Story · Water & Sewer District
Varney Trust Fund
The treasurer will take the town's draft article and change it to name the Newfields Village Water & Sewer District, with the commissioners as agents to spend the money. She will combine all three accounts into one article, as a Department of Revenue Administration (DRA) staff member suggested, and send it to DRA for approval. The chair said that once voters approve it, the commissioners must decide how to use the trust fund money.
How it happened
Jan 5 · AgendaFirst mention
The commissioners are to discuss warrant articles (questions for voters) to add agents on trust funds. An update on the Varney Trust is also listed.
Jan 8 · Minutes
The commissioners looked at adding a warrant article (a question for voters) to the March 2026 election. It would name the commissioners as agents who can spend money from the Varney Trust Fund. The fund was set up to pay for future expansion of the water system. A guest told the commissioners the trust is a bequest (a gift made in a will) from Albert H. Varney, so it cannot be changed. The trust lets the town and the water commissioners spend from it for water system expansion. The guest said that to spend from the trust, the commissioners would ask the Select Board for approval and then request the money from the Trustees of the Trust Fund. The meeting ran from 6:30 PM to 6:55 PM.
Feb 11 · Minutes
The district has 3 trust funds run by the Town's Trustees of the Trust Funds: Water Maintenance, Standpipe and Sewer Maintenance. No agents are named to spend from them. The Varney fund is for water expansion and needs no action. The Town had three warrant articles to name the Commissioners as agents, but a state Department of Revenue Administration (DRA) representative said to remove them because the town has no authority over these funds. The district's attorney said the funds should be under the Commissioners. One warrant article could name the Commissioners as agents for all three funds. The Treasurer will send copies of the trust funds to the attorney. The Commissioners will talk with the Select Board and authorized the attorney to speak for them.
Mar 2 · Minutes
The treasurer will take the town's draft article and change it to name the Newfields Village Water & Sewer District, with the commissioners as agents to spend the money. She will combine all three accounts into one article, as a Department of Revenue Administration (DRA) staff member suggested, and send it to DRA for approval. The chair said that once voters approve it, the commissioners must decide how to use the trust fund money.