YARMOUTH – Strong opinions on both sides of the Dennis-Yarmouth School District budget controversy were aired at last night’s Special Town Meeting at the Mattacheese Middle School in Yarmouth.
But when it came time to vote, all that was required was a voice vote to show that a majority were in favor of paying for the $212,ooo deficit in the $54 million district budget.
More than 300 people attended the town meeting.
Both the Yarmouth Board of Selectmen and the Yarmouth Finance Committee recommended against funding the shortfall. For both boards, the reasoning was that the school district budget has been rising faster than is sustainable for the town.
After passing the article on whether to pay for the shortfall, voters quickly tackled the final article on where the money would come from in the town budget.
The line items that were cut to fund the shortfall were the following: vehicle repair, Route 6A speed signs, parks maintenance and police training.
A district meeting between Dennis and Yarmouth would have been required if the funding was voted down.