001concerned. I'm concerned about it passing and I I and you know, I'm you know, I had learned in shadow about Facebook. Thank goodness. So I don't know what's out there and I'm sure it's terrible because usually it is. That's why I'm not on it. You know, so I'm hearing some of this tonight and you know, I'm concerned. I'm concerned about it passing. I'm I'm concerned about the optics tonight. About just going ahead and passing the budget. I I don't know. These things are just comments. I I I really I don't I don't know, but I am concerned about the optics around it. It it you know, if we just go ahead and approve this budget. Um I don't know. Okay, I think we have a motion on the floor. Do you have >> like be
002be quiet I know it doesn't work in basketball, but I and I agree, but but I don't know. I'm I'm concerned, you know. Uh >> Yeah, but your emotion do you want to offer an amendment to change it? That's That's I mean, that's where we're at right now. It's It's time to either vote or try to cut >> I I share your concern and I think it'll probably get voted down. So >> And it gets voted Can Can we just uh just wait with This is just a motion. Can Can we discuss I And so if it gets voted down, is it on which your I um uh right on procedures. So it does get voted down. Go round two, right? We go round two, Colin? We go Well, you have you have to give
003it If you vote down the number that's a motion is made for >> No, no, no. I'm so sorry. for the public the public vote. >> Oh, yes, yes, yes. My apologies. Yes, I misunderstood. public will vote Yes, yes. It would It would We It would have to go to referendum again. Yeah. It just has to vote It has to be a referendum. Correct. And just for hands or So it's bifurcated So it really depends. Um it you know, if it it does have obviously an impact on the town budgets. Um but if the town's you know, if the if the town budget passes, so the schools and the town of Hebron and Andover and Marlborough passes, ours is a separate one. So Well, yes, we'd have to come back and figure out what to
004do about it. We Unlike the towns, we don't actually have restrictions on what we can do. We We could say we want more. We could say We could change the budget anyway. Yeah. So we could But But we'd have to come back and and find a new budget. But it's not clear to me that we could do something that would satisfy the vote. Right? So even if we even if we wanted to, right? So, you know, I'm advocating that we pass this is even if we went back and said, "Cut something out." it's still going to be an increase and we'll probably still get voted down. So, we have to think about The other thing that I want to remind board members about is it might it might not be voted down in the other
005towns. Right. Oh, I don't think it will. So, so it's the totality of the vote. So, we've we've had situations where our vote count in Hebron didn't pass but the totality of the votes did carry us from the other towns. And we've had some times where the vote totality didn't pass in Marlborough but Hebron the So, so I I I understand I I I share your concern, Pam. Um I I will I obviously I didn't say it before. Um I'd be remiss if I didn't say it. I think that there's some irony about our budget being so critical criticized when we have a $33 million operating budget and we have a basically a million dollar increase and other other agencies, the towns the town of Hebron and the the the Board of Education budget in
006Hebron is half of the size of ours and their budget increases are .5 half a million dollars more than ours. So, so we're coming in we're coming in incredibly reasonable. And and and and and I think that our budget is being used as a political game of pay attention to them and not to us. Mhm. Point of order, Madam Chair. Point of order if I may, please. He's We're not We're not having There's no public >> Mr. McManus, we're not having public comment quite yet, sir. We're not doing public comment. Respectfully, we can talk offline, sir, if you want to talk to me tomorrow. I'm your agenda calls for public comment. We We had We had it already, Mr. McManus. >> I was just allowed into the meeting. He wasn't in the meeting before, Eric?
007No, I wasn't, sir. I I was sitting here for about 5 to 10 minutes and now I came in. I I just wanted to Yep. just express the concern that I'm feeling and you know They brought We could write and we can write forward. I just wanted to We all felt that this was the correct number of the budget to present to our towns. So, I think we move forward. Just write down and say be it and come up with a second plan of attack. Let the semantics be what they are and how they are. You just have to move forward. Completely calm when you said that may not be the other towns. I I don't think in Marble, and I know it's not true in Anna. We're not getting any of this. This This
008is This stuff you're hearing in April is not happening now. It's It's all politics. All right. We'll we'll go to a vote and we'll take the comment from from Mr. um from Terry and then So, all in favor? Aye. Anyone opposed? Anyone abstain? Motion passes. Terry, you have You want to make a final couple comment? Thank you, Madam Chair. I I do believe that this meeting is out of order since you didn't allow public comment beforehand, but I appreciate you letting me do it now. Kyle and I disagree. This isn't just about politics. You guys are bankrupting three communities right now. And you're right. You're probably going to pass this. But are you being responsible? I do not believe so. There are people that are selling their homes right now because of the tax burden.
009People that are deferring home repairs because of the tax burden. This has been mentioned to you for years. This is not just politics or although I I do under understand the machinations that are going on and I some of them are actually pretty funny, but there are desperate people in these communities now and I do not believe that you guys are listening to it. Thank you, Madam Chair. I apologize for my emotion and again, I reiterate I think that this meeting is out of order. Good day, Don. Thank you. We have a motion to adjourn. So moved. Second. Mike Foligno Jim Griffin was the second. All in favor? I. Anyone opposed? I. Thank you, everybody. Go Yukon. That was for I know they were both in the final