by John Osborn ·
Monday, June 22, 2020
Saturday’s outdoor Spring Town Meeting lasted five and a half hours during which 290 Harvard citizens considered and decided, without a break, the fate of 39 articles placed before them by town officials and boards. All but four passed, including two expensive proposals that require additional tax dollars.
The $33.7 million fiscal 2021 omnibus budget passed by a simple majority vote, but only after an hour-long discussion and some parliamentary maneuvering, which included the removal of an embedded capital transfer that had raised the vote required for passage to a two-thirds majority. Town Administrator Tim Bragan declared after the meeting that never in his career had he seen discussion of a budget last so long.
Also approved was a request for additional money to replace the roof and gutter system of the old library, which passed after a 30-minute debate.
Two major articles failed: a proposal to construct a $4.3 million addition to Hildreth House, the town’s senior center, and a $660,000 plan to rebuild the middle school ramp. Also defeated were a $230,000 request for outdoor bathrooms, an extra stairway and landscaping at the middle school, and a $37,000 request for an Ayer Road market study by economic planning director Chris Ryan.
The fate of next year’s budget and old library roof will not be settled until Tuesday, however, when voters cast their ballots at Town Election. To pay for the budget, voters must approve a $320,000 tax override to balance it. And to pay for work on the old library roof, voters must OK the borrowing of $961,360 as excluded debt. The override will add to property taxes in fiscal 2021. The impact of old library spending on taxes depends on when construction gets underway.
Look for further details on Saturday’s town meeting votes in this week’s edition of the Harvard Press.