05/05/2008 Annual Town Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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--------------- become the responsibility of the town's Department of Public Works. The eight articles are as follows: • Article 14: (Step 1) "Hicks Way". To appropriate $5,000 from available funds to ' prepare a plan laying out and defining Hicks Way. '" • Article 17: (Step 2) "Preakness Lane". To accept Preakness Lane, as a public way, to appropriate $38,060 from available funds for any necessary taking, repairs or construction associated with the way, and to authorize the assessment of betterments to the owners of land abutting Preakness Lane. ' `` • Article 19: (Step 2) "Equestrian Avenue". To accept Equestrian Avenue, as a public way, to appropriate $17,264 from available funds for any necessary taking, r repairs or construction associated with the way, and to authorize the assessment of betterments to the owners of land abutting Equestrian Avenue. While each Article will be voted on individually, the FINANCE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS TOWN MEETING APPROVAL OF ARTICLES 14, 17, and 19. ARTICLE 16: Authorize Appropriation to Construct Solar Panels on the Senior Center. Submitted by: Resident Petition This Article seeks Town Meeting approval to appropriate and borrow funds to construct a solar ", „ • „� !` energy system on the Senior Center to reduce utility costs at that facility. While the petitioner requests an appropriation of$50,000 for the proposed project, it appears the actual cost would be $100,000 with the anticipation of up to a $50,000 grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. Since there is no guarantee of a grant, it is assumed that the town must fully fund '` I the project, pending the receipt of the grant. { While the Finance Committee commends the petitioner for his initiative, this committee suggests a �l that the more appropriate approval procedure is via the review, approval, and recommendation of the Planning and Construction Committee, which was created by the Home Rule Charter specifically for facility additions and renovations and the Capital Improvement Projects " Committee, which reviews all capital project requests and recommends the funding priorities. Approval of this Article will increase the anticipated tax rate set in December 2008 by an N additional $0.02/ $1,000 of assessed property value. If the grant is approved, the increase will be reduced to $0.01/ $1,000. A "fir THE FINANCE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS TOWN MEETING INDEFINITELY POSTPONE ARTICLE 16 AND REFER THE PROPOSAL TO THE PLANNING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMITTEE FOR ITS FINANCIAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND ARCHITECTURAL ANALYSIS AND TO REPORT ITS FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN PRIOR TO THE OCTOBER TOWN MEETING. For the record a motion to indefinitely postpone an Article is an attempt to defer action on an Article to a later time. A vote is taken at the meeting. If the motion is approved by a majority,the Article is indefinitely postponed; however, if the motion fails, a vote on the original Article is taken. Indefinitely postponing an Article does not imply that the Article, or the subject of the Article, cannot be on the Warrant of a future meeting. 23