At a special town meeting lasting about five minutes, Chilmark voters unanimously approved the town allocating $200,000 of unused funds to balance its budget.
About 50 Chilmarkers gathered at the Chilmark Community Center for the meeting Monday night. Prior to the vote, Chilmark Select Board member Rebecca Haag read a statement by fellow board member Matt Poole, who wasn’t in attendance.
“While regrettably I cannot be with you in person, I appreciate your attendance, and have trust in the collective wisdom of the voters to make a thoughtful decision,” Poole wrote.
The town sourced $100,000 of these unused funds from available money in the treasury. The other $100,000 came from unspent funds initially designated for a window replacement project at the Chilmark School during the annual town meeting in June 2020.
The need to balance the budget stems from expenses of $62,225 for snow and ice removal after last winter’s snowstorms, as well as $115,903 for an ongoing lawsuit between a town board and waterfront real estate developers who were denied a permit.