Seekonk Town Meeting Review
Voters at Seekonk’s Annual Town Meeting on June 9 approved a $45.6 million budget for Fiscal Year 2015 and reviewed more than 25 articles. It was a long night but voters went through all the articles in a few hours. Turnout was very low with only about 140 people in attendance.
The longest article was the budget and there were no questions from the floor on any line items.
School committee member Evan Berwick made a motion to increase the school department budget by $133,618, saying that the budget is not level-serviced for next year and several staff positions were cut. However, school committee chairman Mitch Vieira did not support Berwick’s proposal, saying the committee was not able to give any recommendation on the amendment. The motion did not pass. The town budget was approved as outlined in the warrant.
Jeffrey Starr Mararian, host of “Jeffrey’s World” on TV9, made a motion to “zero-out” the salary and compensation for selectmen, school committee members and board of assessors, but his proposal was defeated.
Voters approved several capital expenditures, including $111,000 for the first year of a seven year lease for fire apparatus, $54,750 for the first year of a four-year lease on a heavy duty dump truck with plow and sander and $71,000 for roof repairs at Martin Elementary School.
An expenditure for $202,000 for a modular building at Seekonk High School to be used as a maintenance shed was debated for a few minutes. The Finance Committee did not recommend approval. It needed a two-thirds majority to pass and after a hand count, it was defeated.
Voters also approved approximately $223,000 for security enhancements at the entrances to all the school buildings. The work is expected to start next summer.
An article restricting the location of medical marijuana dispensaries in town, which was expected to cause some debate, was approved without much discussion. The article restricted the centers to an overlay district along Route 6.
Last year the town voted to put a temporary moratorium on medical marijuana treatment centers and that moratorium expired at the end of June. The town needed to designate an overlay district or else the facilities could be built anywhere in town. The bylaw amendment also states that the marijuana dispensaries may not be located within 1,000 feet of schools, child care facilities, libraries, playgrounds, public parks and other places where children may be present.
One article that did have some discussion allocated $532,000 from the Community Preservation Fund to purchase 36 acres of land on Read Street. It was ultimately approved.
An article amending the town bylaws concerning the Capital Improvement Committee was approved, after some changes to the language.
Voters were also asked to amend the town’s charter to allow the town administrator and board of selectmen more input into staff appointments by the board of assessors, planning board, board of health and conservation commission.
Town Administrator Shawn Cadime said the changes were needed because all department heads should report to the town administrator and the changes provide “greater accountability and structure and less confusion on who is responsible for oversight.”
A few people spoke against the changes, including Ray Grant, Chairman of the board of health. Grant said the current system is working. He pointed out that the board of health has had two health agents in 23 years and the board of assessors has had two assessors in 27 years while positions that have been recommended by the town administrator have had higher turnover, such as the building inspector. There have been 7 building inspectors in the past 14 years, Grant said.
Grant also noted that the town has had five permanent and three interim town administrators in the past 12 years.
After additional debate, one of the selectmen proposed that the articles be indefinitely postponed and town meeting agreed.
The following articles were also indefinitely postponed:
-Funding for the renovation of Old Town Hall.
-Two articles requesting fund transfers to and from the Special Education Stabilization Fund. A school spokesman said the articles may be brought back at the November town meeting.
-Town bylaw amendment on the fees for licensing of dogs. The article was postponed at the request of the animal control officer because the article required some changes.
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