Live Updates From Westford Special Town Meeting

Article 1: Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Adjustments 

Vote: Unanimous vote of approval

Start Time: 7:28 p.m.

End Time: 7:38 p.m.

Description: Vote to raise and appropriate, borrow, or transfer from available funds the sum of $222,900  in order to supplement the following Fiscal Year 2014 Operating Budgets:

• 151 Legal Services: expenses related to Newport Materials litigation $200,000
• 432 Recycling: expenses related to hazardous materials collection $ 2,900
• 543 Veterans Services: expenses related to Veterans benefits $ 20,000 

And to see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $13,187 for the Water Department Enterprise Debt Service.

Article 2: Unpaid Bills from Previous Fiscal Year(s) 

Vote: Unanimous vote of approval

Start Time: 7:38 p.m.

End Time: 7:39 p.m.

Description: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, borrow, or transfer from available funds, or any combination thereof; a sum of money to pay for unpaid bills of prior fiscal years for various Town departments in accordance with the provisions of Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 44, Section 64.

Article 3: Transfer From the Perchlorate Stabilization Fund for Perchlorate Expenses

Vote: Unanimous vote of approval

Start Time: 7:39 p.m.

End Time: 7:39 p.m.

Description: To see if the Town will vote to transfer the remaining sum of $85,045.11 from the perchlorate stabilization fund to the town manager perchlorate remediation account for the purpose of providing funds to address associated issues regarding perchlorate contamination.

Article 4: Appropriate Funds From Early Retiree Reinsurance Program Federal Grant

Vote: Unanimous vote of approval

Start Time: 7:39 p.m.

End Time: 7:41 p.m.

Description: To see if the Town will vote to appropriate from Early Retiree Reinsurance Program Federal grant the sum of $161,739.35 for health care related expenses.

Article 5: Rescind Authorized and Unissued Debt

Vote: Unanimous vote of approval

Start Time: 7:41 p.m.

End Time: 7:42 p.m.

Description: To see if the Town will vote to rescind the following amounts that have been authorized to be borrowed for the stated purposes, pursuant to the votes and articles as listed below, which amounts have not been issued and are no longer needed:

• $305 - Elementary School Construction 
• $567,764- Water Filtration Plants 
• $6,615,321 - Middle School Construction 
• $100,000 - Abbot Septic/Town Center Sewer Extension 
• $50,000 -  Brookside Mill Dam Repair 
• $2,650,000 - Purchase Land – East Boston Camps 
• $265,000 - Country Road Well 

Article 6: Capital Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2014

Vote: Unanimous vote of approval

Start Time: 7:42 p.m.

End Time: 7:43 p.m.

Description: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, borrow, or transfer from available funds, or any combination thereof; the sum of $75,000 ) to provide for the following capital requests:

Student drop-off safety improvements and drainage improvements at the Abbot/Millennium Schools and related costs.

Article 7: Authorize Appropriation for Design Phase and Bidding Phase Services Related to Window Replacement at the Day and Robinson Schools as Required by the Massachusetts School Building Authority Accelerated Repair Program 

Vote: Unanimous vote of approval

Start Time: 7:43 p.m.

End Time: 8:01 p.m.

Description: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, borrow, or transfer from available funds, or any combination thereof; $350,000  more or less to be expended under the direction of the Permanent Town Building Committee for additional funds for completing the design and bidding of two window replacement projects at the Colonel John Robinson School located at 60 Concord Road and the Norman E. Day School located at 75 Prescott Street, and any related costs, which proposed repair projects would materially extend the useful life of the school and preserve an asset that otherwise is capable of supporting the required educational program and for which the Town has applied for a school construction grant from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (“MSBA”). The Town acknowledges that the MSBA’s grant program is a non-entitlement, discretionary program based on need, as determined by the MSBA, any project costs the Town incurs in excess of any grant that may be approved by and received from the MSBA shall be the sole responsibility of the Town.

Article 8: Authorize the Transfer of a Parcel Located on Boston Road and the Appropriation of Funds for Feasibility Study and Schematic Design Phase Services Related to Constructing a New Center Fire Station on Boston Road 

Vote (requires two-thirds majority): Fails 140 in favor, 159 opposed

Start Time: 8:01 p.m.

End Time: 9:05 p.m.

Description: To see if the Town will vote to transfer land from the Board of Selectmen currently held for the purposes of recreation and conveyance to the Board of Selectmen to be held for general municipal purposes, said land identified as Parcel A in a deed recorded with the Middlesex North Registry of Deeds in Book 7366, Page 211, and shown on a plan entitled “Definitive Subdivision Plan of Land Boston Road Westford, MA,” dated August 27, 1993, recorded with the Middlesex North Registry of Deeds in Plan Book 187, Plan 86, on file with the Town Clerk; and further to see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, borrow, or transfer from available funds, or any combination thereof $350,000 more or less for the purpose of paying the costs of architectural and engineering design services, including, without limitation, the hiring of an Owner’s Project Manager related to constructing a new Center Fire Station on the aforementioned site on Boston Road and examining and recommending the reuse of the existing Center Fire Station.

Proposed Amendment: Delete transferring of Boston Road parcel for general municipal purposes and move ahead with feasibility study for Boston Road parcel as well as other possible locations for a new Center Fire Station.

Article 9: Reduce Amount Raised by Taxes in Fiscal Year 2014 

Vote: Unanimous vote of approval

Start Time: 9:05 p.m.

End Time: 9:06 p.m.

Description: To see if the Town will vote to take specific amounts from available funds and to direct the Assessors to reduce the net amount to be raised for Fiscal Year 2014.

Article 10: Community Preservation Committee Recommendations 

Vote: Voice vote approval (not unanimous) 

Start Time: 9:06 p.m.

End Time: 9:20 p.m.

Description: To see if the Town will vote to hear and act on the report of the Community Preservation Committee on the Fiscal Year 2014 Community Preservation budget and to appropriate from the Community Preservation Fund a sum of money not exceeding 5% of the FY2014 estimated annual revenues to meet the administrative expenses and all other necessary and proper expenses of the Community Preservation Committee for Fiscal Year 2014; and further to reserve for future appropriation a sum of money from the Community Preservation Fund for open space, historic resources, and community housing purposes, and further to appropriate from the Community Preservation Fund or borrow pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 44B, Section 11, or any other enabling authority, a sum or sums of money for Community Preservation projects or purposes, including acquisition of interests in land, all as recommended by the Community Preservation Committee.

To see if the Town will appropriate $151,134  from Community Preservation Funds for:

• $136,000 from Community Preservation Funds for structural repairs at Westford Historical Museum.
• $15,134 from Community Preservation Funds for providing support to Historical Commission in applying for Massachusetts Preservation Proposal Fund grant for additional funding at Westford Historical Museum.

Vote: Unanimous voice vote

Start Time: 9:20 p.m.

End Time: 9:21 p.m.

Description: To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of Selectmen to enter an Amendment to the Service Agreement between the Town of Westford and Covanta Haverhill Associates with an effective date of July 1, 2010, for the disposal of solid waste, said amendment extends the term of the Service Agreement from five years to eight years so that the Service Agreement will expire on June 30, 2018, on such terms and conditions as the Board of Selectmen determine to be in the best interests of the Town.

Article 12: Amend Chapter 114: Junk Dealers

Vote: Passes with voice vote (not unanimous) 

Start Time: 9:22 p.m.

End Time: 9:36 p.m.

Description: To see if the Town will vote to amend General Bylaw Chapter 114: Junk Dealers in order to regulate the placement of unattended donation receptacles, referred to as “drop boxes,” by requiring a junk dealer license and a permit to erect drop boxes in the town, and to establish standards for their placement and maintenance.

Article 13: Amend Chapter 80: Demolition Delay Bylaw 

Vote: Motion defeated with voice vote.

Start Time: 9:36 p.m.

End Time: 9:43 p.m.

Description: To see if the Town will vote to amend General Bylaw Chapter 80: Demolition Delay by adding new definitions, changing the wait period for issuance of a demolition permit from 6 months to 18 months, and to allow for investigation of alternatives to demolition with the owner of record of the building or structure proposed for demolition, among other changes.

Article 14: Amend Chapter 61: Hazardous Materials Storage Bylaw

Vote: Following a Board of Selectmen motion to dismiss Article 14 until spring Town Meeting, Town Meeting voted in majority to dismiss this motion.

Start Time:  9:44 p.m.

End Time: 10:07 p.m.

Description: To see if the Town will vote to amend General Bylaw Chapter 61: Hazardous Materials Storage, as set forth in the hand-out on file at the office of the Town Clerk and also available in the Health Department office.

Amendments under Article 14 would include:

• Registration of tanks and containers that hold more than 50 gallons of hazardous material (oil, acid, spent solvent).
• Provide information about tanks and containers and their contents to Health Department.
• Storage facilities must have containment structures.