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Date: 6/22/2022
WILLIAMSBURG – Annual Town Meeting, which took place this year on June 6 at the Anne P. Dunphy School, underwrote capital projects, made select changes to the town’s bylaws and authorized funding for the new public safety complex. Only one article, Article 16, was not passed by voters.
Article 7, which included the public safety project, sought funding for capital spending for the next five years, amounts and payment schedules decided by the Capital Planning Committee and approved by the Select Board. The Public Safety Complex, to be constructed on the site of the old Helen E. James School, will set the town back $4.1 million, plus interest. The first annual charge will be $80,000, with an increase to $250,000 yearly thereafter, according to information in the warrant.
The capital projects article also sought funding for three new investments including a front end loader for the Highway Department, a rescue truck for the Fire Department, and new windows and landscaping in Town Hall, along with a study of further needs of the building.
Several sections of the town bylaws saw significant revisions. Article 17, which sought to codify the role of the Council on Aging as a senior advocate and advisor to the Senior Center director, only saw minor changes.
Article 18 revised personnel issues for the Board of Library Trustees. Voters authorized changes to the hours of operation, defined in the bylaws. Staff hiring authority was codified to reside with the library director. The language around electing trustees was also simplified to require the yearly election of two members with three year terms.
Article 19 asked voters to amend the zoning bylaws regarding marijuana establishments. Section 9.25 was deleted. Broad changes were proposed for Section 9.26, which governs the operation of marijuana establishments. The buffer zone between a cannabis establishment and school was reduced from 500 to 300 feet. The new bylaw also establishes that cultivation must be indoors, limited to 2,000 square feet of canopy and the smell of cannabis cannot be detected outside the facility by someone with a normal sense of smell.
The bylaw changes also fortify language on water and energy use plans, disposal of equipment after closure and reporting requirements.
Voters were able to examine the town budget for the coming year in Article 9, which also fixed rates of compensation for town officers and employees. The budget increased $178,199, or 2.11 percent, to $8.6 million. The school levy, at $4.7 million, dropped by almost $78,000 from last year’s total, due to a drop in enrollments.
Article 16 sought to move Annual Town Meeting from the first Monday to the first Saturday of June. According to Town Clerk Brenda Lessard, that article excited significant discussion. It did not pass. Town Meeting will continue to take place on the first Monday of June.
Articles 1 and 3 reauthorized town departments to carry out business on behalf of the town. Article 2 authorized the moderator to choose members of the town’s Whiting Street Fund committee and the spending of monies “for the relief and comfort of the worthy poor.”
Articles 4 and 5 focused on town sewer and water services. The article sought $212,765 in funds for operating the water system, to be sourced out of fees for use. Article 5 sought $242,000 for operating the sewer system, with that money sourced from sewer receipts.
The total spending request for Article 6, $145,500, will underwrite beginning balances for revolving funds. Those funds allow departments and town officials to process payments and execute town business. The Planning Board, Recreation Committee and Transfer Station, for example, were each initially funded for $30,000.
The capital spending authorized under Article 5 needed voter approval for each project. Article 8 sought authorization from voters to purchase the fire rescue truck with $240,000 in borrowed money. The front-end loader for the Highway Department was authorized in Article 11, with $140,000 coming from the town’s free cash account. The town offices will see new windows and landscaping, a total expense of $60,000, with a source of those funds unspecified in Article 12.
Authorization for advertising costs of $200 was sought in Article 10. In Article 13 voters authorized the town’s 250th Anniversary Committee be funded for $4,000. Article 14 authorized the town transfer $5,000 in Medicaid reimbursements to the Williamsburg School District.
Article 15 transferred $191,929 from the free cash account to the town’s Stabilization Fund. The final article on the warrant, Article 20, asked voters to favor a change to the state flag and state seal.