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TOWN OF LONGMEADOW SPECIAL TOWN MEETING Tuesday, November 27, 2007 7 p.m. Longmeadow High School WARRANT COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS, HAMPDEN, ss To Katherine Ingram, Town Clerk, or any of the Constables of the Town of Longmeadow, in said County: GREETINGS: In the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, you are directed to notify and warn the Inhabitants of the Town of Longmeadow, qualified to vote in elections and Town affairs, to meet in the GYMNASIUM of the LONGMEADOW HIGH SCHOOL in said Town on TUESDAY, the TWENTY-SEVENTH day of November, 2007, 7:00 p.m. o'clock in the evening and if the GYMNASIUM of the LONGMEADOW HIGH SCHOOL, shall not, in the opinion of the Moderator, be adequate to contain such Inhabitants who shall meet, then to meet also in the AUDITORIUM and such other locations in the LONGMEADOW HIGH SCHOOL as the Moderator deems appropriate, at such time and place then and there to act on the following articles to wit: ARTICLE 1. To see if the Town will vote to transfer from available funds the sum of $100,000 to complete the Comprehensive Site Assessment as required by the settlement agreement with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management, or take any action relative thereto. Recommended by the Finance Committee This assessment is required as part of the settlement with DEP. The assessment must be completed by October 2008 and is presently underway. This funding will allow the CSA to be completed. Once the CSA is completed and submitted, DEP will determine what, if any, remedial work will be required. ARTICLE 2. To see if the Town will vote to transfer from available funds the sum of $40,000 to complete repairs to infrastructure damaged during the October 2005 flooding, or take any action relative thereto. Recommended by the Finance Committee There are some remaining washout areas throughout Town as a result of this flood event. Those areas were stabilized until federal Natural Resources and Conservation Services funds were appropriated to fund 75% of the repair. The sum of $40,000 is required to complete the Town's matching portion of repairs to areas on Fenwood Street and Mill Road. ARTICLE 3. To see if the Town will vote to transfer from available funds the sum of $110,000 to perform emergency repairs to the roof of the high school, or take any action relative thereto. Recommended by the Finance Committee It was discovered during the summer, that portions of the high school roof insulation material had buckled, causing stress on the roofing material. This work must be repaired before the winter, or the roof will crack and leak. The Town is seeking a reimbursement from the vendor, but can't afford to wait until the matter is settled legally. ARTICLE 4. To see if the Town will vote to transfer from available funds the sum of $34,000, or a greater or lesser sum, to repair Fire Engine #2, or take any action relative thereto. Recommended by the Finance Committee Engine 4 has developed motor problems. This must be repaired or the engine will fail. Repair to this engine will keep the vehicle in operation for its expected life. ARTICLE 5. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate from water receipts the sum of $69,000 and from sewer receipts the sum of $34,000 to fund Fiscal Year 2008 increases in the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission charges, or take any action relative thereto. Recommended by the Finance Committee The Springfield Water and Sewer Commission notified the Town in the summer that water and sewer charges for the present fiscal year will be increased. These increases were not budgeted since no estimates were available at the time budgets were being prepared. The final charges will be based on actual usage. These amounts are projected based on past history and are included in the fee structure effective July 1, 2007. ARTICLE 6. To see if the Town will vote to transfer from available funds in the Treasury the sum of $405,000 for the purpose of funding the Fiscal Year 2008 budget as adopted at the 2007 Annual Town Meeting, or take any action relative thereto. Recommended by the Finance Committee This appropriation from free cash will balance the budget as approved by Town Meeting in the spring. ARTICLE 7. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $1,167,000 to fund the school collective bargaining agreements in Fiscal Year 2008, provided, however, that this appropriation shall be contingent upon passage of a Proposition 2 override, or take any action relative thereto. Recommendation to be Given on Town Meeting Floor This article funds the Fiscal Year 2008 school collective bargaining agreements subject to passage of an override on November 6. ARTICLE 8. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate or transfer from available funds in the Treasury the sum of $507,000 to pay Fiscal Year 2007 retroactive wage increases for school employees, or take any action relative thereto. Recommended by the Finance Committee This article funds retroactive school collective bargaining agreements. ARTICLE 9. To see if the Town will vote to amend Longmeadow's General By-laws, Section 3-509 Associate Members by inserting "and Board of Health." at the end of the first sentence after the words "Recycling Commission.", or take any action relative thereto. This language allows the Select Board to appoint up to two non-voting members to the Board of Health to assist and advise the Board in its duties should it be necessary. The same provision is in effect for the Audit Committee, Cable Advisory Committee, Conservation Commission and Recycling Commission. ARTICLE 10. To see if the Town will vote to transfer the following properties from the custody of the Treasurer to the Conservation Commission, or take any action relative thereto. Parcel Acres Location Map 31, Lot 95 .27 Longmeadow Street Map 33, Lots 268 and 275 .44 Meadow Road Map 74A, Lots 23 and Part of 24 9.00 Tina Lane Map 74, Lot 84B 1.13 West Road These foreclosed properties are unsuitable for development. The Conservation Commission has voted to accept them for conservation and wetlands protection purposes. ARTICLE 11. To see if the Town will vote to transfer from the Community Preservation Fund the sum of $85,000 for the painting, roof repair, and balustrade replacement of the Community House, or take any action relative thereto. Recommendation to be Given on Town Meeting Floor Funds have been requested to make repairs to this historic property. ARTICLE 12. To see if the Town will vote to accept the provisions of Chapter 44, Section 53F of the Massachusetts General Laws, establishing water as an enterprise fund effective Fiscal Year 2009, or take any action relative thereto. Articles 12 and 13 establish enterprise funds for water and sewer operations. An enterprise fund establishes a separate accounting and financial reporting mechanism for municipal services for which a fee is charged in exchange for goods and services. The change from our current practice of accounting for water and sewer operations as Special Revenue Funds as opposed to Enterprise is mainly an accounting and financial reporting matter and will not change our pricing practice of capturing both direct and indirect costs, inclusive of capital. The Governmental Accounting Standards Board now requires the Town to report its Water and Sewer operations as Enterprise Funds. Acceptance of the law formalizes the practice. Only minor changes in our accounting practices will take place and they include full accrual accounting as opposed to our current modified accrual accounting and the fact that investment income would remain within the Enterprise Fund. ARTICLE 13. To see if the Town will vote to accept the provisions of Chapter 44, Section 53F of the Massachusetts General Laws, establishing sewer as an enterprise fund effective Fiscal Year 2009, or take any action relative thereto. ARTICLE 14. To see if the Town will vote to accept the provisions of Chapter 44, Section 53F of the Massachusetts General Laws, establishing solid waste and recycling as an enterprise fund effective Fiscal Year 2009, or take any action relative thereto. Article 14 establishes an enterprise fund for solid waste. The change from our current practice of accounting for solid waste operations is an accounting and financial reporting matter and will not change our pricing practice of capturing both direct and indirect costs, inclusive of capital where fees are charged. Only minor changes in our accounting practices will take place and they include full accrual accounting as opposed to our current modified accrual accounting and the fact that investment income would remain within the Enterprise Fund. Solid waste collection would still be paid from the tax levy but other revenues from solid waste/recycling operations would offset the cost of those services. ARTICLE 15. To see if the Town will vote to transfer from available funds in the Treasury the sum of $13,353 for use by the school department, or take any action relative thereto. Recommended by the Finance Committee The schools have a contract with Pepsi Company and receive a portion of proceeds from this contract. These funds need to be appropriated annually by Town Meeting. ARTICLE 16. To see if the Town will vote to rescind the Water and Sewer rates that became effective July 1, 2007 and return to the previous rates in effect before that date, until new rates are developed, or take any action relative thereto. By Petition The new water/sewer rates give reason to review the back-up data used to formulate the new pricing. Documentation of the need for conservation of water and the anticipated Springfield price increase, both items necessary to intelligently devise our new rate schedule are needed to verify this huge increase $820,000/yr. AND you are hereby directed to serve this Warrant by posting attested copies thereof in five (5) public places in said Town fourteen (14) days, at least, before the time of holding said meeting. HEREOF fail not and make due return of the Warrant with your doings thereon unto the Town Clerk at or before the time of holding said meeting. Given UNDER our hands this 15th day of October, 2007, A.D. SELECT BOARD OF LONGMEADOW Hal W. Haberman, Chair Person Kathleen E. Grady, Vice Chair Person Paul P. Santaniello, Clerk Brian M. Ashe William G. Scibelli Note: This publication is for informational purposes only. the Town makes no representation that this is the legal document. The legal warrant is posted and is on file with the Town Clerk's office. |