In a matter of 45 minutes and with little discussion, voters at last Saturday’s Annual Town Meeting approved 16 of the 45 articles on the warrant, representing $21,916,384 in financial decisions. Those decisions included:
- Approval of the transfer of $300,000 from Free Cash to the current year Reserve Fund
- Approval of the transfer of $705,556 in Free Cash to the Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund
- Approval of a $20,368,098 Omnibus Budget
- Approval of the addition of $350,000 to the Reserve Fund, with $175,000 appropriated for emergency needs
- Approval of the allocation of $8,000 for an actuarial evaluation
- Approval of the allocation of $11,425 for the purchase of protective firefighting gear and a meter to detect combustibles and carbon monoxide
- Approval of $10,305 to fund contracts negotiated with the Dispatchers and Public Works employees unions
- Approval of $163,000 for repairs and upgrades at the Bromfield and Hildreth Elementary schools, among them the extension of the gas line on Mass. Ave. to position Bromfield to convert to gas heat and the partial funding of a new playground at HES.
Other articles generated more discussion, and in the end all but four of the 45 were approved. Voters rejected the proposal to fund spraying a larvicide for mosquito control (Article 27); “no action” was recommended on articles 14, 18, and 32.
People drifted in and out of the meeting throughout the day; Town Clerk Janet Vellante reports that all together, 363 registered voters took part. With the meeting ending at about 2:45 p.m., those voters who remained were home before supper.
Details of the results are outlined below.
Related stories:
- Voters nix mosquito control
- At ATM: Of lights, land, and water
- Voters approve funds to start Master Plan update
- Voters approve capital expenditures for schools
| Article 1: Annual Reports | DEAT report by Victor Normand |
| Article 2: Reserve Fund—fiscal year 2011 | Transfer $300,000 from Free Cash, unanimous |
| Article 3: Fiscal year 2010 certified free cash | Transfer remaining $705,556 from Free Cash to Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund, called as requiring 2/3 vote, passed |
| Article 4: Omnibus Budget | Raise and appropriate $20,368,098, no questions or discussion, unanimous |
| Article 5: Reserve Fund—fiscal year 2012 | Raise and appropriate $350,000, unanimous |
| Article 6: GASB 45 OPEB Actuarial Valuation | Raise and appropriate $8,000, unanimous |
| Article 7: Fire Department—Protective Firefighting Gear | Raise and appropriate $9,175, passed |
| Article 8: Fire Department—combustible and carbon monoxide gas meter | Raise and appropriate $2,250, unanimous |
| Article 9: Contract—dispatcher wages | Raise and appropriate $3,823, add to line #20, unanimous |
| Article 10: Contract—Public Works employees wages | Raise and appropriate $6,482, add to line #32, unanimous |
| Article 11: Bromfield School—repair/replace the middle school walkway structure | Appropriate $20,000 from Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund, 2/3 vote required, unanimous |
| Article 12: Bromfield School—convert from oil heat to gas | Appropriate $30,000 from Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund, 2/3 vote required, unanimous |
| Article 13: Hildreth Elementary School—front office flooring | Appropriate $10,000 from Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund, 2/3 vote required, unanimous |
| Article 14: Hildreth Elementary School—mechanical upgrades | No action taken, covered by Green Communities grant |
| Article 15: Hildreth Elementary School—boiler and windows | Appropriate $38,000 from Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund, 2/3 vote required, unanimous |
| Article 16: Hildreth Elementary School—playground | Appropriate $65,000 from Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund, 2/3 vote required, passed. Remaining funding from Shaw Trust, MassDevelopment, and private funding |
| Article 17: Municipal Buildings | $185,000 to be raised through issuance of excluded debt, subject to passage of Question #1, Debt Exclusion at Town Election April 5 (which passed, 820 for, 381 against). 2/3 vote required, passed. |
| Article 18: Municipal Buildings (citizens’ petition) | Moved to take no action |
| Article 19: Department Of Public Works—highway garage floor | Appropriate $40,000 from Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund, 2/3 vote required, unanimous |
| Article 20: Fire Department—purchase new forestry firefighting truck | $145,000 to be raised through the issuance of non-excluded debt with related debt service payments to be appropriated from the Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund. 2/3 vote required, passed |
| Article 21: Water Department—install fence at water tank | Appropriate $15,000 from Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund, 2/3 vote required, passed |
| Article 22: Water Department—upgrades to water system | $340,000 to be raised through the issuance of non-excluded debt with related debt service payments to be appropriated from the Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund. 2/3 vote required, passed. |
| Article 23: Municipal buildings sewer connections | $125,000 to be raised through the issuance of non-excluded debt. 2/3 vote required, unanimous. |
| Article 24: Reconstruct and repair Littleton County Road (Cleaves Hill to Old Schoolhouse) | Appropriate $250,000 from Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund, 2/3 vote required, passed |
| Article 25: Police radio system upgrade | Appropriate $15,000 from Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund, 2/3 vote required, unanimous |
| Article 26: Town Hall energy study | Raise and appropriate $8,300, unanimous |
| Article 27: West Nile Virus and EEE Prevention | Raise and appropriate $5,000, requested by Board of Health, opposed by ConsCom and several speakers, not passed |
| Article 28: Conservation Fund Funding | $100,000, inserted by citizens’ petition, not recommended by FinCom. Moved to take no action. |
| Article 29: Update of Master Plan | Transfer $35,000 from General Stabilization Fund, 2/3 vote required, passed |
| Article 30: Home Rule Legislation—Join The Devens Economic Target Area | Inserted by Economic Development Committee. Motion to restrict to C-District defeated. Main motion passed. |
| Article 31: Home rule legislation—adopt MGL Chapter 138 S.14 re: one-day liquor licenses | Amendment requested by Billy Salter to provide public hearing for abutters. Not required, as hearings are already part of the process. Passed |
| Article 32: Home rule legislation—property tax relief for seniors | Moved to take no action, need time to study impact. |
| Article 33: Home rule legislation—water commissioners elected to appointed | Unanimous |
| Article 34: Dissolve Harvard Housing Authority | Passed |
| Article 35: Change composition of Community Preservation Committee | Replace Housing Authority seat with Municipal Affordable Housing Trust seat. Unanimous. |
| Article 36: Community Preservation Committee report | Passed |
| Article 37: Preservation of historic town documents | Appropriate and transfer from Fiscal 2012 Community Preservation Revenues $25,982 and from Community Preservation Fund Historic Reserves $1,018 (for a total of $27,000). Unanimous. |
| Article 38: Harvard Municipal Affordable Housing Trust Fund | Appropriate and transfer from Fiscal 2012 Community Preservation Revenues $25,000 to be placed in the Municipal Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Unanimous. |
| Article 39: Bare Hill Pond—storm-water pollution control | Appropriate and transfer from Fiscal 2012 Community Preservation Revenues $73,750 to be expended by the Bare Hill Pond Watershed Management Committee for stormwater pollution control (and to attract matching funds). |
| Article 40: Community Preservation Committee—administrative expenses | Appropriate and transfer from Community Preservation Unallocated Reserves $2,500 for administrative expenses. Passed. |
| Article 41: Amendment Protective Bylaw zoning map section | 2/3 vote required, unanimous. |
| Article 42: Amend the Protective Bylaw—floodplain district | Required to be eligible for federal flood insurance, defined by insurance rate maps, 4.5 pages of land description and definitions, required 2/3 vote, passed |
| Article 43: Reauthorizing Revolving Funds | Unanimous |
| Article 44: Acceptance of gifts of property—conservation land | .56 acres vacant land off Brown Road, left over after I-495 was built, gift from Custer family. Unanimous. |
| Article 45: Acceptance of Highway Funds | Unanimous |
