Town Meeting Votes to Purchase Land at Winning Farms

Town meeting came to a close on Thursday evening. A majority vote from Town Meeting members authorized purchase of two parcels of land from Winning Farm on Article 23. The town had the option to purchase 15,142 square feet of land in one area and 69,627 square feet and another plot from Winning Home, Inc. for one dollar. The site was a former solid waste area, which has been given a certificate from the DEP signifying the cleanliness and safety.

Here is how Town Meeting voted on the remaining issues on Thursday:

Article 17: A two-thirds vote created/appropriated money to stabilization fund for Special Ed to determine if the money shall be provided by tax levy, by transfer from available funds, a combination of the two methods or any other action. The motion called for a transfer of $200,000 into the account.

Action: The fund will be replenished by the school district funds left over from at the end of each year, making no additional cost for tax payers.

Article 18: Revolving Fund for Archival Center to receive monies, grants, or gifts and fees associated with the sale of reproductions of historical items.

Action: Town Meeting voted to pass the fund of the sale of such items to be expended by authorization of the town manager and the amount be limited to $5,000 passed.

Article 19: Revolving Fund for Energy Use to receive fees associate with the use of energy in school and municipal buildings.

Action: Town Meeting voted to fund derived from the assessment of fees for such use may be expended by authorization of the Town Manager for projects that conserve energy in the operation of the Town’s buildings and the amount of the fund be limited to $80,000 passed.

Article 20: Revolving Fund for Board of Health to receive monies, grants, or gifts and fees charged for public health programs, such as clinics, sponsored by the Board of Health, and further, to authorize the Board of Health.

Action: Town Meeting voted to administer and expend funds for these and related programs, such as medical services, up to a limit of $60,000 passed

Article 21 and Article 22:  Revolving Fund for Grass Field Permits passed in order to receive monies, grants or gifts and fees charged for grass field permits sponsored by Field Management Committee and to authorize the Field Management Committee to administer and expand. Estimated cost is $50,000 per year. “We want this to become a maintenance issue before it becomes a capital issue,” Jim Johnson said. “The finance committee voted unfavorably towards this because of the lack of transparency in these revolving funds.”

Revolving Fund for Synthetic Turf Field Permits in order to receive monies, grants or gifts and fees charged for the synthetic turf field permits sponsored by the Field Management Committee with an annual spending limit of $80,000.

Action: Both votes passed.

Article 24: To raise and appropriate or transfer from available funds, sums of money to fund a study to assess current water resource integrity to the Town’s water bodies as influenced by factors such as habitat structure, natural energy sources, chemical variables, biotic factors and flow regime; to assess the trajectory of such integrity; to identify options for influencing such trajectories; with special emphasis on Davidson Park.

Action: Town Meeting members voted in favor of this.

Article 25: Accept Provisions of MGL Health Care Trust Fund

Action: Indefinitely postponed.

Article 26: Accept MGL Other Post Employee Benefits Liability Trust

Action: Indefinitely postponed.

Article 27: Appropriate money to Retiree Healthcare Stabilization Fund.

Action: Indefinitely postponed.

Article 28: Appropriate money to General Stabilization Fund. The Town will vote to raise and appropriate or transfer from available funds a sum or sums of money to the General Stabilization Fund in accordance with provisions of MGL.

Action: Town Meeting members voted in favor unanimously.

Article 29: Personnel Board Report

Action: Passed.

Article 30: Wetland Fees.

Action: Passed.

Article 31: Supplement FY12 Budgets.

Action: Indefinitely postponed.

Article 32: Authorize Assessors to reduce Tax Levy.

Action: Amended.

Article 33: Comply with Proposition 2 ½.

Action: Indefinitely postponed.

Article 34:  A majority vote authorized the Board of Assessors to take money from available funds to reduce the tax levy for the current financial term or transfer funds to the Stabilization Fund.

Action: Passed.

Article 4: The issue of Public Shade Tree bylaws.

Action:  indefinitely postponed.