|
-> Library/Village Green Reconsideration Bond Vote - May 19th
The Selectboard has scheduled a Special Town Meeting for Tuesday, May 19th to reconsider the approval granted by the voters this past Town Meeting Day to sell up to $13.9 million in public bonds as part of the overall financing for the Library Renovation and Expansion/Village Green project. A petition for reconsideration of the bond vote signed by five percent of registered voters was submitted and validated by Town Clerk Sarah Mason. Under State Law the Selectboard is required to hold the reconsideration vote at a Special Town Meeting within 60 days of receiving the validated petition. The article will appear on the ballot asking voters to reconsider the result from Town Meeting Day. 𝐀𝐧 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐯𝐨𝐭𝐞. • A “yes” vote at the Special Town Meeting supports reconsideration, which will overturn the original result (reconsider) and reject the authorization to issue a bond for the library/village green project. • A “no” vote at the Special Town Meeting defeats the reconsideration, which authorizes the Town to proceed with issuance of the bond as approved at Town Meeting. Nothing changes from the original approval. Voting on the reconsideration ballot question will be available from 7 AM to 7 PM at the National Guard Armory located at 7846 Williston Road. Early voting will be available beginning on Wednesday, April 29th until May 18th at noon by visiting the Town Clerk's office during regular business hours. Any registered voter who requested an absentee ballot for Town Meeting Day this past March will be mailed a new ballot for this reconsideration vote. A Public Information Hearing on the library/village green project will take place on Monday, May 18th at the Williston Central School Auditorium at 7 PM. At this hearing a project overview will be provided and it is an opportunity to ask questions. The Town has several resources and opportunities available to learn about the project and ask questions you have leading up to this vote. The project website: https://willistonlibraryproject.org/index.php/faqs has been updated with answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that have come up recently. This includes a detailed project cost breakdown by components of the project (library expansion, library renovation, village green). The project website also has extensive information about the proposed project and its development process and the careful consideration of the village green by the design committee, along with the schematic design and renderings. Answers to these FAQs about the project received will be shared with the community over the next several weeks. This resource will continue to be updated leading up to the Special Town Meeting as more questions come in. A series of informal drop-in sessions have been scheduled for residents to chat about the project with Town staff, Library Trustees and project architects leading up to the Special Town Meeting. All drop-in sessions are scheduled for the community room of the Library at the following dates/times: · Saturday, April 18th, Noon-1pm · Wednesday, April 29th, 1-2pm · Monday, May 4th, 6-7pm · Saturday, May 16th, Noon-1pm Please direct any questions to Library Director Kevin Unrath and/or Town Manager Erik Wells at the contact information listed below. We are happy to discuss the project and answer any questions you have leading up to the vote. Kevin Unrath, Library Director: Erik Wells, Town Manager: |
