Town Meeting wrap-up; 34 articles, $1.8M
Published on October 31st, 2001
STONEHAM, MA - The 178 people who attended the Oct. 29 Special Town Meeting approved around $1.8 million in spending for Stoneham. Although the crowd was small, votes for Articles 8 and 32 were determined by one vote.
“I’m requisitioning for 300 umbrellas,” Public Works Director Bob Grover said on Tuesday with a frustrated laugh. To find out why and for a full Town Meeting recap, read on...
Board of Assessors
Article 1: The Board of Assessors won Town Meeting approval to tie the asset limitation and exemption amount for seniors, survivors and minors qualifying for property tax exemptions under clause 17E of MGL, Chapter 59, Section 5, to a cost of living adjustment determined by the Mass Commissioner of Revenue.
Qualifying individuals could previously have no more than $40,000 in assets to receive a $175 exemption on their property taxes. These individuals will now be able to have a little more and keep a little more over the years. The cost of living increase for the coming year will be 4.9 percent.
Article 2: The Board of Assessors also won Town Meeting approval to tie the asset and income limitations on citizens over 70 who qualify for property tax exemptions under clause 41D of the aforementioned MGL. The exemption stays at $500, but with the cost of living adjustment more seniors will qualify, and these folks can hold and earn more money over the years.
Article 3: Town Meeting OKed the Board of Assessors request to use 100 percent of the cost of living adjustment to determine who qualifies for the two previous articles.
Finance Board member Karen Medugno told Town Meeting that these articles would only cost the town a few thousand dollars annually. The money will come from the overlay account, the account used to fund anticipated property tax abatements and exemptions.
Easements
Article 4: Town Meeting approved Selectmen’s request to accept an easement across 26 Cottage St. property so the town can work on a drainage problem.
Article 5: Selectmen also received the necessary two thirds approval to grant an easement across Senior Center property at 136 Elm Street to Verizon New England for utility purposes.
Bike path committee
Article 6: Town Meeting unanimously supported extending the life of the Bike/Greenway Committee, the group working to establish a bike path through Stoneham.
For the service people
Article 7: Town Meeting unanimously approved the Selectmen’s article requiring the town to pay the difference in salary for municipal and school employees called to active service by the federal government. The article also says that these employees and their families can keep their town health insurance during their time of service.
The Schools
Article 8: Town Meeting passed the $60,000 second phase of school vacation buy-back by one vote, 72-71. The money comes from “free cash,” or fiscal 2002 surplus revenue.
Last October, Town Meeting approved $60,000. And the schools will be looking for around $70,000 in October 2002. Inflation accounts for the additional $10,000 of the third installment.
“This is an in house problem. I’m surprised they’re taking it to the floor here,” said Fred Kranefuss of Gerry Street. “They have millions.”
“We don’t have $60,000 for this in the budget... We’ll have to take it from somewhere else, teachers maybe,” said School Committee Chairwoman Marie Christie.
Former School Committee member Robert Wellman of West Street said he didn’t see the $60,000 as a liability.
“They’ve retired and been paid. I don’t believe this is part of their contract,” Wellman said.
Christie said that budget cuts of the late 1980s and early 1990s forced the schools to slash administrative positions and ask the remaining staff to take on extra duties. The heavy workload made it impossible for administrators to take their vacation time.
“I don’t believe it’s fair to ask these people to pick up more work and take away their vacation time,” Christie said. Although she added that the School Department has since enacted a “use it or lose it” vacation policy.
Articles 9: Town Meeting voted, in accordance with the School Department’s request, to indefinitely postpone a request for money to finish the elementary schools.
The final cost estimates won’t be in until January. The schools plan to call a special town meeting in February to ask for the money.
Articles 10 and 11: Town Meeting agreed to indefinitely postpone action to rescind the bonds for textbooks and technology.
The option to rescind the bonds and pay cash worried town officials. Since the state has not yet passed a fiscal 2002 budget, local officials question how much of the money promised to Stoneham will actually be delivered.
“We want to wait until May to have a clearer picture of what our finances are,” said Selectmen Chairman Tony Kennedy.
Fire Department
Articles 12-16: The Fire Department agreed with the Selectmen’s advice to indefinitely postpone repairs to a truck (Article 12) until May and four other items relating to the fire building until after an engineering study. Town Meeting voted to indefinitely postpone the articles.
Article 17: Town Meeting appropriated $25,000 of surplus revenue for an engineering study of the fire station.
The Finance Board supported the appropriation.
“The study will allow us to review and assess valid needs and get the most cost effective solutions,” said Finance Board member Peter D’Angelo.
Selectmen opposed the article, arguing that the town doesn’t have money to implement a study. Selectmen moved to postpone the article, but their motion failed.
No solid waste study
Article 18: Town Meeting followed the advice of Selectmen to vote down a $25,000 appropriation to study solid waste removal costs recommended by the Finance Board.
Selectmen Darin Leahy and Cosmo Ciccarello accused the Finance Board of pushing for a “pay as you” throw rubbish fee.
Selectman Mary Pecoraro, speaking in the minority of her board, said a study could point to things like a compost program to avoid paying for leaf removal and then buying back decomposed leaves as fertilizer.
“Waste removal costs will increase by $100,000 this year,” said Finance Board member Steve Geary.
Finance Board member Brenda Boyle said that creative cost cutting is in the town’s best interest as waste removal costs continue to rise.
Gigante Road resident Frank Pignone said the DPW should handle the study in house.
Pension funds
Article 19: Town Meeting agreed to request state permission to look into pension obligation bonds as a means of funding municipal pension liability. The idea is to sell bonds to get some quick cash, invest the money, and then hope to make more on the investment than what the town has to pay to bond holders.
Article 20: Town Meeting agreed to put $225,000 of surplus revenue, in the Stabilization Fund for future unfunded pension liability payments.
Stabilization Fund
Article 21: Town Meeting followed town officials’ recommendations and appropriated $250,000 of surplus revenue for the Stabilization Fund.
Medical bills
Article 22: Town Meeting voted to pay $1,425 of prior year medical bills of public safety employees injured on the job with funds leftover in the “unclassified,” or odds and ends, section of the fiscal 2002 budget.
Trees
Article 23: Town Meeting indefinitely postponed the shade trees article after Selectmen explained that sufficient funds remain in an existing shade tree account.
Selective enforcement
Articles 24 and 25: Town Meeting voted to recommend spending $6,000 on parking enforcement and $5,000 on traffic enforcement, from surplus revenue.
Town Counsel
Articles 26 and 27: Town Meeting agreed to pay Town Counsel William Solomon $5,000 for expenses related to negotiating the town’s cable contract and $5,000 for expenses related to updating the Town Code. This money comes from surplus revenue. The cost of the legal work is covered by Solomon’s salary.
Loose end
Article 28: Town Meeting approved transferring $35,000 form another section of the town budget to pay for a state mandated drinking water assessment and some associated legal fees.
“The item got left out of the other budget section,” Geary explained.
Infrastructure
Article 29: Town Meeting approved the request for $150,000 of surplus revenue for sidewalk construction as recommended by Selectmen.
The Finance Board made a motion to reduce the figure to $100,000, but the motion failed. Warren said the reduction wouldn’t stop the sidewalk construction program, only slow it down. But several citizens spoke in favor of the full amount.
“It’s an issue of safety. I’m in favor of the $150,000,” said Cameron Bain of Highland Avenue.
Article 30: Town Meeting approved spending $150,000 of surplus revenue for drainage work.
Pignone asked if water and sewer revenue could be used for this purpose, but Warren explained that those funds cannot be used to work on storm water drainage.
Jet cleaner
Article 31: Town Meeting approved spending $75,000 of surplus revenue and $75,000 of sewer revenue to buy a new sewer cleaner.
The machine can both blow and vacuum blockages out of the system to prevent backups and flooding. The existing machine is in bad shape.
“Hiring a contractor to do this costs $1,500 a day,” Grover said.
Article 32: The Department of Public Works will have to wait for a new roof after falling two votes — or one person switching sides — short of the necessary two thirds vote to bond $225,000 to replace the roof. The hand count was 46 to 25.
A motion for a recount was ruled invalid because hand counts cannot be recounted.
Then a motion for reconsideration was made by former Selectman Kathy Sullivan. But reconsideration, which also requires a two thirds vote, failed by one vote, 55 to 28.
“If the schools have their February special (Town Meeting), then I’ll bring the roof article back,” Grover said in an interview the day after Town Meeting.
Grover agreed with the Finance Board that he wouldn’t spend the money for the roof until the spring construction season, but he wants the money now so the project can be put out to bid as soon as possible and begin without delay come good weather.
“We have ceiling tiles falling in here,” Grover said on Tuesday.
Article 33: Town Meeting accepted $132,090.83 of state highway funds for road work.
Article 34: Town Meeting approved a $597,891 transfer from surplus revenue to balance the fiscal 2002 town budget.
“With a $50 million budget $500,000 is only one percent,” Kennedy said.
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