Voters at the May 2 Annual Town Meeting will be asked to vote on 44 articles on the ATM warrant, copies of which were sent to all Harvard households last week. Those articles are summarized below, but are outlined in great detail in the warrant.
The first three articles are “housekeeping” in nature, asking for the acceptance of annual reports from town boards (Article 1); for the closeout of two articles from previous years by transferring to the general fund $12,000 in unexpended funds appropriated by votes at the December 1998 Special Town Meeting (Article 2); and for the transfer of $26,000 from the fiscal 2008 certified free cash account to the fiscal 2009 account for allowance of abatements and exemptions, as well as the transfer of $60,131 to the fiscal 2010 reserve fund (Article 3). The transfer of funds to the allowance for abatements and exemptions Account would provide for the possibility of a successful appeal by telecommunications providers on a legislative ruling that favored towns taxing communications poles and wires. Town Administrator Tim Bragan told the Press this week that the town has been collecting these taxes and will set them aside in case the appeal is successful. If it is unsuccessful, he said, these funds will be added to the town’s revenue stream. The transfer of monies to the reserve fund is being proposed to help cover any decreases that might occur in fiscal 2010 state aid.
Voters will consider the omnibus budget in Article 4, which this year totals $19,742,928, 1.01 percent less than last year’s budget of $19,943,498. Contributors to the reduction include the restructuring that took place in late winter to pare down fiscal 2009 spending—a reduction in hours for some town positions and the elimination of others, reduced hours at the library, and the implementation of billing for ambulance services, to name a few.
Article 5 is another housekeeping question that seeks voter approval to transfer funds—the Finance Committee recommends $350,000—to the reserve fund to cover emergencies or unforeseen special education costs.
Inserted in the warrant by the Board of Selectmen, Article 6 asks voters to approve the formation of a capital planning and investment committee. The Finance Committee believes that the new committee—made up of members from the Board of Selectmen, School Committee, Finance Committee, and community at large—will better enable the town to develop long-term investment strategies that will make the best use of the town’s capital assets. Going hand-in-hand with Article 6, Article 7 seeks voter approval to set up and fund a capital stabilization and investment fund for capital projects proposed in fiscal years 2010 to 2014. Article 7 requires a two-thirds majority vote for passage.
The School Committee has said that when Article 8 comes up for discussion at Annual Town Meeting—the article requests funding for the purchase of 13 SMART boards—it will pass over the measure because the town will be able to fund the purchase of the boards with funds it expects to receive from the state’s Individuals with Disability Education Act.
Articles 9 to 12 ask voters to approve the funding of repairs and maintenance at the elementary and high schools. Article 9 requests $37,000 for modifications and repairs to the air-conditioning system in the elementary school library, while Article 10 proposes $60,000 to remove the underground oil tank at the school and convert the heating system to natural gas. Approval of Article 11 would allow the replacement of faulty switches that control heating systems at the elementary and high schools. Article 12 seeks $10,000 to repair a ceiling at the high school. The Finance Committee supports all four of these articles.
Article 13 proposes $47,500 for upgrades to the town’s water system and for investigating locations for the development of new water sources for municipal buildings. According to the Finance Committee, this is part of a multi-year plan to upgrade the water system.
Article 14 is a housekeeping measure that would extend the town clerk’s ballot box replacement date voted on at the 2008 Annual Town Meeting from June 2009 to June 2010.
Town officials have made plans to upgrade the town’s website to help facilitate communication among town boards and the public. Article 15 asks voters to appropriate funds to help make this happen; the Finance Committee is recommending the approval of $12,000 for this project.
After the Dec. 11 ice storm prompted the Board of Selectmen to evaluate the town’s emergency communication process, the selectmen voted to pursue the acquisition of an emergency communication system, funding for which is proposed in Article 16. The Finance Committee does not support this article, arguing that the proposed system would not replace the existing Connect-Ed system used by school officials to communicate emergencies to residents with children in Harvard’s public schools, and that the $7,500 needed for this system, and the ongoing support expenses, would increase the town’s expenses in an uncertain economy.
The Fire Department was successful in obtaining a federal grant of approximately $63,000 for the purchase of new radio equipment. Article 17, sponsored by the selectmen and supported by the Finance Committee, seeks voter approval for this purchase with a matching grant of $3,500.
Another article sponsored by selectmen in support of the Fire Department is Article 18, which does not seek funding, but rather voter support to adopt the provisions of Mass. General Laws Chapter 148, Section 26G, which requires sprinkler systems in all nonresidential buildings, and Section 26I, which requires the presence of automatic sprinkler systems in newly constructed or substantially renovated multiple-dwelling units.
The Finance Committee supports re-authorizing revolving accounts for the Council of Aging, as proposed by the selectmen in Article 19 up to a maximum of $30,000 annually, and the Fourth of July Committee, as proposed in Article 20, up to $25,000 annually, to fund the activities of these groups.
With ambulance billing about to begin (see related story), Article 21 asks voters to approve the establishment of a revolving account for billing receipts, up to a maximum of $65,000, to fund the activities of the ambulance squad.
The Financial Impact Analysis Team, which was assembled last year by the selectmen, completed its analysis of the town’s fiscal situation and in Article 22—submitted on the team’s behalf by the selectmen, with the support of the Planning Board and Finance Committee—recommends the formation of a team to create a commercial and industrial development strategy for the town.
Approval of Article 23, submitted by the selectmen and supported by the Finance Committee, would break new ground in Harvard, historically a “dry” town, by creating a home rule petition that would go before the Legislature and ultimately result in the selectmen’s ability to grant up to three liquor licenses, providing that one is granted to the Harvard General Store.
Another home rule petition is proposed in Article 24, which was also submitted by the selectmen and supported by the Finance Committee. It would seek legislative approval of the Harvard Wastewater Management District Act, which would pave the way for the design and development of a much-discussed sewer system for the town center. Funding for the design and construction of this system is requested by way of a Proposition 2½ debt exclusion proposed in Article 25. This article requires a two-thirds majority vote, and if passed must also go before voters at the town election on May 5.
Article 26 proposes that, if Article 25 does not pass, or the related ballot question fails to pass at town election on May 5, voters appropriate or transfer from available funds money to perform an engineering design to correct deficiencies in the town-owned wastewater treatment facility on Mass. Ave. The Finance Committee recommends $80,000 for this project if voters do not approve Article 25.
Articles 27 to 34 ask voters to hear the report and recommendations of the Community Preservation Committee on its fiscal 2010 budget (Article 27), and to transfer funds for a variety of purposes:
- $119,100 from the Community Preservation Fund unallocated reserves to the Bare Hill Pond Watershed Management Committee for stormwater pollution control on the pond (Article 28)
- $100,000 from Fiscal 2010 Community Preservation revenues to the Municipal Affordable Housing Trust Fund (Article 29)
- $100,000 from fiscal 2010 Community Preservation revenues to be placed in the Conservation Fund (Article 30)
- $2,500 from the Community Preservation Fund unallocated reserves for administrative expenses (Article 31)
- $7,500 from Community Preservation Fund historic reserves for the Historical Commission to use for signage in the historic district (Article 32)
- $23,211 from the fiscal 2010 Community Preservation revenues to Community Preservation Fund historic reserves to meet the 10 percent funding requirement of the Community Preservation Act (Article 33)
- $6,556 from Community Preservation Fund unallocated reserves to the Affordable Housing reserve account to address an existing deficit (Article 34)
Articles 35 to 38, all of which require a two-thirds majority to pass, are amendments to the town’s Protective Bylaw submitted by the Planning Board. Article 35 proposes that the town adopt driveway line-of-sight criteria based on standards from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Article 36 would prohibit any new drive-in or drive-through services in town. Article 37 would expand the definition of a structure by defining gross floor area and adding a new definition of a building. Article 38 would create a residential wind energy conversion system overlay district, and lays out conditions for the construction and maintenance of wind turbine systems, as well as owner obligations for maintaining the towers and dismantling them if they fall into disuse. The amendment includes the requirement for a special permit to construct a wind energy system and details specifications those systems must meet, including limits on height, setbacks, and noise.
Article 39, submitted by the Conservation Commission, would authorize the commission to require payment from applicants for “reasonable costs borne by the commission for a wildlife habitat study of a project…regardless of the type of resource area or the amount or type of alteration proposed.”
In Article 40, the Board of Health proposes that residents be required to get permits before using any buildings on their premises for stables, and that a condition for the permits be Board of Health approval of a written manure management plan for the stables. The article would impose a stable license fee of $40 for a new license, which would be renewable annually, and a fee of $25 for the renewal of an existing license.
Articles 41 to 44 were submitted by the Board of Selectmen. Article 41 asks voters to accept provisions of Mass. General Laws Chapter 152, Section 69, to include the position of town clerk in the town’s workers’ compensation program. Article 42 seeks voter authorization to grant control of an easement area on Still River Road to the St. Benedict Center and to grant the center an easement under this area “for the installation, repair, maintenance, improvement, and replacement of subsurface utilities.” Article 43 asks voters to accept land gifts previously accepted by the Conservation Commission and Selectmen. Finally, Article 44 seeks voter approval on the acceptance of state funds for the reconstruction and improvement of public ways.
For the full text of all warrant articles see the town website, www.harvard.ma.us.
