Adams Sets Town Meeting Warrant for 2012
ADAMS, Mass. — The Board of Selectmen set the warrant on Wednesday for the annual town meeting.The warrant outlines the $13.2 million budget. The budget is broken down into operating expenses for each department, the schools and capital expenditures. The overall budget is rising by about $500,000.
The operating expenses are up by about $200,000 — from $1.8 million to $2 million — but personnel expenses are down by about $100,000 — from $5.5 million to $5.4 million. The largest savings came from renegotiating health insurance benefits. Employees will also be receiving a 2 percent cost of living raise.
On the capital side, $278,000 in new capital improvements are being put to voters on its own warrant article. That money would go to a new snowplow for a truck the town bought in 2010, a new dump truck, replacement sander body, a police cruiser, grave defroster, lawnmower, gate regulators for the wastewater treatment plant and engineering for improvements to the library.
In the capital outlay, the Selectmen are proposing $80,000 to make changes to the Discover the Berkshires Visitor's Center to better serve the Council on Aging when that department moves there. Debt services is down by about $10,000 — from about $490,000 to about $480,000 — and building maintenance is up by about $15,000. Overall, the capital outlay is up from about $510,000 to $606,000.
Adams-Cheshire Regional School District is asking for about $3.9 million in assessment. The school's total budget is about $18 million. The Northern Berkshire Regional Vocational School District assessment is $622,000. That total budget is $8.1 million.
The Police dispatch center is also proposed to be partially funded while a study on the feasibility of outsourcing those services to another center is being completed. The dispatchers budget is being proposed at $90,000.
The Adams Agricultural Fair is asking voters by citizen's petition to contribute $10,000 for a new gazebo. Fair officials received a grant but need $15,000 and but have only raised $5,000 so far.
Voters are also asked to approve $30,000 to continue paving in Bellevue Cemetery and $2,000 for repairs on the Quaker Meeting House.
A total of $500,000 of free cash is being proposed to offset the tax rate.
Town meeting is on Tuesday, June 26, at C.T. Plunkett Elementary School.
Town of Adams Warrant 2012
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