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Historic district, meals tax options voted down at Annual Town Meeting

Date: 5/24/2010

May 24, 2010.

By Debbie Gardner

Assistant Managing Editor



WILBRAHAM -- Residents approved a proposed budget of $31,347,387 for fiscal year 2011 (FY11) but rejected petitioned articles addressing a historic district and an additional meals tax at the Annual Town Meeting last Monday night.

Town residents also approved $171,446 for the purchase of an ambulance, the transfer of $150,000 from free cash for road repairs, the allocation for $571,000 in community preservation projects and amendments to the town bylaws pertaining to the advertisement and dates of Town Meetings and elections.

In addition, residents approved a zoning bylaw amendment allowing mixed use development in an area of Boston Road.

In presenting the proposed FY11 budget, Finance Committee Chair Susan Bunnell told meeting attendees the town is "well-positioned to weather [state] budget cuts," and that the Finance Committee's desire in presenting the budget was to "hold property taxes to 2 1/2 percent and still maintain town services."

At 54 percent, she indicated the ap-proximately $19 million allotted for support of the schools represented the largest expenditure in the budget. The remaining 46 percent will fund other town services.

Superintendent of Schools M. Martin O'Shea acknowledged a decline in Hampden's population has shifted a greater portion of the regional school budget to Wilbraham taxpayers. He also cited a reduction of 4 percent -- approximately $100,434 in Chapter 70 aid -- for this fiscal year.

"The percentage increase in the bottom line is .25 percent," O'Shea said of the district's request, adding that the current budget reflected reductions achieved through negotiated givebacks with teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals and clericals, a one-week shutdown of all school buildings during the holiday break and the closing of Memorial School.

The school closure also resulted in savings through staff reductions which include the elimination of six paraprofessionals, one school nurse, three custodians, 3.2 clericals, one administrative secretary, 9.33 teachers and three food service personnel.

As the selectmen presented the budget line by line, resident Daniel Fitzgerald raised the question "How comfortable and confident [is the finance committee] that we have factored in extraordinary events?"

Adding that "financial planning is no longer a luxury but a necessity," Fitzgerald asked if the FY 11 budget would be sustainable in 2012.

Members of the Finance Committee indicated that in their estimation the budget was sustainable as presented, although the committee had no control over the amount of state aid Wilbraham would receive for FY12.

Another resident, Matt Villamaino, asked if the regional school district had filled every available school choice opening, as each student would bring approximately $5,000 into the town.

O'Shea indicated that all school choice openings in grades seven through 12 were filled at this time.



Historic District


Shortly after the budget discussion, an attendee moved that Article 34 -- regarding the adoption of a Wilbraham Historic District -- be addressed out of order, and the motion was seconded.

Llewellyn Merrick, chair of the Historic District Study Committee presented the petition that the town amend Article VI of its bylaws by establishing a local historic district that would extend along Main Street from Tinkham Road to Mountain Road.

Merrick indicated that the Historic District designation would only affect the front exterior of the property, not the rear or interior, and as written would not put restrictions on the replacement of windows, doors, choice of paint color or even the use of vinyl siding.

An unidentified Main Street resident stood and questioned who would be on the Historic District Committee 10 years hence and "what fees or restrictions might be put on us as homeowners?"

Merrick's answer was that any changes to the Historic District's provisions would have to be approved at Town Meeting.

Responding to material presented by the Historic District Committee regarding two surveys of residents in the proposed district -- the last of which was conducted in 2007 -- Charles Clark, also a resident of Main Street, said he would "feel more confident supporting the project [if the committee] had come to my home and explained what they wanted to do."

Because the first visual vote on this article appeared very close, the moderator called for a second vote with a count. With a two-thirds majority needed for approval, the count on Article 34 was 112 yes, 97 no.



Insurance Trust Fund


Charles Muse and Joseph Lawler, representing the health benefits study committee, urged residents to approve Articles 16, 17 and 18, which dealt with unfunded health insurance liabilities and other post-retirement benefits for retired town employees and a requirement that current town employees enroll in Medicare as soon as they are able.

This unfunded liability to cover retiree costs -- now approximately $23.4 million -- could affect the town's bond rating in the future, the two men said.

They recommended the town approve committing $50,000 to establish a trust fund to begin funding this liability. Voters approved the motion.



Meals Tax


Residents rejected a petitioned article to establish a .75 percent local meals tax presented by John Broderick of Stony Hill Road.

Though Broderick argued that this tax is "one of the few vehicles to generate local revenue" and cited several local communities including West Springfield, Springfield, Chicopee and Palmer that already employ this option, there were many dissenting voices including Terry Nelson, who spoke against the article as a representative of the local Hampden-Wilbraham Chamber of Commerce.