2021 Spring Town Meeting Warrant in Plain English

At Spring Town Meeting Saturday, May 15, voters will be asked to approve 23 articles put forward by the Select Board and other town committees. The meeting is the first of two sessions, its agenda devoted primarily to financial matters as well as a couple of bylaw amendments the Planning Board is anxious to enact. A second session will be convened in the fall to consider changes to the towns’ bylaws and pressing financial decisions that can’t wait until the following spring.

Three days later, at Town Election Tuesday, May 18, voters will decide one ballot question: whether to pay for the replacement of the slate roof, brickwork, and gutters of the old library with excluded debt, borrowing the money required and raising taxes to pay principal and interest on the loan. Also on the ballot are candidates to fill the positions of town moderator (one position for one year), Select Board (one position for three years), School Committee (two positions for three years), library trustee (two positions for three years), and Warner Free Lecture society trustee (two positions for three years).

On the following pages we explain each warrant article in everyday English, including the amount of money involved, its source, who oversees its use, whether the article affects your taxes and—when less than obvious—the consequences of voting yes or no.

You’ll find additional detail in the Town Meeting booklet, which will be distributed to attendees on Saturday when they register. The booklet contains the town-counsel-approved wording of each article, its cost, and whether it’s recommended by the Finance Committee. Readers should be aware, however, that the language of an article and sometimes its exact cost and source of funds can be altered at the time the motion for its adoption is read on the floor of Town Meeting. Motions can be amended, so you’ll need to pay attention.

For help with specialized terms such as “General Fund” or “levy,” see our “Glossary of municipal jargon” (page 14). Finally, for details on how to speak and legislate at Town Meeting, see the handy guide to “Town Meeting Procedures” prepared by the League of Women Voters of Harvard, which you’ll find on pages 28 and 29 of this year’s warrant booklet.

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ARTICLE 1: ANNUAL REPORTS

• Vote required for passage: Majority​

This article, an annual formality, asks voters to hear reports from the Select Board, School Committee, and any other boards that wish to present. A “yes” vote opens the door for any board or committee to step forward and tell the town of its activities and accomplishments over the past year. Select Board Chair Alice von Loesecke will report on the state of the town and the board’s progress in achieving its fiscal 2021 goals. School Building Committee Chair SusanMary Redinger will update the town on progress in building the new elementary school.

It’s rare for other boards to speak, but details of their work can be found in three reports provided to Town Meeting attendees when they register. The 2021 Town Meeting booklet includes reports from the Finance, Capital, and Community Preservation committees on the state of town finances. The 2020 Annual Town Report includes reports submitted for the 2020 calendar year by every town department and volunteer committee, as well as the minutes of the 2020 Annual and Special Town Meetings. The annual report is packed with statistics that will be of interest to citizens in an analytical mood. The 2022 Harvard Public Schools Budget provides additional detail on the district’s spending plans and sources of income.

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ARTICLE 2: PAY BILLS OF PRIOR FISCAL YEAR

• Amount: $3,343.71
• Vote required for passage: Four-fifths

Two bills of fiscal 2020 remain unpaid: $3,308.29 incurred by the Select Board for printing of town documents and a charge of $35.42 incurred by the treasurer/collector.

This expenditure is requested by the Select Board and will, when approved, be paid immediately with a transfer from the Stabilization Fund.

Recommended by the Finance Committee.

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ARTICLE 3: OMNIBUS BUDGET

• Amount: $34,026,724
• Vote required for passage: Two-thirds vote

The town’s omnibus budget is often approved in a matter of minutes, sometimes without a single question or comment. But it’s arguably the main event of Spring Town Meeting, when voters decide how their tax dollars and other town revenue will be spent in the coming fiscal year to provide the services they expect and need, from classrooms and snowplows to roads and buildings, from police and teachers to librarians and senior outreach workers.

The omnibus budget lays out in some detail the budget the Select Board, with the advice of the Finance Committee, has recommended for every department and committee in the coming fiscal year. Details are spelled out on pages 32-36 of this year’s Town Meeting booklet (See our analysis of Article 3 on page 1).

The grand total of the fiscal 2022 omnibus budget is $34,026,724, which is 4.6% higher than the $32,518,315 appropriated for fiscal 2021, the current year, ending June 30.

Note: This number is higher than the one printed in the warrant booklet, due to last-minute changes to the school budget.

When departments and committee heads submitted their level-funded budgets this year, they were also encouraged to include items that would improve their delivery of services to residents. Some of these have made their way into the omnibus budget; others appear as separate small warrant articles described later in this report.

Schools: The operating budget for Harvard’s schools (See “Total Education,” page 34) accounts for the biggest chunk of town spending, totaling $17.7 million, an 8.6% increase over the amount budgeted for fiscal 2021. To keep the cost to taxpayers flat, the schools have had to draw on money from the Devens fund and make use of federal grants. Once those offsets have been applied, the cost to the town is approximately $14 million, essentially identical to the fiscal 2021 request.

Although the omnibus budget includes budgets for the district’s six cost centers, Town Meeting has authority to set the total schools amount only; state law gives school administrators the power to allocate the dollars voted by the town as they see fit.

Editor’s note: As this edition of the paper was being prepared, the education total printed in the warrant booklet did not match the final budget voted by the School Committee May 10. The discrepancy will be corrected at Town Meeting.

Health insurance and other benefits for town and school employees (“Total Insurance and Fringe Benefits,” page 39) will increase another $322,000 to $5.9 million next year, following an increase in fiscal 2021 driven by a spike in health insurance costs. Benefit costs include the $500,000 the town plans to contribute to its other post-employment benefits (OPEB) fund as it plans for the cost of future retiree benefits.

Debt service (interest and principal on the town’s borrowed money) will decline for the first time since 2019, from $3.8 million in 2021 to $3.6 million in the coming year (see “Total Debt Service” )

Other big categories within the omnibus budget include:

General government, which includes salaries for the town administrator and assistant town administrator, finance director, and town clerk, and pays for the operation of town buildings: $1.6 million, virtually unchanged from the previous year (see “Total General Government,” on page 33).

Public safety, including spending for police, fire, ambulance, and inspectional services: $2 million, a 4.2% increase (see “Total Public Safety”).

Physical environment, most of which is for the Department of Public Works (see lines 31, 32, and 33), but includes the Transfer Station, water department, and cemeteries: $1,591,973 million, a 1.9% decline (see “Total Physical Environment” on page 35).

The omnibus budget is recommended by the Finance Committee and approved by the Select Board, which has ultimate responsibility for presenting a budget to Town Meeting.

If the article passes, the money will be expended by department heads and committee chairs, with the approval of the Select Board and town administrator, and paid for with fiscal 2022 tax dollars and other town revenues. If it fails, the Select Board must return to Town Meeting before July with an alternate proposal, or ask the state to continue operating at a monthly rate one-twelfth that of the current year’s budget.

Editor’s note: At its May 4 meeting, the Select Board recommended—but did not vote—to use the projected $35,376 budget surplus to defray the cost-of-living increases awarded teachers in their recently approved fiscal 2022 one-year contract. The following night, May 5, the Finance Committee voted against that recommendation. With the Select Board meeting just before Town Meeting at 11:30 a.m., May 15, watch for last-minute changes in line 29 (Local Schools Total) of the omnibus budget or in the motion to adopt Article 3 when it comes to the floor.

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ARTICLE 4: BARE HILL POND TESTING

• Amount: $7,000
• Vote required for passage: Majority

A rapid growth of algae, identified as cyanobacteria, turned Bare Hill Pond green last August and forced the Board of Health to issue a no-swimming order and no-contact advisory that remained in effect until October. The overgrowth happened quickly, and there were no funds in place for testing or proper signage. After that event, the board worked with the Bare Hill Pond Watershed Management Committee to create a plan for this summer. This article will fund testing at the town beach every other week beginning in August and ending in mid-September, the time of year this type of algae can grow out of control. It will also fund signage should the Board of Health need to issue any orders or advisories for the pond.

This expenditure was requested by the Board of Health and would be paid for with fiscal 2022 tax dollars. The funds would be expended by the Board of Health, with the approval of the Select Board.

Recommended by the Finance Committee; approved by the Select Board.

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ARTICLE 5: MAINTENANCE OF RECREATIONAL RESOURCES

• Amount: $20,000
• Vote required for passage: Majority vote

A bottom-up analysis of Harvard’s athletic fields and commons done by the Parks and Recreation Commission has shown that the annual appropriation of $25,650 (see line 54 of the omnibus budget) is insufficient to maintain them. This article boosts the amount of money available for field and commons in fiscal 2022 to a total of $45,650, which Parks and Rec Chair Bob O’Shea says is needed. While the commission expects to collect some fees for use of town fields, O’Shea says, such money should be used to improve Harvard’s athletic facilities, not maintain them. In coming years, the $20,000 appropriated by this article will become a permanent part of the Parks and Rec fields budget.

This expenditure was requested by the Parks and Recreation Commission and would be paid for with fiscal 2022 tax dollars. Funds would be expended by the Parks and Recreation Commission with Select Board approval.

Recommended by the Finance Committee; approved by the Select Board.

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ARTICLE 6: PERFORMANCE-BASED WAGE ADJUSTMENTS

• Amount: $19,561 
• Vote required for passage: Majority

The Personnel Board recommended this amount as a pool of money to provide merit raises for town employees who are not covered by union or individual contracts. This group of 38 employees includes office workers and staff in Town Hall, the Council on Aging, and the library, as well as individuals in a few other departments. If the article passes, each department head will be able to allot merit raises to employees who met or exceeded performance goals in the past year.

This expenditure was requested by the Personnel Board and would be paid for with fiscal 2022 tax dollars.

Recommended by the Finance Committee; approved by the Select Board.

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ARTICLE 7: ROADSIDE TREE MAINTENANCE

• Amount: $20,000
• Vote required for passage: Majority vote

Each year, the town contracts with a professional company to remove dead trees and trim trees and large brush along the town’s roadsides. Department of Public Works Director Tim Kilhart works with the tree warden to prioritize a list of trees that need removal. Last year this request was cut to $10,000 due to budget constraints.

This expenditure was requested by the Department of Public Works and would be paid for with fiscal 2022 tax dollars. Funds would be expended by the Department of Public Works director, with the approval of the Select Board.

Recommended by the Finance Committee; approved by the Select Board.

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ARTICLE 8: CAPITAL PLANNING AND INVESTMENT COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED EXPENDITURES

• Amount: $1,518,295

Each year the Capital Planning and Investment Committee reviews requests from departments and committees for purchases of equipment or the undertaking of studies whose cost is greater than $20,000 or that have a useful life greater than five years. Large projects, such as the new elementary school, are typically paid for with excluded debt, but small projects can be paid for with savings in the Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund.

The 10 projects listed below will be paid for with money in the capital fund, which had a balance of approximately $3.4 million as of November, 2020. Passage of Article 13 will add an estimated $792,034 in free cash to the account, leaving a balance of $2.7 million if all 10 projects are approved.

The Finance and Capital Planning and Investment committees and the Select Board recommend all of these projects be funded in fiscal 2022. The projects are listed in order of their priority, as rated by the capital committee.

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ARTICLE 9: CAPITAL PLANNING AND INVESTMENT COMMITTEE DEBT PAYMENT

• Amount: $270,795
• Vote required for passage: Two-thirds vote

The capital committee assumed debt payments for money borrowed to purchase a fire truck in fiscal 2011 and later for a $340,000 municipal water system upgrade, and some DPW equipment. Principal and interest due on those two projects in fiscal 2022 is $70,795. In addition, the capital committee is contributing $200,000 from its fund to reduce the cost to taxpayers of the money borrowed to build the new elementary school.

This article was requested by the Finance Committee and the Capital Planning and Investment Committee. The money source would be the Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund.

Recommended by the Finance Committee and the Capital Planning and Investment Committee; approved by the Select Board

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ARTICLE 10: ARCHITECT TO ASSIST THE PERMANENT BUILDING COMMITTEE AND THE COUNCIL ON AGING

• Amount: $45,000
• Vote required for passage: Majority

After last year’s Town Meeting voted not to fund a $4.3 million dining/activities building for the senior center at Hildreth House, the Council on Aging has been looking for a less costly option. The alternative under consideration is leasing or buying another building in town and renovating it to fit the council’s needs. If a suitable property can be found, the town would have to pay for a renovation design and estimate the true cost of making that property into a senior center. This request is to fund the design and estimate.

The request comes now because the town is scheduled to vote on funding the $4.3 million Hildreth House addition again next spring. If a property is found to meet the council’s needs and costs less than the proposed addition, the council would instead ask for funds to lease or buy and renovate that property into a senior center.

This expenditure was requested by the Council on Aging and would be paid for with certified free cash. If the article passes, the funds will be expended by the Permanent Building Committee, to assist the Council on Aging.

Recommended by the Finance Committee; approved by the Select Board.

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ARTICLE 11: DISPOSITION OF BROMFIELD HOUSE BUILDING AND PROPERTY

• Amount: $50,000
• Vote required: Two-thirds

The Select Board revised this article to allow itself to sell only the building, while keeping the land for future town use. The proposal would open a two-year window, starting this month, to find a buyer who is willing to move Bromfield House to a new location. According to discussion in the Bromfield House Committee, houses sold for removal usually bring a nominal sale price—not enough to recover the costs to restore the site. So the $50,000 would then be used to clean up the property and fill the cellar hole.

If the article passes and the building is eventually sold, any remediation required at the building site will be paid for with fiscal 2020 certified free cash, to be expended by the Select Board.

Approved by the Select Board. The Finance Committee supports the sale of the house and property together, but not the house alone.

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ARTICLE 12: TRANSFER FROM CERTIFIED FREE CASH TO THE STABILIZATION ACCOUNT

• Amount: $578,554
• Vote required for passage: Majority

Harvard’s capital planning bylaw requires that whenever the balance of the town’s General Stabilization Fund, as of July 1, falls below 5% of the preceding year’s omnibus budget, free cash must be used to restore it. On June 20, 2020, Town Meeting approved a $3.7 million omnibus budget, which requires that the stabilization fund balance be $1,685,912. Finance Director Jared Mullane said this week that a $578,554 transfer from free cash is needed to reach that number.

This article was requested by the Finance Committee.

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ARTICLE 13: TRANSFER FROM CERTIFIED FREE CASH TO THE CAPITAL STABILIZATION AND INVESTMENT FUND

• Estimated Amount: $792,034
• Vote required for passage: Majority

The Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund is Harvard’s savings account for capital projects whose cost is less than $500,000. The fund gets its dollars from free cash: unspent and unrestricted money left over from the prior fiscal year. Harvard’s capital planning bylaw, passed in 2010, requires the Select Board to place an article before town meeting at the end of each fiscal year to transfer whatever remains of free cash to the capital fund.

Article 13 fulfills that requirement. If it passes, the finance director will transfer the balance of fiscal 2020 free cash to the Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund. The actual amount will depend on how much of the $1.4 million certified by the state last fall remains after other actions taken by town meeting voters. Jared Mullane, finance director, estimated this week that $792,034 in free cash will be available.

As of Nov. 12, 2020, according to the report of the capital committee on page 24 of the warrant booklet, the balance of the capital fund was $3.4 million.

Although it’s the job of the Capital Planning and Investment Committee to review capital project requests and recommend which should be paid for with money in the capital fund, a two-thirds vote of town meeting is required to authorize such expenditures. Paying for capital projects with capital savings reduces the amount the town has to borrow, which helps restrain the growth of property taxes. Some have complained that it’s easier to deposit money in the fund than it is to withdraw it; others see that as a virtue.

This article was requested by the Finance Committee, which recommends its passage. The Select Board voted unanimously to support the measure.

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ARTICLE 14: CAPITAL PLANNING AND INVESTMENT COMMITTEE FY22 DEBT RECOMMENDATION

• Project scope: Replace old library roof, gutters, and brickwork
• Amount: $876,134
• Vote required for passage: Two-thirds and a majority at Town Election, May 18

The old library roof and gutter system are allowing water to leak into the building, deteriorating the masonry and causing damage inside the building. The town voted to borrow $480,000 for a new roof in 2019, but after a thorough assessment by Gale Associates later that year, the damage was found to be more extensive, and more money was needed. Spring Town Meeting last year approved borrowing $921,360 for the project, but the question failed at the ballot box. Since then, a few errors in calculations have brought the price down to $876,134. The total estimated cost for the roof and associated repairs is about $1.35 million; the town voted to apply about $144,000 in bond premiums to the project at Special Town Meeting in 2019, bringing the total borrowing needed to about $1.2 million (see article on page 1). If passed, this amount would complete funding for the project, and would cost taxpayers about seven cents per $1,000 of house value per year for 20 years. For a $600,000 single-family house, that would amount to about $42 per year the first year, declining after that.

The Select Board has applied for a Massachusetts Cultural Council Facilities grant of $350,000 for the project. If awarded, that would lower the total borrowing to about $850,000. Grants will be announced sometime in June.

This expenditure was requested by the Select Board and would be paid for by taxpayers with Proposition 2½ excluded debt. If the article passes, the funds will be expended by the Permanent Building Committee with the approval of the Select Board.

The Finance Committee and the Capital Planning and Investment Committee do not recommend passage of this article. The Select Board voted unanimously to support the article at the board’s May 4 meeting.

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ARTICLE 15: COMMUNITY PRESERVATION COMMITTEE REPORT

• Vote required for passage: Majority

This article invites the Community Preservation Committee to report on its fiscal 2022 Community Preservation budget, which is also printed on pages 26 and 27 of the Town Meeting booklet. The report is typically delivered by the CPC chair, currently Didi Chadran.

This article was requested by the Community Preservation Committee. If it passes, the chair of the CPC will present the report. The Finance Committee takes no position on this article; the Select Board supports it.

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ARTICLE 16: COMMUNITY PRESERVATION COMMITTEE

This article was requested by the Community Preservation Committee and lists the projects the committee has voted to fund in fiscal 2022. The money source for all of these projects is the Fiscal 2021 Community Preservation Fund. The fund is fueled by a 1.1% property tax surcharge with a match of up to 100 percent from the state. In fiscal 2021 the state match for Harvard was 28.6 percent, or $70,086. In April the Department of Revenue said it expected the fiscal 2022 state match to rise to 32.3 percent.

By law, the money a community collects in its community preservation fund must be used to preserve open space and historic sites, and create recreational facilities and affordable housing. At least 10% of the CPC funds must be spent or reserved yearly for each of these uses.

The Community Preservation Committee recommends all of these expenditures. The Finance and Capital Planning and Investment committees do not comment on CPC articles. The Select Board voted unanimously to support the CPC’s recommendations.

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ARTICLE 17: LEASING OF HARVARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ROOF FOR SOLAR POWER

• Vote required for passage: Two-thirds

The new elementary school was designed from the beginning to be “solar ready.” If approved, this article would lease space on the school’s south-facing roof to Solect Energy of Hopkinton. Solect would install, operate, and maintain photovoltaic panels on the school roof for 20 years; then the company would either remove the panels or allow Harvard to buy them. In the meantime, the school would get about 70% of the electricity it is expected to need at a guaranteed price well below the market rate, for an estimated savings of more than $350,000.

This article was requested by the Harvard Energy Advisory Committee in coordination with the School Committee. The Select Board supports it.

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ARTICLE 18: FY22 ENTERPRISE FUND BUDGETS

• Amount: Sewer Enterprise Fund: $217,070; Ambulance Enterprise Fund: $263,612
• Vote required for passage: Majority

This article sets the budgets of two enterprise funds; the Town Sewer Enterprise Fund and the Ambulance Enterprise Fund, created last year at Town Meeting. Each budget is an estimate of the amount each fund will spend in the coming fiscal year.

The town collects usage and connection fees from users of the town center sewer system. That money gets added to the enterprise fund to pay for maintenance and repairs as well as debt service on the system. Unspent money from prior years must be moved into the enterprise fund for the current fiscal year, where it is used to cover system expenses. The budget for fiscal 2022 is $217,070, nearly identical to the $216,947 allocated for fiscal 2021.

A similar arrangement exists for the ambulance enterprise fund, which bills health insurance companies and MassHealth for its calls. This income is used to pay ambulance service expenses. This year’s budget is $263,612, an increase of $38,274 (17%) over fiscal 2021. Most of the additional money ($33,000) will be used to pay half the salary of the full-time firefighter and EMT it shares with the fire department.

This article was requested by the finance director, is recommended by the Finance Committee, and is supported by the Select Board. The activities of this fund have no impact on taxes.

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ARTICLE 19: REVOLVING FUNDS

• Vote required for passage: Majority

This article re-authorizes the following revolving funds and, for each, sets a not-to-exceed balance for fiscal 2022.

• Council on Aging: $35,000.
• Fourth of July Committee: $40,000.
• Fire Department: S.A.F.E. Program $15,000.
• Application Review Advertising & Professional Service Cost: $1,000.
• Harvard Community Cable Access Committee: $25,000.
• Parks and Recreation Beach: $80,000.
• Park and Recreation Field Maintenance: $65,000.

No money is appropriated by this article, but it does provide necessary authorization for owners of the accounts to collect and disburse funds through them.

The article was added by the Finance Committee. FinCom recommends its passage and the Select Board supports it.

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ARTICLE 20: AMEND PROTECTIVE BYLAW CHAPTER 125 BY ADDING A NEW SECTION 125-57, SENIOR RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT

• Vote required for passage: Two-thirds

This article proposes the creation of a general senior housing bylaw. By itself, the bylaw would not allow construction of any new types of housing, but would instead provide a set of guidelines that would apply to senior housing allowed by other bylaws. These provisions include age restrictions, accessible design guidelines, limits on the annual pace of development, and a total senior housing cap. The only type of senior housing that Harvard’s bylaws currently encourage is assisted living facilities, which can be constructed only in the commercial district. The Planning Board envisions this bylaw as the first step in a longer process of allowing additional kinds of housing for the older population.

This article was requested by the Planning Board. The Select Board supports it.

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ARTICLE 21: AMEND PROTECTIVE BYLAW CHAPTER 125 SECTION 125-18.1, ACCESSORY APARTMENT USE

• Vote required for passage: Two-thirds

This article updates Harvard’s existing accessory apartment bylaw. An accessory apartment (sometimes called an “in-law apartment”) is a smaller, secondary dwelling unit that is attached to or next to the main residence. The bylaw would increase the maximum size of an accessory apartment from the current limit of 1,200 square feet to a new maximum of 1,500 square feet, though it would still be restricted to no more than half the size of the primary residence. It would also allow an expedited permitting process for accessory apartments that follow the senior accessibility design guidelines from Article 20, the general senior housing bylaw. While most accessory apartments require a special permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals, senior-accessible ones would require only the approval of the building commissioner.
Senior-accessible accessory apartments would not be subject to the senior housing cap or age restrictions outlined in Article 20. This article also rewords the language of the existing bylaw, which is the reason for the crossed out and underlined text in the warrant.

This article was requested by the Planning Board. The Select Board supports it.

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ARTICLE 22: ACCEPTANCE OF GIFTS OF PROPERTY

• Vote required for passage: Majority

There are no gifts of property this year. The Finance Committee, however, encourages residents to consider a tax-deductible donation of land to the town.

This article is included every year at the request of the Select Board.

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ARTICLE 23: ACCEPTANCE OF HIGHWAY FUNDS

• Amount: The fiscal 2021 apportionment has not yet been set by the state.
• Vote required for passage: Majority

This vote is required by state law to accept Chapter 90 funds that the state Department of Transportation provides each year for the repair and improvement of the town’s 64 miles of roads. Harvard received $350,285 for use in fiscal 2021, which is $482 less than the amount distributed by the state the previous year.

By defraying some of the cost of maintaining Harvard’s roads, Chapter 90 highway funds from the state reduce the amount DPW must ask from the town and reduces the taxes of property owners and businesses. Unexpended funds will go into the town’s General Fund.

This article was added by the Select Board. If it passes, the money will be expended by the Department of Public Works director with Select Board approval.

The Finance Committee recommends passage of this article.

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MOTION TO ADJOURN

This year’s town meeting consists of two sessions: a spring session, devoted primarily to financial articles needed for the coming fiscal year, and a fall session, to deal with nonfinancial matters, especially changes to the town zoning and other bylaws, as well as more recent financial developments, such as certification of free cash. When the moderator adjourns this week’s session, he will call for Town Meeting to resume on October 16, where the remaining fiscal 2022 business of the town will be concluded.

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Ballot in Plain English

QUESTION #1: OLD LIBRARY SLATE ROOF

• Amount: $876,134
• Vote required for passage: Majority

This question authorizes the town to borrow funds to replace the old library roof and gutters and to do any necessary repairs to damage done by water leaks over the years (see Article 14 for details).

If it passes, the funds will be borrowed as excluded debt (excluded from the provisions of Proposition 2 ½). Principal and interest will be paid by taxpayers over the life of the loan.

The Finance Committee and the Capital Planning and Investment Committee do not recommend passage of this article. The Select Board voted unanimously to support the article at the board’s May 4 meeting.