10/19/2009 Annual Town Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mashpee Voters: As required by the Charter, below is the Finance Committee's summary and recommendations on the 21u Articles to be presented and voted upon at the October 19th Annual Town Meeting Warrant. ;a;i" ' The Finance Committee is providing an overview of each of the Articles, a summary of the rationale for each, and the position and recommendation taken by the Finance Committee members as advisors to you, �- the voters and Legislative branch of Mashpee's municipal government. As a dedicated group of volunteers, the Finance Committee reviews the financial impact (if any) of each Article, discusses the merits of the proposals and reviews each side of the issues presented. pl, The October Warrant contains several important Articles, including an amendment to the FY 10 town budget outlining how the administration recommends dealing with shortfalls in the Town's anticipated p °r revenues caused by State cutbacks. In addition, there are 3 articles recommended by the Planning Board for By-law amendments. Two articles, submitted by the Board of Selectmen, if adopted, will result in Mashpee being designated a"Massachusetts Green Community", and therefore make the Town eligible for state and federal renewable energy grants. There are two Resident Petition Articles which will certainly generate public comment. The Finance 4i!;fly Committee does not recommend approving either Article. One is an Article making it unlawful to own a pit bull in Mashpee; the second seeks approval to spend over $5.6 million to purchase 38 acres of land at the intersection of Route 151 and Algonquin Avenue. ; • d�Ni v The FinCom's reasoning for not recommending the Pit Bull Article is based on Town Counsel's concern with sustaining a legal or constitutional challenge of a breed-specific prohibition. The FinCom's opposition to the land purchase is that in the absence of any local or outside funding, for which none has yet been identified,the entire$5.6 million purchase will be borne by Mashpee's taxpayers. This is clearly not the time to be tacking that kind of added tax burden on the residents of Mashpee. The members of the Finance Committee strongly urge residents to attend the meeting on October 191"and join the discussion. Voters will have an opportunity to ask questions or express their opinions on each Article presented during the course of the Town Meeting On behalf of the Finance Committee, we thank you for your interest in participating in our town government. Respectfully, Sandra Lindsey Chairmand Chuck Gasior,Vice Chairman ., Oskar Klenert,Clerk Christopher Avis "a Bob Hutchinson William Johnson George Schmidt,III "NMI, October 19, 2009 Town Meeting " Page 3