The Griswold Board of Selectmen made the right decision Friday by reviving plans to join the Uncas Health District, while leaving it to town voters to make the final decision on the move.

Back in April a poorly attended town meeting, stacked with people in support of maintaining the status quo, rejected the proposal by a 39-5 vote. As we said then, town meetings are a quaint vestige of New England small-town governance, but they often vest far too much power in too few hands. Letting 44, non-elected individuals decide the best approach for protecting the health of a community of 11,300 people is hardly democratic.

So the selectmen acted wisely in scheduling a referendum, tentatively set for June 17. Voters will also act on the proposed Board of Education budget, earlier rejected, and on a proposed blight ordinance. A June 10 town meeting will officially set the date for the referendum. At 6 p.m. on June 15 the selectmen will host a Town Hall meeting to provide information and answer questions on all three matters.

When given the opportunity, voters should approve joining the Uncas Health District. Regionalization makes sense for many services, the sanitation system and restaurant inspections provided by a health department among them. In the current fiscal year Griswold will spend about $130,000 on its health department.

That cost was offset in part by $44,000 from Lisbon and Voluntown, which shared the services. Those two towns are joining the Uncas district, now serving Norwich, Montville, Bozrah and Sprague.

Griswold can't afford to go it alone. After the town meeting vote, First Selectman Philip Anthony Jr. made a good faith effort to find a financially feasible alternative to joining the district. He could not. Anticipating joining Uncas, the municipal budget approved by voters earmarks only $77,000 for the health department - the cost of joining the district.

For less cost, the district will provide additional services - evaluating community health issues, undertaking public education campaigns and addressing health emergencies, things a small-town health department is not equipped to provide.

Reverse the town meeting decision, join the Uncas Health District.