Westport voters agreed to pay some urgent bills at Tuesday’s special town meeting at the high school.

Four questions with a total cost of $164,000 awaited and voters approved all of those articles.

• $60,000 to replace the failed roof at the Briggs Road fire station. Insurance may pay some of that cost. This one passed quickly and nearly unanimously.

• $65,000 to hire a consultant to bring the town treasurer’s office up to speed and hopefully avert what has repeatedly been described as a crisis. This one also passed by a wide margin, although discussion was lengthy with much outrage that the situation had reached this point.

• $30,000 to pay the legal fee insurance deductible for three just-settled lawsuits (at $10,000 apiece). The question passed with no discussion

• $9,000 for construction and repair of stormwater damage caused by rain runoff that is presently being dumped from school property onto adjacent private property at 783 Gifford Road, which has led to legal action.

The question passed by hand count — 80 in favor, 67 voted no — after much discussion just before 9 p.m. Proponents said something must be done to ease the plight of homeowners downhill from the elementary school for whom flooding has become a chronic and miserable problem.

Opponents sympathized but said the $9,000 request comes without much clear idea of how the money will be used — and is certainly not enough to fix the problem.

Treasurer’s rescue

From the sound of it, just one or two people voted against hiring a CPA Eric A. Kinsherf to help bring the treasurer’s office up to speed and teach the employees how to do the job themselves.

But it took nearly an hour to get there as speakers voiced anger over a long list of office failings cited by auditors and the town’s accountant.

First to the microphone was Lucy Chace.

“I am just filled with outrage,” she said. “We are all to blame for electing someone to this position” who is incapable of doing the necessary work.

She urged the Board of Selectmen to take some sort of action to assure that this doesn’t happen again. Her words were greeted with applause.

Amy Lawton wanted to know more about the consultant selection process and what Westport will get from the consulting firm for its $65,000.

A request for proposals was out and three firms (all endorsed by the town’s accountant) applied with Kinsherf winning the job.

Others had questions about the choice as well — what other towns have you helped, he was asked.

Mr. Kinsherf produced a list of around 14 towns that he was done work for and listed three in particular with situations similar to Westport that had favorable outcomes.

“My goal is not only to do the reconciliation (the bank account reconciliation that is 17 months in arrears) … but to give you the tools to do it on an ongoing basis.”

Former selectman Craig Dutra said he would vote for the payment “extremely reluctantly” but believes the town’s “structure for handling finances is flawed.” Westport should have full-time appointed (rather than elected) employees to handle its finances.” This, too, won applause.

Tanja Ryden called the hiring of a consultant a “Band-aid … but I’m not confident that the long term solution is in front of us. What is the long term plan?”

Town Treasurer Brad Brightman said the situation “is my responsibility as the treasurer. I was born and raised in Westport and my concern has always been for my town.”

But he added that the office he oversees has a history of staffing shortages.

It had had three employees for 10 years, he said, but not long after he won the job, his assistant left. the Board of Selectmen took many months to hire a replacement despite his repeated requests.

His clerk also resigned, he said — “I was pretty much alone in the office for three months.”

The moderator eventually admonished Mr. Brightman to return to the matter at hand — whether of not to spend $65,000 on the consultant.

Several asked whether the consultant could have his reconciliation done in time to enable use of the free cash account for the next budget.

The consultant and Mr. Brightman seemed to offer assurances that that would happen.

But Finance Committee member Karen Raus said the FinCom actually has concerns that the deadline might not be met. There are many steps, she said, and “the timing is unpredictable.”

People were still lining up at the microphones an hour in to the discussion when Board of Selectmen member Brian Valcourt moved that the question be put to a vote. Audience members agreed by an overwhelming margin and the article was approved.

Drainage woes

Last up on the docket was a petition article that asked for approval of $9,000 to study and fix a drainage problem that neighbors say has led to Westport Elementary School “dumping” rainfall runoff on adjacent private property downhill from the school.

William Anderson, whose land abuts the school property, said that three storm drains direct water over his property and showed video of recent flooding.

“Our frustration,” he said, comes “from years of seeking relief with no results.”

Cynthia Anderson said one pipe discharges water 80 feet from their property line with enough velocity and volume to uproot and destroy trees and wash away topsoil.

John Charves said he has lived in his Gifford Road home for 48 years but just recently “I have been flooded out four times.”

Among those to support the neighbors was former selectman Antone Vieira.

“The neighbors aren’t anxious to take legal action — they just want relief,” he said. “Let’s not have another special town meeting a year from now to deal with legal costs … we need to come to closure and come up with a plan.”

Others expressed sympathy but said the $9,000 request is the wrong approach.

One man said “the $9,000 figure was plucked out of thin air” There is no description of how it will be done and what will be spent.

Several FinCom members voiced opposition, as did Jim Whitin, chairman of the Planning Board.

“My fear,” he said, is that $9,000 is wholly inadequate to complete the job.” The school department should step up and tackle the problem in the process of building the new school “to contain the water the way it should be … not a difficult engineering task.”

Several pressed selectmen and the school building committee for their opinions.

Shana Shufelt (BOS chairwoman and member of the school building committee) said both boards have been advised by the town’s attorney not to comment.

Why is that, someone asked the attorney. Because a neighbor is in the process of taking legal action against the town, he replied.

As the clock approached 9 p.m., Mr. Valcourt called that question as well and voters agreed.

A show of hands looked close so Mr. Fors called for a hand count. The verdict — 80 in favor, 67 against.

Background

The Board of Selectmen supported the first three articles; the fourth was submitted as a petitioner’s request. It was opposed by the Finance Committee. Selectmen made no comment on advice of the town attorney — some neighbors have initiated legal action.

Meeting attendance was announced by Town Moderator Steven Fors as 179.

Article 2 was the result of what has been called a crisis in the town treasurer’s office — the town wants to hire a consultant to help sort out the mess. At issue is the failure of town Treasurer Brad Brightman and staff to properly certify cash and bank accounts on a routine basis. The work is supposed to be done monthly, but Finance Committee Vice Chairwoman Karen Raus said the last time the task was completed was July 17, 2015 — 17 months ago. The treasurer and staff say they simply don’t know how to do it properly.

Without that cash being certified on time, the state could refuse to certify Westport’s free cash account. And without that money, on which the town depends to operate, the town would be essentially unable to prepare a sufficient budget, the FinComm warned. Just as dire — somebody could be taking money from accounts and the town has no good way of realizing it is being targeted.

More to follow.