About 140 Marion residents came out for the Spring Annual Town Meeting on Monday, May 21 – but less than half stayed for the four and a half hours it took to slog through 44 warrant articles.
However, as promised by Town Moderator David Titus, residents did manage to settle the articles in a single night – but not without some heated debate and discourse on the budget, the Marion Open Space Acquisition Committee’s purchasing powers, school expenditure requests, Fire Department capital requests, the need for upgrades to the Town House phone system, and other issues at hand.
In the end, all articles but Article 36 – which was passed over – were approved.
Town residents unanimously approved $18,797,635 for the town’s FY 2013 operating budget. The breakdown of the budget is as follows: 53 percent towards the schools, 10 percent for pension and insurance, 13 percent for public safety, 8 percent for general government, 6 percent for public works, 4 percent for school pension and insurance, 2 percent for school debt, 2 percent for debt service, 1 percent for culture and recreation, and 1 percent for human services.
Although questions arose about the proposed $700,000 budget increase over last year, residents unanimously OK’d the request.
Some of the most time-consuming and contentious articles involved the Marion Open Space Acquisition Committee.
Article 26 asked residents to change the composition of the Community Preservation Committee to reduce MOSAC’s representation. Essentially the article would replace one of the two currently serving Marion Open Space Acquisition Committee members on the CPC with a Selectmen. MOSAC is the only committee that has more than two members sitting on the CPC.
The article passed 85-60, but only after significant debate. CPC Chair Lori Schaefer asked residents to maintain the status quo, and said no issues have arisen due to MOSAC’s higher representation. Likewise, Norman Hills, a CPC member, urged attendees to maintain the current member composition. “I don’t know if this is a real problem or an imaginary problem,” he commented.
Resident Tom Magauran countered these remarks, voicing strong support of the article. “CPC decisions have a huge financial impact, I think it is important that the Board of Selectmen …is seated at the table.”
Selectmen Henry explained the Selectmen’s rationale behind the article – recalling an instance where two MOSAC members held significant sway on an issue because of another member’s absence. “It seems disproportionate that two positions are afforded to the open space people…,” he said.
MOSAC chair John Rockwell said the CPC wasn’t directly informed of the article, and called it “bad governance.”
In the end, the measure barely passed 85-60 – guaranteeing one Selectman a seat at the CPC table and effectively removing a MOSAC representative,
Consideration of a citizen’s petition (Article 35) that would require MOSAC to receive Town Meeting authorization prior to purchasing land or receiving land gifts took up a sizeable portion of the evening. The committee controls about $440,000 to spend on such land purchases. A related measure, Article 36, was passed over at the request of Town Counsel Jon Whitten because it was inconsistent with state law.
Article 35 stirred up debate from a significant crop of residents and even former State Senator Carol Amick, who owns property in Marion. In her statement, Amick said MOSAC’s ability to acquire land without Town Meeting approval “is not a policy followed by any [open space committee] in Massachusetts.” She said MOSAC still would be able to negotiate, request appraisements and other prep work for a land purchase deal, but that the town would need to be the final arbitrators on an acquisition.
Many other residents spoke for and against the measure.
“Article 35 doesn’t put MOSAC out of business. It formalizes and makes routine purchases so they come for Town Meeting approval. This is a good thing,” weighed in resident Mark Brown.
“This is nonsense. Negotiations in private do not benefit the town….This is pure and utter poppycock. If anybody knows the cluster mess the [MOSAC] negotiations are.. bringing it out in public view will only benefit all of us,” Magauran said.
Other residents questioned the value of purchasing land as open space, which results in more land precluded from development.
“I think it is a difficult article,” said another resident, Charles Bradley. “We’ll go broke buying land and buying land and just letting it sit there.. it is coming off our tax rolls. We need a master plan, and to come up with some good planning instead of acquisition after acquisition.”
Selectman Jon Henry threw his support behind MOSAC’s ability to purchase land without Town Meeting overnight. “I support MOSAC, everything is done in consonance with state law,”
John Rockwell of MOSAC spent considerable time reflecting on the accomplishments of the committee, which was formed in 2001.
“If [the article] passed, it would prevent us from acquiring property.. if you wanted to give us something, you would have to get Town Meeting approval. It’s burdensome to tell someone to wait six months before making transfer.”
Along that argument, Rockwell presented an amendment to the article that would require Town Meeting approval only for purchases, and not for gifts. “It would lessen the burden to someone donating something,” he said.
The vote on Rockwell’s proposed amendment ended up so close a hand count was required. The amendment was defeated 75-63. Shortly thereafter, Article 35 ended up receiving majority approval.
In one anticipated vote, the town easily approved the transfer of a parcel of land (at 185 Wareham Street) to Habitat for Humanity, or other similar organization, for the purpose of constructing a residence to be sold to a qualified low or moderate-income family. The measure further authorized the Board of Selectmen to convey an easement across the property.
Residents also approved two articles related to alternative energy. However – Article 37, which authorizes Selectmen to enter into a lease agreement (up to 30 years) to develop a photovoltaic solar field at a landfill off Benson Brook Road, generated some debate.
Town Administrator Paul Dawson said the town would benefit from the rental agreement with the solar energy developer, and the town would incur no costs associated with developing the site.
In his comments, resident and Planning Board Vice Chair Tom Magauran said he felt more data should be on the table regarding the project.
“I urge you to go very slow. Perhaps in the fall we could do a Planning Board article.. I feel this is a little premature when you haven’t formulated what strategy makes sense.”
Resident Crystal Bradley echoed that sentiment. “How is this part of any plan that you have for this land? It sounds like one of those one-off things we approve without a larger plan.”
Resident Bill Saltonstall, who is involved in the project, said the town’s next step is requesting proposals. “The town doesn’t run any risks with this thing,” he said, citing a similar successful project in Brewster. “If Brewster any indication, we could do this,” he said. The measure passed easily.
The second alternative energy article, Article 38, authorizes Selectmen and/or the Old Rochester Regional School Committee to enter into alternate energy power purchase and/or net metering credit purchase agreements, including solar and wind energy for contracts exceeding five years. Selectman Stephen Cushing informed the town that the Selectmen are vetting three different wind and solar proposals.
“None would be built in Marion,” he stressed. The measure carried swiftly.
Warrant Article 11 asking for $50,000 to update a new telephone system for the Town House provoked a bit of debate as well. Selectman Henry said it was time for an upgrade to the telephone hardware and software as the town’s “Band-Aid approach” was not working and many voicemail messages had been lost.
Magauran argued that such a purchase would be reactionary, especially given the uncertainty of what will happen with the Town House.
“We react only in the case of an emergency. That is how we got the police station, that is how we got a lot of stuff, and we got to stop that,” he said. “It’s another case of being nicked and dimed… and $50,000 is a big nickel.” Residents applauded.
“You don’t need much trouble with the phone system to get people mad at you.. It’s unreasonable and imprudent. It’s simple to replace the system, and it’s portable,” Selectmen Henry responded.
In response to the question whether the town explored a leasing arrangement, Town Finance Director Judith Mooney responded in the negative
The conversation became so extracted that resident John Sweeney moved the question – and in the end the residents approved the funding for the new system.
Town residents also approved warrant articles regarding the water enterprise fund, including authorization of $2,046,697 for its operation – with some of the funds raised from department receipts. Another 2,346,639 was authorized for the sewer enterprise fund,
Throughout the evening, residents swiftly approved several administrative articles regarding retirements and liability benefits. Also, with relatively little discussion, the Police Department received free cash funds for a new police cruiser and the Fire Department received authorization for $35,000 for air pack replacements, $16,800 for eight replacement automatic external defibrillators, $20,000 to purchase rescue cutters/jaws of life, $48,500 for the department to upgrade its fire alarm system, security components, and computer programs, $12,500 to replace 1,000 feet of 20-year old hose and two nozzles, and $7,5000 to replace four garage door openers at the Spring Street Station.
Residents also authorized the EMS Department to purchase two monitors/defibrillators for $62,500 from free cash. The Harbormaster also had some minor capital requests approved.
In another vote that will have a major impact on town residents, the town unanimously approved FEMA’s latest revised maps of the flood plain district, which go into effect in July. Approval was necessary for town residents to receive coverage under the National Flood Insurance Program.
Also zoning bylaw changes passed without incident, allowing residents more leniency in building piers, docks and association piers. The final zoning bylaw passed allows accessory apartments up to 1,200 square feet; it had previously been restricted to 800 square feet.
By Laura Fedak Pedulli
