HANCOCK — Among the first tasks that Hancock voters will address after they start their meeting at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 5, at their Route 100 town hall is to elect town officials for the coming year. Among the more prominent posts will be a three-year term on the selectboard; which incumbent and board chair Monica Collins said she is willing to stand for.
Janet Jesso, who was a newcomer to the jobs of town clerk and town treasurer, said she would be happy to be re-elected to those jobs, which are up for election to a three-year term.
Also up for election to a 1-year term is road commissioner Kenneth Troumbley, who was appointed to the position by the selectboard this past summer, when the former road commissioner left. Selectboard Chair Monica Collins noted that the road commissioner’s job has become logistically more complicated than in past years, with more need to work with state officials and supply information to overseeing agencies, often through email.
“He’s doing a good job,” Collins said of Troumbley.
Lister and auditor positions are also up for election if anyone wishes to step forward and run for them.
Hancock voters will consider a proposed town spending plan of $380,059, which represents an increase of $8,971, or 2.4 percent. In addition, they will be asked to OK a combined total of $29,838 for various social services organizations that serve Hancock, including the White River Valley Ambulance service. Collins said there is no one thing that accounts for the proposed spending increase, just a lot of general cost increases across the board.
Collins noted that the Hancock Recreation Committee will likely be heard from at town meeting. Created by the selectboard this past July, the Recreation Committee has been very active, Collins said. In its first six months the committee hosted pickup girls’ soccer games, an end-of-summer bash, trunk or treat, storytelling, holiday caroling and STEM days at the library. Coming up, the committee has a pancake breakfast scheduled for April 7, cultural diversity potluck on May 4 and a murder mystery chicken pie supper on June 1. Linda Anderson is the committee chair.