By Devon Cormier
Staff Writer

About 50 New Boston residents gathered to carry on a unique New England tradition on Monday, Feb. 7. Voters at the deliberative session of Town Meeting filled the gym with echoes of “aye,” as residents overwhelmingly supported the warrant articles scheduled for the March ballot.

The only controversy arose over the least expensive article on the ballot – $6,250 for an Accu-Vote ballot scanning machine.

Town Moderator Lee Nyquist stepped down from his post for a moment for only the second time in 13 years to speak as a citizen of New Boston in favor of the scanner.

The article, number 14 on the ballot, was passed nearly unanimously, and then a voter asked to reconsider the motion as the meeting neared its end.

“I vigorously urge you to reject the motion to reconsider,” Nyquist said. “There is a present and imminent danger to the accuracy of the vote count in New Boston.”

While those asking for a reconsideration insisted voting machines could be inaccurate, Nyquist said that after an 18 to 20 hour day, those counting ballots by hand have admitted to the possibility of inaccuracy.

Resident Susan Woodward stopped knitting for a moment to speak against the voting machine, saying it takes away from the small-town atmos- phere of voting in town.

“This town is losing more and more opportunities for people to participate as volunteers in one of the most important things we do – vote,” Woodard said. “I feel strongly we should retain the system we have.”

Selectmen Gordon Carlstrom explained that supervisors of the checklist and the town moderator came to the selectmen with the idea of using a ballot counter after tiring of the long nights, particularly during presidential elections.

Supervisor of the checklist Cathleen Strausbaugh stood up to defend the machine and put the issue to rest.

“Nothing will change the day you vote,” Strausbaugh said. “We will be there to greet you and if you choose not to use the machine we would be happy to hand count your ballot later. The machine will only count at the end of the meeting – that is all it’s going to do. It will save us numerous hours in counting.”

Otherwise, the meeting was similar to last year’s, with big-ticket items drawing little response. At the beginning of the meeting, the selectmen went over the operating budget, which was set at $2,879,610.

“If everything goes through, we anticipate a small drop in the tax rate or no change at all,” said Carlstrom. “There has been an increase in the revaluation, which means the larger we get, the more we spread that out over the tax base. If everything goes through, including the warrant articles, we anticipate taxes to stay the same. That takes into account town and school.”

Voters were also asked to approve $3,878 for the first year of a three-year supplemental insurance agreement for the town’s 50 volunteer firefighters. This issue would normally be decided by the selectmen and then put into the operating budget. But two of the three selectmen are firefighters and could benefit from the insurance, so the board decided to put it before the voters.

Meetings with selectmen have drawn much support for the insurance, which fills the gaps that worker’s compensation leaves in health coverage and financial losses due to injury incurred while on duty.

Voters unanimously approved the article, which totals $11,633 for the three years not including the 20 percent firefighters will pay themselves.

If passed this year, the cost will be figured into the operating budget in following years.

Other items approved were:

• To enter into into a four-year lease agreement for three police vehicles with $20,500 being the payment for the first year.

• To use $55,000 for a town-wide assessment update as required by law. There is $36,000 in a capital reserve fund leaving taxpayers with a balance of $19,000.

• To use $65,000 to replace the compactor at the transfer station.

• To use $137,000 for loader for the highway department, $83,000 has been saved, $4,350 will come from the operating budget and the estimated trade-in value is $23,000, which leaves taxpayers with $26,650.

• To use $108,000 for a dump truck for the highway department, $34,000 of which will be paid for by the taxpayers.

• To raise $200,000 to expand the cemetery by two acres on land already owned by the town, $111,000 to be paid for by taxation.

• To use $140,000 to replace the roof of the town hall, $41,000 of which will be raised through taxation.

• To raise $70,000 to upgrade Bog Brook Road.

• To raise $20,000 to save for the eventual replacement of the Lyndeborough Road bridge.

• To put $66,000 in the fire department vehicle capital reserve fund.

• To use $300,000 for a pumper truck. The money has already been saved; the town just needs authorization to use the money.

• To use $100,000 to purchase a utility truck which will carry air for the air packs firefighters use in most fires. A capital reserve fund already has $76,000, leaving tax payers with $24,000.

Voters will decide on these items on Tuesday, March 8, at New Boston Central School.