Written by Webmaster

Here are the summaries contained in the draft warrant previously published on the town website:

ARTICLE 1                 FY10 Budget Reduction  Town Insurance

Summary – There is a need to reduce the Town budget to address state aid reductions and a reduction in local receipts. The State Budget contains a reduction of State Aid of $209,966 with the state acting on the budget later than normal this year, these figures were not known at the time of the Town Meeting. Second, local receipts are down a net of $101,000 with the major losses of revenue being in Motor Vehicle Excise Tax; Investment Income and the Hotel/Motel Tax and the new growth in the property tax base is down by $75, 000 from the amounts estimated at the time the budget was adopted by Town Meeting. Overall, the budget needs to be reduced by $340,778.

The Town Insurance Expense Account can be reduced due to efforts the Town has made to reduce costs through the MIIA Rewards Program and other insurance savings in the Casualty/Property and Workers Comp Insurance costs

ARTICLE 2                 FY10 Budget Transfers

Summary – The electric generation charge paid by the Town has increased from 5. 8¢ per KwH to 12.4¢ per KwH and as a result, several of the electricity line items will not have sufficient funding for FY10. This transfer will take funds available from the estimate for Unemployment Compensation that will not be needed in FY10 to pay the additional electric costs in the departments included in the article.

ARTICLE 3                 FY10 Sewer Budget Amendment  Electricity

Summary – The Sewer Department Electric Account needs to be addressed for the same reasons as the above article due to the change in rate paid for electric generation.

ARTICLE 4                 FY10 Water Budget Amendment  Electricity

Summary – The Water Department Electric Account needs to be addressed for the same reasons as the above article due to the change in rate paid for electric generation.

ARTICLE 5                 Design and Permit Opticom Traffic Controllers

Summary – This article is related to installation of an Opticom Traffic Controller for public safety purposes (allows public safety vehicles to control the traffic light) at the intersection of Route 9 and Otis Street. Herb Chambers Auto Dealership paid as part of the permitting process for this Opticom Installation, but since that time, the MassHighway Department has added additional requirements that were not covered as part of the payment from the auto dealer. The Fire Chief has indicated that this remains a priority and has asked Town Meeting to fund the difference in cost.

The original estimated was $19,500 which was paid by Herb Chambers as part of the special permit conditions; the additional amount in the article is to address the total cost which is $36,500. The additional costs are associated with a new permitting process required by MassHighway.

ARTICLE 6                 Removal of a Liquor License Requirement-Citizens Petition

Summary – The Mandarin Restaurant has been notified that it’s lease is not going to be renewed by their landlord and after reviewing the area within the Downtown Planning Overlay District (DPOD) they have not been able to locate a restaurant site that is appropriate for their business plan. They have found a location on Route 9 which is outside of the DPOD that does meet their needs, but the language on the Over Quota Liquor License they hold does not allow them to move the license outside of the DPOD. The proponent is seeking to strike the language prohibiting them from moving the license outside the DPOD.

ARTICLE 7                 Department of Public Works Rainstorm Reimbursement

Summary – This article seeks to increase the DPW budget to account for additional costs incurred by the DPW associated with the July 7-8 rainstorms. These include costs associated with emergency road repairs, emergency property repairs, engineering, materials and police details (paid by the DPW). The Town has submitted a request to our state delegation to seek a supplemental budget appropriation from the legislature to cover these extraordinary costs, however, if the Town receives state funding, it will be deposited into the General Fund as a revenue source and will leave the DPW expenditure budget short by this amount, reducing the amount of work that can done through the remainder of the year.

ARTICLE 8                 Public Safety Complex (2/3 Vote Required)

Summary – This article seeks authority for the Board of Selectmen to borrow the funds necessary to construct a new Public Safety Facility that would house both the Police and Fire Departments. The Town is using the last cost estimate for this project from December 2008 in place of actual bids due to the cost to put the project out to bid. At the estimated cost, the Town has the ability to borrow for 20 years for public buildings which would result in an approximate annual impact the first year of $292 to the average single family home and would average approximately $240 per year over the life of the debt issuance (estimated at 3% interest). This project is intended to address structural and space issues at the Fire Department and space issues and concerns related to the general facilities of the Police Department (booking areas, jail cells, etc)and to combine the dispatch centers into one facility. This vote as written also requires a debt exclusion election which will be held on January 19, 2010 if this article passes.

ARTICLE 9               Bylaw Amendment of Article 12 (Hawkers Peddlers Permit)

Summary – This article would change the process for obtaining a Hawkers/Peddlers Permit from applying to the Board of Selectmen to the Police Chief. This proposal is to address the process that is currently in place where the Police Chief conducts the review of the applicants and to increase the efficiency in which the Town is able to process applications.

ARTICLE 10               Public Shade Trees Bylaw

Summary – This article would amend the General Bylaws to include a proposal to confirm the Town’s commitment to maintaining public shade trees. This type of bylaw is a prerequisite to the Town being named a Tree City USA. This bylaw establishes a notification process for removing public shade trees that are unsafe and for replanting of public shade trees.

ARTICLE 11               Abandoned and Foreclosed Property Registration

Summary – This bylaw seeks to amend the General Bylaws to add a provision that requires registration of foreclosed properties and establishes a maintenance and security requirement. This is to address concerns related to foreclosed properties that are not being maintained and the Town has no contact person as issues arise. It will also provide notification for the Town’s Water Department to confirm whether water service should be shut off during winter months when properties are not heated.

ARTICLE 12               Warren Street Drainage Improvement (2/3 Vote Required)

Summary – This article would provide the authority for the Selectmen to authorize a debt issuance to address the flooding problems that have occurred on Warren Street where the Jack Straw Brook crosses the street. During the past few years, the residents in this area have had significant flooding incidents where the brook overtops the road and floods their basements and erodes banks and causes other flooding damage. Using the same estimated interest rates/terms as the Public Safety Facility, the annual impact to a single family home in Westborough is $5.84 the first year.

ARTICLE 13               Work on Town Sewer System

Summary – This is a planned 20 year review and update of this pump station. The updates include upgrading the pumps from 40 hp to 70 hp and installing new variable speed controls. Other improvements include corrosion protection, painting floors and lower walls, a new generator and cleaning/coating the wet wells as well as installing a new fence around the pump station.

ARTICLE 14               Westborough Country Club Capital Improvements

Summary – This article would allow the Country Club to improve drainage in their parking lot. The funds to cover the cost would come from the Country Club Enterprise Account.

ARTICLE 15               Special Education Costs

Summary – The School Superintendent submitted a request to increase the School Department budget to cover additional Special Education costs for several students that were not anticipated at the time the budget was developed and then voted on by Town Meeting in May.

ARTICLE 16               Local Option Meal Excise Increase

Summary – This article would establish a local sales tax on meals. Currently the State Sales Tax on Meals is 6.25% which was increased this year from 5.0%. Cities and Towns have been authorized to establish by local option a 0.75% sales tax on meals to bring the total to 7.0%. It is estimated that this tax would raise $369,831 (Mass DOR) per year, however for the first year revenues would not begin to accrue until the start of the next quarter (if adopted Jan 2010).

ARTICLE 17               Local Option Room Occupancy Tax Amendment

Summary – The Town presently has implemented a 4.0% Room Occupancy Tax on hotel rooms. Cities and Towns have been authorized to establish by local option a maximum 6.0% on Room Occupancy Taxes. Based upon FY10 Town of Westborough budget estimates, the additional 2.0% would raise approximately $292,500 per year however, for the first year revenues would not begin to accrue until the start of the next quarter (if adopted Jan 2010).