Cheshire Town Meeting to Decide Budgets, Citizens Petitions
 Cheshire's annual town meeting is Monday night at 7 at Cheshire Elementary School. The warrant is available here. |
CHESHIRE, Mass. — There will be 18 articles on the warrant for the annual town meeting on Monday, June 8, at 7 p.m. at the Cheshire Elementary School auditorium. Among them are funding requests and a question asking that the Board of Selectmen be expanded.
Article 2 will see if town meeting will accept the $5.3 million budget town and school budget. Of that, $2,414,519 of this is the town's operating budget and $2,886,684 goes toward education. A Proposition 2 1/2 override will be needed to fund the approved Adams-Cheshire Regional School District budget, which brings the town nearly $90,000 over the levy limit.
The Advisory Board approved all items in the budget except a Water Department line item that would appropriate money within the department's budget to possibly hire a superintendent by request of the director. The budget's bottom line would not be affected, however, board members felt they did not have time to properly vet this last-minute change.
Article 3 will see if the town will take $20,000 from the capital stabilization fund to purchase laptops for Cheshire Elementary School. Because of budget restraints, the school district has been unable to purchase technology needed to prepare pupils for the computerized Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers standardized tests. This requires a two-thirds majority vote.
Article 4 will see if the town will use $170,000 from free cash to reduce the tax rate.
Other articles include three citizens' petitions, including one on the makeup of the Selectmen. Passage of Article 7 would increase the size of the board's membership form three to five. If passed, a second determining vote would take place in 2016.
The second petition, Article 8, asks that the town appropriate $25,000 to develop a master plan. Funds for this would require budget cuts or an override.
The third petition, Article 14, is a non-binding resolution opposing the proposed Kinder Morgan natural gas pipeline expected to pass through Cheshire.
Also on the warrant is a question to adopt a noise bylaw, Article 9. If noise as determined by police or the Selectmen continues and is excessive in a way that it could cause health hazards or affect quality of life, violators will be notified and have to attend a public hearing called by the Selectmen.
The Selectmen would also be able to issue a cease-and-desist order and, if violated, the offender can be subjected to fines.
The first violation comes with a $200 fine, the second violation $250, and the third, $300. Multiple violations can happen within the same day if they are a half-hour away from each other.
The ordnance includes loud televisions, music, vehicles, or animals.
Agricultural and construction activities are exempt, as well as domestic power equipment, highway and utility maintenance, public address, alarm systems, church and school bells, and snow removal.
Article 6 would allow the Selectmen to declare a parcel of land located at 77 Depot St. available for disposition.
Article 10 will see if the town will allow an electrician, who is appointed inspector of wires, to conduct business in town.
Article 11 will see if the town will enter a solar panel metering credit purchase tax agreement with a solar array developer about a proposed .5 megawatt solar array on the Bushika gravel pit property.
If accepted at town meeting, the array will reduce the electricity bill on town-owned property by 20 percent and the town will receive $10,000 a year for 20 years.
Article 13 will see if the town will vote to begin the first steps of municipal electrical aggregation.
The plan will give the town the ability to enter the market and look for a cheaper rate other than National Grid. Anyone can opt out at any time and find a different provider other than what the town chooses as its default.
Article 15 and 16 will see if the town will delete past protective and planning zoning bylaws and accept updated ones. The updated zoning bylaws are reorganized so they are easier to read and clarify the permitting process.
The changes include the need for special permitting from the Planning Board for office, bank, retail business, or customer service establishments in the A-R and B districts.
Article 17 to see if the town will vote to amend the bylaws to increase the moderator's term from one year to three years
Check-in for town meeting starts at 6:30.
Tags: fiscal 2016, town meeting 2015,
