10 Things Coming up at Milford Annual Town Meeting

Milford has a lengthy warrant for the 2013 annual town meeting Monday, with items relating to town budgets, zoning and a non-binding referendum that asks people what they think of a Milford casino.

The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Upper Chamber of Milford Town Hall. Here are some highlights:

1. Fiscal 2014 Budget: the proposed budget for the year beginning July 1 is $84.3 million, a 4 percent increase over this year. Public safety spending would increase by 8.2 percent, Milford schools by 3.5 percent, and public works by .9 percent. Employees would receive between 1 and 2 percent raises, based on position. [See attached PDF]

2. Medical Marijuana: the town is proposing a zoning bylaw that would restrict medical marijuana treatment centers to the two industrial zones in town. Medical marijuana was approved in November by state voters in a referendum. So far, no one has proposed a medical marijuana facility for Milford.

3. Sex Offenders: this article would restrict where the most serious registered sex offenders could live or work in Milford, requiring them to live at least 250 feet from facilities and spaces including churches, town-run parks, schools, elderly housing facilities, libraries or daycare centers. The offenders also would be prevented from loitering for more than 15 minutes within 250 feet of bus stops, facilities for the elderly or people with intellectual disabilities, and other spaces.

4. New Town Meeting Members: 20 new Town Meeting members were elected by write-in campaigns this year, and of those, 15 are members of Casino Free Milford. The new members will be sworn in at 7:15 p.m.

5. Non-binding Referendum on Milford Casino: a Milford resident, Richard Morrison, has placed a non-binding question on the warrant by petition, which asks Town Meeting "to express its opposition to the siting of a casino" in Milford. The article was not an effort by Casino Free Milford.

6. No Alcohol at Strip Clubs: the town so far has no strip clubs, or adult entertainment venues, but this bylaw would prohibit any future clubs from serving alcohol. The rationale: alcohol has been found in other cases to aggravate sexually oriented businesses' "already high ambient crime risk," according to case summaries collected by Milford Town Counsel Gerry Moody.

7. Increase in Veterans' Services: the proposed budget for the Milford Veterans' Services will be increased by $75,000 to represent an increased need for services.

8. Milford Youth Center improvements: the Youth Center occupies the former National Guard Armory building, which is in need of repair, including installation of fire sprinklers. This article would authorize the hiring of an architect and or engineer to provide services and design plans for renovations. 

9. Replace Burned Plow Truck: a fire during a snow storm destroyed one of the town's newer plows. This item would replace the vehicle.

10. New Town Hall Roof: town selectmen are seeking $55,000 in new funds, and the transfer of $129,383 from a painting account, to replace the Milford Town Hall roof.