Voters reject Fire & EMS, Codes and Transfer Station budgets

Christine Torno won a selectman's seat, while Tom Torno kept his spot at road commissioner. (Courtesy photos)

LEBANON - Longtime Town Offices employee and former budget committee member Christine Torno steamrolled to a convincing win Tuesday, ousting Board of Selectmen chairman Ben Thompson in stunning fashion while capturing nearly 60 percent of the vote.

Torno notched 585 votes while Thompson and political newcomer Jennie McComish trailed far behind with 235 and 162 ballots, respectively.

Meanwhile, town voters sent a strong message of fiscal restraint and departmental reform, shooting down the Fire and EMS, transfer station and CEO budgets while just barely approving all portions of the highway department budget.

Voters also rejected a default budget that would've continued the previous year's budgets for those departments, which means department heads, selectmen and the budget committee will have to scramble to come up with new budgets for voters to decide on prior to June 30, the end of the current fiscal year.

The town's Fire and EMS services $450,000 budget was overwhelmingly rejected by voters, 614-347. Voters split on two other Fire and EMS appropriation questions, supporting a capital reserve fund of $50,000 for the department, 560-400, while rejecting the larger expenditure of $500,000 (including interest) for a lease purchase of a new firetruck (519-440).

Two other departments that will have to move quickly to formulate new budgets include the Code Enforcement Office's $50,000 budget that was roundly rejected 590-375; and the transfer station's proposed $370,000 bottom line, which was rejected by a scant eight votes, 482-474.

In the race for road commissioner Tom Torno kept his job by edging out challenger Tom Boucher by just 24 votes, 364-340. Former longtime budget committee member and reform candidate Chris Gilpatrick ended up with 245 votes, while Roger Gilpatrick chipped in with 31.

The roads budgets overseen by Tom Torno also escaped the budget ax as voters narrowly passed a budget of $793,000 to fund the department (488-466), $32,000 to pay his annual salary (482-473); and, more comfortably, to place $150,000 in a capital reserve fund dedicated to pay for the paving of town roads only (537-422).

Meanwhile, a citizen's petition to install a recall ordinance for the potential recall of selectmen easily passed, 609-310, while one to increase the board of selectmen from three to five members was defeated, 544-406.

In the race for school board, Nancy Neubert bested Kevin Collins, 491-361, while on the budget committee, Rebecca Beal (519), Corinna Cole (437) and Deborah Wilson (398) all won three-year terms.

In other votes, the Lebanon Festival will continue to get its $1,500 to run the annual event, $10,000 was approved for a bridge repair capital reserve fund and the town's $377,000 municipal budget was easily approved, 646-313.