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Date: 4/25/2022
WARE - Ware residents will vote on 35 warrant articles during Annual Town Meeting on May 9.
The meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the Ware High School Auditorium.
Town Manager Stuart Beckley said the current numbers are estimates and will not be finalized until the first week of May. The Board of Selectmen will go over the budget and come up with their suggestions prior to the meeting, he added.
For fiscal year 2022 (FY22), there are six articles to be voted on regarding the budget. Beckley said, “This will wrap up some finances to balance the budget” and put money away for the next fiscal year.
For FY23, the remaining 29 articles largely pertain to the budget as well.
Articles 7 through 14 are consent articles, to which Beckley said are “standard business.” He continued, “Every year, [we] authorize to borrow and accept grants.” One motion is made to accept all these articles.
Article 15 is a request to fix the FY23 salaries of the elected officers in town. This will also determine if any town board, commission or committee, could receive authorization to increase an employee’s salary or compensation.
Articles 16, 17 and 19, are requests to appropriate, borrow and/or transfer a sum of available funds to operate the Water Enterprise, Sewer Enterprise and the Employee Compensated Absences Reserve Fund in FY23.
Articles 20 through 22 are requests to amend the town’s general bylaws. This includes adopting the vacant and blighted property bylaw and eliminating the unkempt property bylaw that was adopted by Town Meeting on May 12, 2014.
Article 21 is a request to amend the Earth removal bylaw and the marijuana bylaw.
Article 22 is a request to add a new Section 4.8.3.H: Temporary moratorium on the sitting of large-scale solar battery storage facilities. If the town votes to accept this, the moratorium will be in effect through June 30, 2023, or the date on which the town adopts amendments to the zoning bylaw; whichever date occurs first.
Article 25 is a request to establish the Road Repair Stabilization Fund, to be used in appropriating funds to balance the yearly tax levy and allot 50 percent of the adult use marijuana local excise tax imposed by the town to this fund, for a minimum of three years.
Article 26 is a request to establish a Tree Warden position, to be appointed by the Select Board.
Articles 27 through 32 are requests to raise and appropriate, borrow and/or transfer a sum of available funds to purchase an ambulance for the Fire Department, snowblower for the Department of Public Works, tractor for the Parks Department, a playground in Grenville Park, an updated Supervisory Computer and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system for the Water Department, and install fire hydrants.
Article 33 is requesting to update the operations and maintenance manual for the Water Pollution Control Plant.
Article 34 is a request to transfer funds for the operations of the Quaboag Connector, a local and regional transportation service.
Lastly, Article 35 is requesting for some of the funds raised through cannabis impact fees to address the impacts related to marijuana use and establishments.
Beckley said the Annual Town Meeting will consist of a quorum of 100 Ware residents. These registered voters in town will be able to ask questions, speak and vote on the warrant articles.