Chichester Select Board member Jason Weir will step aside after Saturday’s town meeting after he decided not to run for re-election.
His seat on the three-person board will be taken by Stephen MacCleery, who beat Russell Blaney 160-139 during Tuesday’s voting.
Weir took some heat over last year over his legal residency in Chichester. Weir’s critics said his home was in Loudon, which is where he moved after some personal problems, not the home he owned in Chichester. They said he should be expelled from the board and banned from voting in the town. The Secretary of State’s office clarified Weir’s domicile was in fact Chichester.
On Saturday, Weir plans to be in attendance at the town meeting. He’ll be at the Chichester Elementary School at 10 .m. with current board members Richard Bouchard and Ed Millette.
This year’s proposed operating budget of $3.03 million, which is about $230,000 more than last year’s budget, might see some resistance due to a slight increase to the tax rate at a time when gas prices and seemingly all other costs are increasing at a rate that makes voters wince.
A combination of the pandemic, supply chain issues and war in Ukraine have sent prices skyrocketing and made life difficult for many families on tight budgets.
As for the town warrant itself, the fire department wants a pumper truck, to replace the 1998 E-1 pumper truck, at a cost of $558,196.
If it passes, nearly $500,000 will be withdrawn from the Fire Truck Capital Reserve Fund, and taxpayers would cover the approximately $60,000 remaining, a tax impact of $0.18.
Another article with a high price tag is the $298,000 requested for a forestry vehicle for the fire and rescue departments.
Elsewhere, $98,000 is earmarked for breathing equipment for the fire department, with $35,000 coming from an already-established Capital Reserve Fund, $63,000 from taxation. That would create a tax impact of $0.19.
As for Weir, he said he remains totally invested in the town, adding that he might run for office again next time.