick Hube were successful in moving the passage of a rule change that, she said, would require the legislature to consider how all legislation will affect local and statewide property taxes. Manwaring noted that the rule change received bipartisan support.

Manwaring read the text of a House Resolution passed on February 19, commending Wilmington, Whitingham, and Dover for the success of the Tri-town Economic Development Committee. “Whereas, the achievements of the Tri-town Economic Development Committee have a positive impact on the Deerfield Valley, and they provide a community-based economic development model that reflects the entrepreneurial spirit and work ethic of all Vermonters, and can be applied in other towns, now therefore be it resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives that the General Assembly honors the towns and citizens of Dover, Whitingham, and Wilmington for their creativity in establishing a mutually beneficial economic development model that other communities can adopt.” The full text of the resolution is available at the Vermont Legislature’s Web site.

Hartwell told Wilmington voters that the bill he introduced to consolidate supervisory unions and school districts would save a lot of money. He noted there were also other consolidation proposals circulating in Montpelier, and encouraged local residents to get involved in the process. “Some bill is going to emerge,” he said. “If anyone would like to have input, we’d like to have it.”

Noting that Wilmington and Whitingham were considering an elementary school consolidation or a renovation to the high school, Richard Sugarman asked “What are the chances that after we’ve improved our schools the state will turn around and say ‘All schools have to have 300 students?’”

“I hadn’t thought about that,” said Hartwell. “The point is well taken. If you want to send a mandate, send a check with it.”