Above: What will voters show up to learn about, support, or oppose this year? (image from SAM 2023 video)
Southborough’s Annual Town Meeting, will convene tomorrow to approve spending, amend local bylaws, and “advise” officials. All registered voters are able (and encouraged) to participate.
Here is the list of Articles to be voted on with links to more information for those who want more details.
The meeting is scheduled to open on Saturday, March 23rd at 10:00 am, at Trottier Middle School.
[Editor’s Note: Due to the forecast, Kindergroup’s annual Easter Egg Hunt has been moved to this afternoon (Friday, March 22nd) and no longer conflicts.]
Officials are hopeful we can plow through everything without needing a second session, so there won’t be any breaks.
However, there will be food sold by the Girl Scouts in the cafeteria, where monitors will stream the meeting. (To vote or comment, voters will still have to return to the main hall in the auditorium.)
There are 47 Articles, on the Warrant. But the Moderator will ask the hall if they are willing to approve 18 of those under a “Consent Agenda” vote. Plus, expectations are that the lead petitioners for six Citizen Petition Articles will ask for those to be indefinitely postponed.
Articles that will be explained before a vote
That leaves the following 23 Articles that will be discussed/presented. Some should be handled quickly while others may spark debate. I’m including links to prior coverage and related materials for those who want more details:
4. Amend the Personnel Salary Administration Plan (see tracked changes)
5. Fiscal Year 2025 Budget (See coverage, Advisory’s Report, Advisory’s “Budget Brief”, and the detailed budgets for each dept/committee).
(This will cover discussions and votes related to Citizen Petition Articles 6 & 7 to increase salaries and benefits to hire more Police Dispatchers – see that handout here and blog story here)
9. Fiscal Year 2025 Water Budget
10. Transfer from Water Retained Earnings for FY2024 Water Enterprise Fund Budget
11. General Government Capital Items (non-borrowing) [$273K for Road repairs plus over $71K for a mower attachment and defibrillators to be covered by taxes. In addition, $150K for police cruisers to be covered by the Ambulance or other non-tax funds.]
12. Appropriation for Engineering and Design for Library Construction Grant [$150K] (read blog story here)
13. General Government Capital Items (borrowing) [$2.2M] for a Fire Truck, Ambulance, Trash Trailer, and sidewalk plowing tractor]
19. Reauthorize Lundblad Field Engineering Funds for Construction of Dog Park [$46K] (read blog story here)
21. Recreation Facility Maintenance Fund [$25K]
23. Accept MGL for Use of Southborough School District Rental Funds
24. Establish Southborough School District Special Education Stabilization Fund (read blog story here and presentation here)
25. Lease and Power Purchase Agreement for Trottier School (read blog story here)
26. Establish Regional School Capital Stabilization Fund (read blog story here and presentation here)
29. Appropriation from CPA Funds – Restoration of Historic Town Records (read blog story here)
30. Appropriation from CPA Funds – Peninsula Trail Extension (read blog story here)
31. Appropriation from CPA Funds – Southborough Golf Club Irrigation System(read blog story here)
33. Authorize Select Board to Petition Legislature to Amend Special Acts of 1991 (read blog story here)
34. Amend Town Code – Public Works Advisory Committee (read blog story here)
36. Amend Town Code – Zoning – Downtown District (read blog story here and presentation here)
37. Amend Town Code – Zoning – Expiration of Special Permits (read blog story here)
42. Appropriation for Tricentennial Committee ($30K) (read presentation here)
43. Establish Stabilization Fund for Assabet Valley Regional Vocational Technical School (read blog story here)
47. Citizen’s Petition – 2/3 Vote Threshold for Non-Municipal CPC Projects (read blog story here and presentation here)
Additional Items on the Warrant that likely won’t be discussed
Six Citizen Petitions are likely to be indefinitely postponed. However, voters could choose to oppose the motion and instead debate/vote on them:
6. Citizen Petition – Appropriate funds for additional Police Dispatchers
7. Citizen Petition – Appropriate funds for additional Police Dispatcher benefits
8. Citizen Petition – Regional Dispatch
44. Citizen’s Petition – Prohibit sale of 21 Highland St. Property until 1/1/2028
45. Citizen’s Petition – Prohibit sale of 21 Highland St. Property until 2033
46. Citizen’s Petition – Prohibit sale of 21 Highland St. Property until 1/1/2030
Articles 6 & 7 should be resolved by the Budget debate under Article 5. And the Select Board has already taken public stances and actions that have apparently addressed petitioner’s motivations for filing the other Articles. (They voted that they won’t enter a RECC agreement without first presenting terms to Town Meeting and they formed a committee to study the future use of 21 Highland Street. That committee now has a quorum, including newly appointed members from the area.)
Plus, unless a voter calls out to hold any of the following Articles for discussion/debate, they are slated to be quickly approved through one Consent Agenda vote:
I. Acceptance of Monies from Contributors
2. Borrowing Authorization
3. Authorize Select Board and Supt. of Schools/Three Year Contracts
14. General Government Capital Items (Leases) [$121K for continuing lease payments on DPW and public safety vehicles]
15. Authorize funds from 9-11 Field Maintenance Revolving Fund for bond payments [Explanation provided: “The loan term was shorter than anticipated and this will allow the Town to have this paid by the 9-11 Fund as intended.”]
16. General Government Capital Items (Hiring Consultants) [$30K]
17. Annual Appropriation for OPEB Trust Fund [$250K]
18. Insurance Deductible Account [$10K]
20. Facilities Maintenance Fund [$150K]
22. Annual Authorization of Revolving Fund Amounts
27. Appropriation from CPA Funds – Administrative [Note: The format has changed this year to include the annual debt service payments that were obligated by prior Town Meeting votes, rather then separating those out as individual Articles.]
28. Appropriation from CPA Funds – FY2024 State Match Adjustment
32. Appropriation from Free Cash for Substance Abuse Abatement Activities
35. Amend Town Code – Capital Improvement & Planning Committee (reducing membership from 5 to 7)
38. Amend Town Code – Virtual meetings on Election Day
39. Accept MGL for Town Clerk Certification Stipend
40. Amend Town Code – Minutes
41. Authorize Select Board to Petition Legislature – Pension Obligation Bonds
Articles that were pulled from earlier versions of the draft Warrant include the MBTA Communities Zoning overlay districts and pursuit of using a parcel on Atwood Street for an affordable housing project. (And because some Articles were pulled and others re-ordered, public discussions earlier in the winter referred to some under different Article numbers.)
