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Date: 4/27/2022
WILBRAHAM – The town of Wilbraham will be conducting its Annual Town Meeting (ATM) on May 16 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of Minnechaug Regional High School. The warrant consists of 45 articles, the first 15 of which are considered part of the routine “consent agenda.” The other articles deal with budget and financial matters, requests from the school district, zoning amendments and issues around elected officials.
Budget Articles
Article 19 seeks approval of the town’s fiscal year 2023 (FY23) operating budget. The total operating budget recommended by the Finance Committee is $47,281,077, with the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District assessment constituting $29,064,888 of it. The budget is level funded, overall, with an increase of $144,136 over fiscal year 2022 ( FY22).
Article 20 asks for the approval of 15 capital improvement projects, which range from $16,500 for a mower for the Recreation Department to 350,000 for sidewalks and guardrails. There is also a request to add $100,000 to the capital reserve fund for future projects. The total for capital projects is $1,645,585, taken from Free Cash. By using Free Cash instead of borrowing for these projects, the warrant states, the town would save $140,000 in interest payments.
Network Switches
Article 21 asks voters to approve $239,098, Wilbraham’s portion of a proposed $300,000 replacement of network switches for the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District. The network switches, which are required for the schools to access the internet, are original to the 2012 building and have reached the end of their lifespan. This project would utilize available funds, rather than require a bond or raise taxes. The Finance Committee unanimously voted not to recommend this article.
Solar Field
Article 32 would authorize the Board of Selectmen to enter into a PILOT – pay-in-lieu-of-taxes – agreement with a company building a solar array at 285 Three Rivers Rd. As mass.gov explains, “PILOTs help minimize the revenue impact on communities hosting recreational areas, solar and wind farms, nonprofit institutions, and properties held by the commonwealth.” One way it does this is by calculating future payments and structuring it to be a consistent revenue source for the town.
Community Preservation
Articles 34 through 40 concern the community preservation budget and proposed projects. The projects include town records preservation for $11,300, a cart path at the Wilbraham Country Club for $22,110, field renovation at Minnechaug Regional High School for 93,118, and $403,000 to expand the McDonald Farm Nature Preserve. The last of these would include borrowing to fund the land acquisition with the expectation of reimbursement through community preservation and state funding.
Recalls and Partisan Election
A bylaw is introduced in Article 42 that would provide for the recall of elected officials in Wilbraham by registered voters. A petition for recall with 200 signatures can be submitted to the town clerk, provided there is a “lawful reason.” After that petition is submitted, a number of signatures equal to 75 percent of voters in the previous annual town election must be collected within 30 days.
Once signatures are verified, if the official does not resign within seven days, an election must be called for 60 to 90 days in the future.
If passed, this article will need to be approved by the state and added to the home rule charter.
Article 44 seeks to repeal an article from the October 2021 Special Town Meeting warrant, which removed partisan notation from town election ballots and eliminated town party caucuses for election candidates. Passage of this article would reinstate the use of party caucuses and political affiliation would once again be stated on ballots.
The final article is a non-binding resolution supporting the relocation of the Recreation Department to Memorial School. This resolution cites the end of the town’s lease at Post Office Park and the need for a permanent space for the department.