Marion Town Administrator Jay McGrail went back before the Finance Committee with articles that had not yet been approved for the May 9 Town Meeting warrant, this time finalized.
Two key financial articles ask the voters for the next round of funding to support new headquarters for the Department of Public Works and the harbormaster’s new Marine Center, which already has significant grant-funding support from the state’s Seaport Economic Council.
Article 10 (DPW) will ask the voters to allocate $4,500,000 including the borrowing of $3,000,000 and the remaining $1,500,000 to come out of the town’s “free-cash” account.
Article 11 (Marine Center) asks the voters to authorize the borrowing of $700,000, Marion’s match of the otherwise-grant-funded, $2,300,000 project. It would be the third time FinCom has been asked to support financial commitments toward the new harbormaster headquarters.
“Some of the concern we had is what’s going to happen if we don’t get the grant funding?” said McGrail, noting that the article now includes language prohibiting the town from any future borrowing toward the project until all $2,300,000 in grant funding is received.
Article 13, which would authorize the Mattapoisett River Valley Water District to borrow $7,200,000 to complete the water treatment plant’s conversion over to state-of-the-art filtering technology requires passage by all member towns, also including Mattapoisett where the plant is located, Fairhaven and Rochester.
Marion’s share is 10 percent, but McGrail told FinCom that he anticipates Marion using less MRV water once the town’s East-West and Mary’s Pond wells go back online. Marion is charged by the MRV according to actual usage.
“Except for the past summer, it’s always been a great water source for us,” said McGrail, referencing the boil order last fall that was traced to a breach in the wall of Fairhaven’s Tinkham Lane well as a probable cause of the contamination.
Select Board member John Waterman said Marion would have seven wells when fully operational. He said three are working as of now.
Article 26 approves the allocation of $50,000 to pay potential assessments for Marion students who may attend Upper Cape Tech in the 2022-23 academic year.
Four warrant articles crafted by the Marion Assessors were vetted by the committee. Articles 28, 29 and 31 were approved, while Article 30 was considered to have no financial impact and thus no recommendation from FinCom.
Article 28 supports the BRAVE Act, which allows the Assessors to grant a 100 percent exemption to surviving parents and guardians of soldiers and sailors who die during active duty.
Article 29 entitles veterans whose properties are held in trusts to the same tax benefits as those whose properties are not held in trusts.
The committee determined that Article 30, which would require residential solar-energy users to set up a PILOT payment with the town should they exceed 125 percent in energy that can be sold back to the grid, is of no financial impact to the town.
Article 31 would authorize the Assessors not to tax private properties valuated at $1,000 or less. “I can tell you our Assessors don’t like to leave money on the table so this is a (clerical) nightmare,” said McGrail.
Two special articles were approved: S1 authorizing $50,000 from free cash to fund snow and ice removal and S2 authorizing $80,000 from free cash to purchase four 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander hybrid SUV’s current being leased by the town. The vehicles average 5,000 in odometer readings and are used by the Council on Aging, the DPW (weekly meter reading,) the Recreation Department (and other) and the Building commissioner (inspections.)
The next meeting of the Marion Finance Committee is scheduled for Town Meeting on Monday, May 9, at 6:45 pm at Sippican Elementary School.
Marion Finance Committee
By Mick Colageo