Selectmen approve 2018 Town Meeting warrant

The 2018 Annual Town Meeting warrant will soon be on its way to the printer. The selectmen signed off on the document at their March 6 meeting, and on Wednesday afternoon Executive Assistant Julie Doucet was finishing up the complete Town Meeting booklet for shipment to Harvard residents.

The warrant sets the agenda for the May 5 Annual Town Meeting, and comprises 44 articles and three ballot questions, all listed in the sidebar that accompanies this story. There have been few changes since the selectmen last reviewed the document in February. The two articles that would have the biggest impact on taxpayers remain this year’s $27.5 million omnibus budget (Article 6) and the proposal to replace Hildreth Elementary School with a new building for $53.5 million, of which $18.4 to $18.6 million would be reimbursed by the state (Article 25).

Two articles are new: One would empower the town to seek designation of the Nashua, Squannacook, and Nissitissit rivers as Wild and Scenic Rivers (Article 37), while the second appropriates money to make merit-based adjustments to the salaries of nonschool officials and employees as recommended by a recent study (Article 42).

Two bylaw amendments that appeared in previous versions of the warrant to allow retail sales of marijuana and its cultivation in town have been combined (Article 32). Another two articles facilitating the elimination of the town’s Board of Assessors and its replacement by a nonresident individual or company have also been consolidated (Article 41). A bylaw amendment to create an agritourism district remains (Article 35), but, said Town Administrator Tim Bragan, it will be passed over at May’s Town Meeting for consideration at a later time.

At last week’s selectmen’s meeting, Bragan told the panel he had arranged the first 25 articles to allow 1.5 to 2 hours before lunch for debate on the need for and affordability of a new elementary school. He predicted attendance was likely to reach 900, well above last year’s 248, the lowest turnout since 2010. He said he is ordering extra chairs and considering setup of an overflow room in case attendance exceeds the capacity of the Bromfield gym.

Ballot questions

The warrant also includes three ballot questions for voters to consider at Town Election May 8, the Tuesday following Annual Town Meeting: whether to approve the use of excluded debt to make the old library accessible; whether to use excluded debt to finance a new elementary school; and whether to adopt the town charter proposed by Harvard’s nine charter commissioners, the first since Harvard’s incorporation in 1732. Excluded debt is a loan that temporarily raises taxes until its principal and interest have been paid. A large borrowing like the proposed school debt typically is paid for over 25 to 30 years, but details are still being worked out by the selectmen and the school, finance, and capital boards.

In addition to the warrant, the Annual Town Meeting booklet includes reports from the finance and capital boards, as well as a report from the schools. This year’s package will also include the proposed town charter. Residents can expect to receive their copies sometime in early to mid-April.

In upcoming issues, the Press will take a deeper look at this year’s budget and several less well-known articles, as well as the proposed charter. And in the Press’ pre-meeting, townwide, May 4 edition, the annual “Warrant in Plain English” will be published.