SALISBURY — Salisbury voters on Town Meeting Day approved all the articles on a busy warning, including their town and highway budgets, and a measure to eliminate the local office of town auditor.
A proposal to allot $26,371.80 to the Brandon-Leicester-Salisbury-Goshen-Pittsford Insect Control District passed by a 33-vote margin, 187-154.
Residents approved a proposed 2020-2021 General Fund budget of $271,204 by a 293 to 40 tally.
The submitted Highway Fund budget of $483,031 passed muster by a 285-55 margin.
Salisbury will no longer have an elected auditor’s position, as it was eliminated by a 280-53 vote of the people. Future audits will be done by a public accountant.
In other action on Town Meeting Day, Salisbury residents voted:
•  271-53 to create a new municipal energy fund.
•  To support a combined total of $89,325 in requests from various nonprofits and charities that serve Salisbury residents.
•  268-59 to endorse an advisory referendum that asked respondents if they believed each Addison Central School District board member should be elected only by the voters of his or her hometown, as opposed to at-large within the seven-town district.
•  241-87 in favor of an advisory referendum indicating an ACSD school shouldn’t be closed unless such a move is endorsed by a majority of voters in the town in which the school is located. An ACSD school can currently be closed by a super-majority vote of the district board.
Residents joined Bridport, Cornwall, Middlebury, Ripton, Shoreham and Weybridge folks in supporting an ACSD budget proposal of $39,507,837 for the 2020-2021 academic year, and a proposed 2020-2021 2021 Patricia Hannaford Career Center budget of $3,854,752 (see related story).
Voters also helped decide two races for the ACSD board. One of them involved Ellie Bishop challenging Jennifer Nuceder for a three-year term representing Salisbury on the 13-member panel. The other featured Christin Gardner and incumbents Mary Gill and Victoria Jette for two available slots representing Middlebury. Nuceder topped Bishop, 1,920 to 1,289, while Gill and Jette earned 2,323 and 2,278 tallies, respectively, in their successful re-election bids. Gardner finished out of the running with 1,446 votes.
There were no contested municipal elections on this year’s Salisbury ballot. Those elected unopposed included Wayne Smith, one year, town moderator; Susan Scott, one year, town clerk; Jonathan Blake, three years, selectboard; Patrick Dunn, two years, selectboard.
In the Democratic presidential primary, Bernie Sanders topped the field with 100 votes, while Joe Biden finished second with 85 tallies. Those also receiving votes included Elizabeth Warren (29), Michael Bloomberg (36), Amy Klobuchar (3) and Pete Buttigieg (5).
In the Republican primary, President Donald Trump led the field with 73 tallies, while Bill Weld finished second with 7 and Roque De La Fuente finished third with 3 votes.