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Date: 10/12/2022
LONGMEADOW – The town of Longmeadow will conduct a Special Town Meeting at 7 p.m. on Oct. 25 at the Longmeadow High School gymnasium. There are 26 articles to be considered, most of which are financial matters, although there are also bylaw changes and the introduction of a new Outdoor Water Use Bylaw.
School feasibility study
The largest financial consideration is Article 1which asks the town to approve $1.6 million to fund a feasibility study for the renovation or construction of a new Glenbrook Middle School, or a consolidation of the Glenbrook and Williams Middle schools. The warrant states that the study would “identify a cost-effective and educationally appropriate solution to the town’s middle school facility needs,” based on existing conditions, enrollment patterns and educational space.
The feasibility study would be conducted in conjunction with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), which would reimburse the town for a percentage of eligible study costs, provided a Feasibility Study Agreement is in place by April 28, 2023 and the town adheres to the timeline and criteria set forth by the agency.
Because MSBA funding is a reimbursement, if the town chooses not to fund this article, a feasibility study would not be conducted and the project to update Glenbrook Middle School would stall. The town would have to apply for a future MSBA eligibility period to begin the project again.
Opioid settlement
Due to a class action lawsuit filed against opioid manufacturers, Longmeadow will receive $132,304 for FY23, and then about $28,000 annually until 2038. In keeping with instructions from the state Department of Revenue, Article 4 would raise and appropriate $132,304, to be kept in a “Municipal Opioid Abatement Fund,” and then offset that amount with the settlement amount. This article would not impact that tax levy.
Legal expenses
Articles 7 and 8 would transfer funds from the Treasury to cover the town’s legal expenses. The amount of $200,000 would go toward the ongoing litigation concerning the taking of land through eminent domain and subsequent asbestos cleanup at the site of the DPW Garage at 170 Dwight St.
The town is seeking another $140,000 to fund its efforts against Eversource’s plans to locate a natural gas pipeline and metering station, known as the Western Mass Reliability Project, in Longmeadow. The attorneys handling the matter are filing plans with state regulatory boards and hiring experts to testify against the project. This request would bring the total for this litigation to $240,000.
Water and Sewer Retained Earnings
Several articles pertain to use of funds in the Water and Sewer Retained Earnings accounts. From the Water Retained Earnings Account, Article 14 would use $200,000 design a generator for the Forest Glen pump station, which was disabled by an August power surge. This funding would also pay for “updating and analyzing the town’s water infrastructure to create a phased long-term capital plan for water line replacements,” as well as designing an additional redundant water tank.
Article 15 would use $150,000 to replace 10 fire hydrants and water main lines and shutoff valves.
Articles 16, 17 and 18 would use $107,500 from the Sewer Retained Earnings Account to replace a pump and overflow meter and two channel grinders and remove grit from a pump station wet well to avoid future mechanical failure.
Article 19 asks to use $100,000 of the Sewer Retained Earnings to reimburse sewer customers for a portion of their bills for the first quarter charged in FY23.
In September, the Select Board, acting as water commissioners, voted to move the town to a system in which a cap of 55 water units (550 cubic feet or 748.5 gallons) is applied to residential bills for the first two quarters of the fiscal year, covering the months of April through September. No cap would be applied in the last two quarters of the year, which represent cold weather months.
The purpose of this change was to more accurately reflect the sewer usage of homes in the summer, when a portion of the water recorded by a residence’s meter is used for watering, car washing and other outdoor uses.
To offset the lower volume of water units being charged for wastewater treatment, the board raised the sewer rate from $2.75 per cubic foot to $3.26 per cubic foot. However, because the change was made after first quarter bills had been paid, a one-time refund for the difference between the recorded use and the 55-unit cap is being issued to customers. This will cost the town approximately $100,000.
Other fiscal articles
In Article 10, the DPW is requesting a transfer from the treasury of $100,000 to have design plans drawn up for various projects. Longmeadow is looking to develop “shovel-ready” plans for needed roads, grounds and facilities work to help the town in pursuing several state and federal grants.
Articles 11 and 12 add to the town’s stabilization accounts, which essentially act as municipal savings accounts. Article 11 would move $283,000 from the treasury into the stabilization fund for other-post-employment-benefits, which funds healthcare and life insurance among other benefits for town retirees. The latest data available, from June 2021, shows the town has an unfunded liability of $25.93 million and a stabilization fund balance of $5.84 million.
Meanwhile, Article 12 would transfer $785,148 into the town’s Operational Stabilization Fund. This is in keeping with a 2003 Town Meeting vote that deems all free cash over $500,000 after the budget is balanced to be moved into the Operational Stabilization Fund. The balance of this account at the beginning of FY23 was $7.14 million.
Water bylaw
A version of Article 20 was originally intended to be introduced at this year’s Annual Town Meeting to curb excess water use in Longmeadow. Between 2018 and 2020, the town used an average of 102 gallons per person per day (G/P/D), far exceeding the Massachusetts Department of Enviornmental Protection’s (MassDEP) water consumption goal of 65 G/P/D. Town officials were instructed by the state to address the issue.
Then, the drought that affected Massachusetts this summer impacted water tank levels. With less rain, more water was pulled from the tank for everyday use. On Aug. 1, the Select Board was informed by DPW Water Superintendent Michael Spear that the drought “has implications on our ability to fight fires.”
This version of the Outdoor Water Use Bylaw seeks to “ensure an adequate supply of water for drinking and fire protection,” water supply conservation and water supply emergency.
Under the bylaw, the town may declare a state of water supply conservation if it is deemed that “conservation measures are appropriate to ensure an adequate supply of water for drinking and fire protection.”
This may trigger a prohibition of non-essential outdoor water use or limit the number of days or hours during which it is permitted. There may also be restrictions on how water is applied outdoors, such as by handheld hose or buckets.
People found to not be complying could be subject to fines laid out in Article I, Chapter 500 of the town’s general bylaws. If the MassDEP has declared a state of water supply emergency, water may be shut off at the meter or the curb stop.
The town cited its authority to create the under Article LXXXIX of the Massachusetts Constitution, and Massachusetts General Laws (M.G.L.) Chapter 40, Section 21 and Chapter 41, Section 69B. The bylaw states the authority to enforce it is granted under M.G.L. Chapter 40, Section 41A, Chapter 21G and 310 Code of Massachusetts 36.00.