Town Meeting Includes Budget, Sr. Center Prop

Seekonk voters will decide on 29 items—including the proposal for  and the town's $43.9 million budget for fiscal year 2012-13—at the town meeting tonight. The session at  will begin at 7 p.m.

There are actually two warrants for tonight's meeting—one for a regular session and one for a special session. The regular session will begin at 7 p.m., and the special session is scheduled to start five minutes later. The regular session will begin again after the special session has concluded.

[Both warrants and the proposed budget are attached to this article.]

The special session includes two of the major items of the night—the senior center measure and a proposal to prohibit selectmen from serving on other town boards.

The senior center measure calls for a temporary property tax to fund a 9,200-square-foot structure that would be built on a vacant property next to Town Hall on Peck Street. The tax would cost approximately $8 per $100,000 of a property's value and decrease each subsequent year. The $2.5 million bond would be paid off in 20 years. 

 at the April 2 election. But on that day, only a simple majority was needed for approval. Two-thirds of the voters at the town meeting must support the measure for it to pass. The item did not receive two-thirds support on April 2.

The proposal to prevent selectmen from serving on other boards hit a setback on Friday when  that the measure could not go into effect regardless of the town meeting vote because it was inconsistent with town and state law. This decision could be the reason Selectman Bill Rice, who proposed the measure, .

Among the items on the regular town meeting warrant are the $43.9 million budget for fiscal year 2012-13, a proposal to change the town's temporary signs ordinance and an authorization for the town to "sell, lease, exchange or otherwise convey" all or a portion of the property at 69 School Street.

If you cannot attend the meeting, this website has you covered. We will be live-blogging throughout the night. Be sure to check in periodically—even if you are in attendance.