November 2, 2015 Special Town Meeting

Town Meeting results

[Financial Articles]

ARTICLE 1 - Board of Selectmen - Bills of Prior Years [9/10ths vote required]

To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate or transfer from available funds a sum or sums of money to pay unpaid bills from prior fiscal years, or to take any other action in relation thereto. 

Article withdrawn. No affirmative action taken under Article 1.

ARTICLE 2 - Board of Selectmen / LCTV Advisory Committee - Establish LCTV PEG Access and Cable Related Fund

To see if the Town will vote to accept the provisions of MGL Chapter 44, §53F¾ to establish a PEG Access and Cable Related Fund for the Littleton Community Television Department, into which fund shall be deposited funds received in connection with franchise agreements between a cable operator and the Town. Monies in the fund shall only be appropriated for cable-related purposes consistent with the franchise agreement, including, but not limited to: support of public, educational or governmental access cable television services; monitor compliance of the cable operator with the franchise agreement; or prepare for renewal of the franchise license; or to take any other action in relation thereto.

Motion: Moved and seconded by the Board of Selectmen that the Town vote to approve Article 2 as printed in the warrant. 

Finance Committee, Board of Selectmen, and LCTV Advisory Committee support Article 2.

Declared passed by a unanimous vote. So voted.

ARTICLE 3 - Board of Selectmen - Amend FY 2016 Revolving Funds 

To see if the Town will vote to amend its vote under May 4, 2015 Annual Town Meeting Article 3, FY 2016 Revolving Funds, as follows:

• Amend Item (2), Dog By-law Enforcement: to reads as follows: “to allow receipts from dog license fees and fines to be segregated into a special account; and with funds therefrom, up to a limit $12,000 of $17,000 annually, to be expended for costs associated with by-law enforcement, under the direction of the Chief of Police”; 
• Add Item (15) LCTV Boxborough IMA: to allow the proceeds resulting from the provision of LCTV cable services to the Town of Boxborough through an intermunicipal agreement to be segregated into a special account; and with funds therefrom, up to a limit of $65,000 annually, to be expended for expenses associated with the provision of said services under the direction of the LCTV Executive Director with the approval of the Board of Selectmen; and 
• Add Item (16) Conservation Community Gardens: to allow receipts from fees for community gardens on Conservation Commission properties to be segregated into a special account; and with funds therefrom, up to a limit of $1,000 annually, to be expended for maintenance and improvements of said gardens under the direction of the Conservation Commission.
• Or to take any other action in relation thereto.

Motion: Moved and seconded by the Board of Selectmen that the Town vote to approve Article 3 as printed in the warrant.

Finance Committee, Board of Selectmen, LCTV Advisory Committee, Conservation Commission support Article 3.

Declared passed by a unanimous vote. So voted.

ARTICLE 4 - Board of Selectmen - FY 2016 Budget Amendments

To see if the Town will vote to amend the FY 2016 Operating Budget, as adopted pursuant to Article 4 of the May 4, 2015 Annual Town Meeting, by adjusting budget line items, or to take any other action in relation thereto. 

Motion: Moved and seconded by the Board of Selectmen that the Town vote to amend the FY 2016 Operating Budget, as adopted pursuant to Article 4 of the May 4, 2015 Annual Town Meeting, by adjusting budget line items, as follows:

Finance Committee and Board of Selectmen support Article 4 as moved.

Declared passed by a majority vote. So voted.

ARTICLE 5 - Board of Selectmen - Fund Collective Bargaining Agreement.

To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $30,462 for the purpose of funding a new collective bargaining agreement reached between the Town and the police employee union, Massachusetts Coalition of Police, Local 204, or to take any other action in relation thereto.

Motion: Moved and seconded by the Board of Selectmen that the Town vote to approve Article 5 as printed in the warrant.

Finance Committee and Board of Selectmen support Article 5.

Declared passed by a majority vote. So voted.

ARTICLE 6 - Board of Selectmen/Personnel Board - Personnel By-law Amendments 

To see if the Town will vote to amend the Personnel By-law and Classification and Compensation Plan, Chapter 33 of the Town Code, as recommended by the Personnel Board, by amending Schedules B, B-1, B-2, and D, effective July 1, 2015, by applying a two percent (2%) salary schedule adjustment so that said schedules read as follows:
Schedule B
On-Call Meeting Clerk, $11.88 
Election Warden, $16.89

Schedule B-1, Other Employees

Schedule B-2, Temporary/Seasonal Employees

Schedule D, Fire Department On-Call

and further to raise and appropriate the sum of $4,748 therefor, or to take any other action in relation thereto. 

Motion: Moved and seconded by the Board of Selectmen that the Town vote to approve Article 6 as printed in the warrant.

Finance Committee, Board of Selectmen, and Personnel Board support Article 6.

Declared passed by a unanimous vote. So voted.

ARTICLE 7 - Board of Selectmen - Supplemental FY 2016 Capital Items from Available Funds

To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate or transfer from available funds the following sums of money to be expended by the respective Departments or Officers indicated, for the capital projects and purchases itemized and described, or to take any other action in relation thereto.

1. Fuel Facility Replacement – raise and appropriate the sum of $111,000 to be expended by the Permanent Municipal Building Committee to replace the fuel facility at 39 Ayer Road
2. Council on Aging Kitchen – raise and appropriate the sum of $38,425 to be expended by the Permanent Municipal Building Committee for needed code improvements to the COA kitchen adjacent to the diner and multi-purpose room in the Town Office Building. 
3. LCTV Capital Equipment – transfer from the PEG Access and Cable Related Fund the sum of $59,871 to be expended by Littleton Community Television for capital equipment to support LCTV’s launching of its Educational Channel.

Motion: Moved and seconded by the Board of Selectmen that the Town vote to approve Article 7 as printed in the warrant.

Finance Committee, Board of Selectmen, PMBC, Council on Aging, and LCTV Advisory Committee support Article 7.

Declared passed by a majority vote. So voted.

[Articles Requiring Supermajority Vote]

ARTICLE 8 - Board of Selectmen - Nagog Hill Orchard Leases

To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of Selectmen to enter into a lease or leases for agricultural purposes the Morrison/ Nagog Hill Orchard property shown on Littleton Assessor’s Map as Parcels R02-9-1, R04-8-0, R02-3-0, R02-4-0, R04-5-0 and R02-10-0, comprised of 94.18 acres, more or less, more particularly described as the “PREMISES”, below, upon such terms and conditions as the Board of Selectmen may determine, for a period of up to thirty (30) years, or to take any other action in relation thereto.

PREMISES: Lots 102-A. 103-A, 104, 105, 109, 110, and 111, as shown on a plan entitled “Plan of Land in Littleton, Mass. Prepared for the Town of Littleton ~ Morrison Property ~,” by David E. Ross Associates, Inc. dated April, 2000, Plan No.1343 of Book 2002, Sheets 1-3; and Lot 107 as shown on plan entitled “Land in Littleton, Mass. surveyed for the Town of Littleton ~ Morrison Property ~” Plan No. 227 of 2000, Sheet 2 of 5; said lots contain the orchard, the upper barn, the two family dwelling, and the lower barn and cottage.

Motion: Moved and seconded by the Board of Selectmen that the Town vote to approve Article 8 as printed in the warrant, provided that the Board of Selectmen, pursuant to an agreement reached with the Conservation Commission, shall include in the lease only a portion of Assessor’s Parcel R02-10-0 that shall be substantially as shown on the sketch plan labeled “94 Nagog Hill Road – R02-10-0 - Lot 107” and dated October 30, 2015; and provided further that the Board of Selectmen is authorized to prepare an engineered plan that adequately delineates the portion of Parcel R02-10-0 to be included in the lease.

Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee, and Agricultural Working Group support Article 8.

Declared passed by a two-thirds vote. So voted.

[Other Articles, including routine authorizations & reauthorizations]

ARTICLE 9 - Board of Selectmen / Council on Aging - Aid to Elderly and Disabled Taxation Fund

To see if the Town will vote to accept the provisions of MGL Chapter 60, §3D to establish a Town aid to the elderly and disabled taxation fund for the purpose of defraying the real estate taxes of elderly and disabled persons of low income; and further to establish a taxation aid committee to consist of the chairman of the board of assessors, the town treasurer and three residents of the town to be appointed by the board of selectmen, which board shall adopt rules and regulations to carry out the provisions of this section and to identify the recipients of such aid; or to take any other action in relation thereto.

Motion: Moved and seconded by the Board of Selectmen that the Town vote to approve Article 9 as printed in the warrant.

Finance Committee, Board of Selectmen, and Council on Aging support Article 9.

Declared passed by a majority vote. So voted.

ARTICLE 10 - Board of Selectmen / Council on Aging - Town By-law Amendment: Reduce Council on Aging Membership from 11 to 9

To see if the Town will vote to amend the Town Code Chapter 15, “Council on Aging” so that Section § 15-1, “Membership, terms,” reads as follows:

• There shall be a Council on Aging pursuant to MGL c. 40, §8B, which shall consist of eleven (11) nine (9) regular members appointed by the Board of Selectmen for three-year overlapping terms so arranged that the term of at least two members shall expire each year.
• or to take any other action in relation thereto. 

Motion: Moved and seconded by the Board of Selectmen that the Town vote to approve Article 10 as printed in the warrant.

Board of Selectmen and Council on Aging support Article 10.

Declared passed by a majority vote. So voted.

ARTICLE 11 - Board of Selectmen - Town By-law Amendment: Discharges to Municipal Storm Drain System

To see if the Town will vote to amend the Town Code by adding a new Chapter _, “Discharges to the Municipal Storm Drain System,” in accordance with Section III.B.3(b) of the General Permit for Storm Water Discharges from Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems, which mandates that the Town adopt a regulatory mechanism to prevent non-storm water discharges into the system and implement appropriate enforcement procedures and actions; or to take any other action in relation thereto.

Article withdrawn. No affirmative action taken under Article 11.