Westport voters agree to pay their share of a new Diman Voc-Tech school building

WESTPORT — Voters at the annual Town Meeting did not support a tax override, but did support borrowing for the town’s share of building a new $293,479,760 Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School building.

Voters passed over an article looking to override Proposition 2½, which would trigger a property tax increase to finance town services.

At the start of budget planning, Select Board Chairwoman Shana Shufelt said select board members instructed department heads to construct a budget based on what they need versus a level-services budget. The latter budget does not account for annual growth and offers only the same services as the previous year.

Shufelt and Finance Committee Chairwoman Karen Raus said both their boards agreed to fund the level-services budget at this time, but have further conversations this summer on how to construct an override to fund the priorities of town departments.

Both Shufelt and Raus said officials do not have enough data to support an override. Shufelt said there will be budget meetings held over the summer and officials will welcome input from taxpayers.

Shufelt said the budget meetings would help officials decide what to cut from the additional “needs” funding items, which would lessen the amount needed to raise taxes.

She and Raus said their respective boards support an override in some form in the near future.

Antone Vieira Jr., a former selectman, spoke to the issue and called on officials to economize their finances rather than look for revenue or tax increases. “There are ways we can economize. It’s not always about putting more money into it,” Vieira said. “We need to have an open discussion sooner rather than later about how to control expenses, rather than getting new revenue in.”

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A new Diman building 'needed'

For the Diman item, Diman Superintendent Elvio Ferreira detailed the reasons why the regional school — servicing Fall River, Swansea, Somerset, and Westport — needs a new building.

He mentioned that the growth of the school and its programming has increased dramatically since the district’s latest building opened in the 1960s.

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The item drew no opposition, but many voters spoke in support of the item. Some graduates and business people spoke to how Diman has produced successful workers and how district students have worked well within the community.

The vote was required for the district to move forward with this Massachusetts School Building Authority project.

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Another article approved the creation of a municipal light plant. It will now begin the process of developing a townwide fiber optic network for faster internet.

Shufelt said the ultimate goal is to bring fiber optic technology to individual homes, creating faster internet for everyone. Shufelt said the officials are working with a consultant and expect a detailed report by the summer. Shufelt said there is no money involved right now. The vote last week authorized officials to move forward.

Shufelt said under one model, there could be money available to borrow to create the lighting plant.

The plant would also allow town residents and businesses to use multiple internet service providers. Right now, Spectrum is the town cable company and most residents’ internet service is through that company.

The vote required a secret ballot and passed 185-32.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Westport town meeting rejects override but OKs support for new Diman