Over 25 people packed a tiny, stifling meeting room in the Alna Town Office to see the Alna Board of Selectmen quash a controversial, two-week-old funds policy at their June 24 meeting.
First Selectman David Abbott reversed his prior decision to support the policy and, with Third Selectman David Seigars, voted 2-1 to rescind it. Tom Smith, the author of the policy, dissented.
The policy, which required a bid process for projects over $3000 and restricted the involvement of any town official with financial interest in a project, had been a source of contention between the selectmen and Road Commissioner Mike Trask.
Abbott read a prepared statement explaining his decision. “I agreed to the policy mostly because of the support shown by a majority of the town’s citizens who were present at the [June 10] meeting.”
“After conversations with some town residents… I realized that the group of supporters of the proposed policy did not represent all of the voters of the town,” Abbott said.
Abbott said he believes the policy was “excessive in some areas and incomplete in others. I did agree to a point with the intent of the policy, and, in fact, believe that some written guideline or policy is a good idea.”
Abbott said he hopes to place the policy before voters at Alna’s next annual town meeting. He also recommended having at least one public hearing on the policy “to give the town’s people an opportunity to discuss and/or amend the proposed policy a few weeks prior to the annual town meeting.”
In dissenting remarks, Smith said the policy represented “good fiscal management and discipline by the selectmen.”
“It could only save the town money,” Smith said.
Smith asked Abbott what specifics of the policy he disagreed with.
“We got by without it for a couple hundred years. What’s a few more months?” Abbott said. Abbott said he “felt kind of beat up” at the June 10 meeting.
When Smith asked Abbott a second time to clarify his position on the policy, Abbott said “I’m tired of talking about it,” and the selectmen voted.
Reaction to the vote was lively and varied. “What happened here relieved me,” Doug Baston said. Now, after the issue goes before the town, “we’ll end up with a compromise we can all live with,” he said.
Chris Cooper endorsed the result as well, but not without a disclaimer. “It doesn’t address the fundamental issue, which is, why the hell do we need so many policies?” he asked.
In the past, Cooper said, “All [Alna] did as a community was try to elect capable, well-intentioned, responsible selectmen.”
Nevertheless, the selectmen chose the right forum to decide the policy’s fate. “The one tradition in America that still functions is the town meeting,” he said.
Cooper said he might vote to oust Trask anyway if he doesn’t fix the potholes at the end of his road, leading to scattered laughter.
Abbott told Cooper not to expect quick action. “I can’t see wasting any cold patch out in the boondocks,” he said.
Baston pointed out that the town’s no-bid contracts aren’t limited to blue-collar jobs like landscaping and roadwork. “The largest no-bid contract we got last year was for legal services,” he said.
Ralph Hilton called for a change in public discourse. “We need to be civil to each other,” Hilton said. “We don’t need to question each other’s integrity and honesty.”
John Villeneuve scolded Abbott for his handling of the matter. “You may disagree with Tom Smith, but at least he has stuck with his beliefs,” Villeneuve said.
Villeneuve said the selectmen could have let the policy stand for a trial period, and, should it prove counterproductive, discard it. Now, he said, “there’s going to be a lot of future turmoil.”
Abbott admitted that, for the June 10 vote to approve the policy, “I caved in when I shouldn’t have.”
David Reindgart made a lengthy, animated speech in favor of the policy. “The money that runs this town… part of it comes out of my pocket and it should be accountable,” he said. “Everybody talks about this policy like it’s a big deal. It’s not a big deal.”
“I ran a business the size of this town,” Reindgart said. Without the structure provided by guidelines such as the funds policy, he said, “I can’t run my business like that – that’s insane!”
“Change isn’t a bad thing. It can be a really good thing,” Reindgart said.
“I think we get the point,” Abbott said.
Reindgart cut off the next speaker and continued his speech, condemning personal attacks on Smith during a 2009 controversy over ownership of the town’s Fire Station.
Eventually Abbott stood up. “You’ve made your point,” he told Reindgart.
In other business, Trask, who also serves as Alna’s Fire Chief, updated selectmen on the status of repairs to one of the town’s fire trucks. “The pump has been repaired but it still has an issue,” he said. The pump only works with a certain size hose, he said. “The pump is worn. It’s tired.”
“The wiring and the lights were supposed to be fixed. Now they’re not working again,” he said.
Town clerk Amy Warner told selectmen she no longer needs one of the machines she uses in the town office. “It’s a glorified receipt-making machine that costs $600 a year and we don’t need it,” she said.
Selectmen briefly reviewed the town’s tax commitment to Lincoln County. The figure is down about $10,000 this year, Abbott said, and currently stands at $86,517.86. “I guess if it’s down, that’s good,” Abbott said.
Smith suggested the formation of a broadband committee to research grants available to increase the availability of high-speed Internet access. Smith said selectmen should “put out a call for anyone that’s interested.”
“It would involve a lot of work,” Smith said. Smith volunteered to serve on the committee but said the town needs a volunteer with grant-writing experience.
Baston encouraged the idea. “There are a lot of people in town that don’t have [high-speed Internet access] and are hindered by it,” he said.
Dresden and Edgecomb have both received similar grants through state agency ConnectME.
