Moretown voters say yes to spending articles, legal cannabis
March 2, 2022 | By Lisa Scagliotti 
Moretown Assistant Town Clerk Sasha Elwell checks in a voter at the drive-up voting station at Moretown Elementary School on Town Meeting Day. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti
Vote Here sign at the driveway to Moretown Elementary School on Town Meeting Day. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti
Local elections were relatively quiet in Moretown this Town Meeting Day as none of the offices on the ballot featured contests.
Moretown voters instead had a number of financial questions to consider including a proposed fiscal year 2023 budget of $1,366,307 which passed 442-74.
That’s according to Town Clerk Cherilyn Brown who shared voting results Tuesday evening.
Turnout in Moretown was high - just shy of 38%. Brown said 553 of the town's 1,457 registered voters cast ballots.
In addition to the budget, all of the articles on the ballot passed including measures to eliminate the positions of auditor and lister as the town has shifted to contracting for those services.
With the approval of Article 9, Moretown will double its spending for police services. The ballot question asked to appropriate $20,000 for law enforcement with either the Vermont State Police or the Washington County Sheriff’s Department.
Other spending items that were approved were:
Article 8 for $30,000 plus interest on a tractor for plowing and mowing.
Article 10 to put $10,000 into the town maintenance reserve fund.
Article 11 to spend up to $22,000 for three self-contained breathing apparatus equipment for the Moretown Volunteer Fire Department.
Article 12 to put $10,000 toward the repair and upkeep of bridges and culverts.
Another 20 ballot questions listed a variety of contributions to nonprofit organizations that town taxpayers support annually. The largest was $4,999 to the Waterbury Area Senior Center’s Meals on Wheels program. All were approved for a total of $21,224.
Voters said yes, 326-207, to whether Moretown should authorize cannabis retailers and integrated licensees. Vermont later this year will open a commercial cannabis market to be regulated by the state.
