[S]HELBURNE — While all six of its fellow Chittenden County communities voted Tuesday to enter into a regional emergency services dispatch center, Shelburne residents decided to retain their own 911 service.
By more than 200 votes, townspeople rejected a proposal to join the Chittenden County Public Safety Authority. Voters in Burlington, Williston, Winooski, South Burlington, Colchester and Milton supported the new dispatch center.
Many dispatchers disagreed with the plan, citing the need for more information.
Shelburne voters did approve the town’s proposed $8,749,307 budget, which is up 7.6 percent from last year’s spending plan, and agree to spend $30,000 on open space acquisition.
More than 33 percent of the town’s registered voters cast ballots during town meeting.
In town Select Board contests, Mary Kehoe won a three-year seat in an uncontested race, while Jerry Storey, the board’s vice chairman, won re-election to a two-year seat.
Incumbent Jaime Heins, a former Planning Commission member, defeated Chris Boyd, a former town fire chief, for one year of a two-year term. Heins was named to fill a vacant seat on the board last fall.
Barbara Marden won a three-year seat representing Shelburne on the Champlain Valley School District Board in an uncontested race. Longtime school district board member Joan Lenes opted not to seek re-election.
On the school portion of the ballot, town voters passed a school district budget of $76.8 million budget, up 2.3 percent from the current spending plan.
Voters also endorsed a $819,665 renovation bond and approved the borrowing of $485,000 to purchase six school buses.
They also agreed to set aside a surplus of $1,625,877 and apply it to future spending plans.
