By M. D. Drysdale

One structural change in how Randolph government works will be proposed on the Town Meeting ballot March 4, and voters will be polled about another one when they cast their paper ballots.

Along with the proposed town budgets, the Randolph Selectboard decided Tuesday evening to include a proposal to change the way citizens can petition their government to ask for a revote.

Currently, a revote must be rescheduled if 5% of the registered voters sign a petition asking for the revote. Until recently, that was spelled out in state law.

After two controversial re-votes in Waterbury and Essex, however, the sentiment in the legislature was that it was "too easy" for voters to force a recount. The law was changed to enable towns to require petition to carry up to 20% of registered voters, explained Selectboard Chair Jim Hutchinson, who is also a state legislator.

Other Randolph selectmen agreed Tuesday night that the 5% requirement (about 160 names) is pretty easy. They will propose at Town Meeting that 10% be required instead.

It was noted that this issue will be discussed "on the floor" of the meeting, so that amendments could be made to change the 10% proposal either upwards or downwards.

The second structural change under discussion was whether to experiment with holding Town Meeting on a different day. Some towns have experimented with holding the annual meeting on a Saturday or in the evening, under the theory that more people could attend. Research shows mixed results in terms of increasing attendance, but the selectboard felt it should be discussed.

It was decided, however, that the matter won’t be put on the warning but that a questionnaire will be handed out to people who vote the Australian ballot.

Also on the floor of the meeting will be the request that Randolph "enter into an Interlocal Contract" with other towns for the proposed Fibernet broadband communication system. That article will be voted on by at least 14 towns.

Financial Business

All financial business, as usual, will be on the ballot, not on the floor of the meeting.

The first two articles will deal with the nearly quarter-million-dollar surpluses resulting from last year’s operations. The town will seek approval of transferring a $98,000 surplus in the Highway department to the Capital Budget, and transferring a $120,000 surplus in the general fund to next year’s general fund.

The proposed tax expenditures are as follows:

General Fund: $867,366, an increase of 11.7% from last year’s $776,811, in addition to the transfer of last year’s surplus.

Highway Fund: $958,830, an increase of 4.8% from last year’s $914,995.

Capital Fund: $727,780, and increase of 1.5% from last year’s 716,845, in addition to the transfer of last year’s surplus.

Muni Bldg. Revote

Overshadowing both the financial issues and the structural ones, in many people’s minds, may be a revote on the question of moving the municipal building.

Article 7 asks the voters whether they will authorize changing the use of the $1.2 million bond issue from the renovation and expansion of the present municipal building to allow town offices to be relocated to the former co-op space at 24 Pleasant Street.