From the Town Clerk’s Office

Posted Thursday, June 6, 2024 12:58 pm

Happy June Everyone! We hope you had an enjoyable Memorial Day. This past Saturday, I was honored to attend the Memorial Day Parade and would like to say THANK YOU to everyone who made the parade and ceremony a success. They were both conducted beautifully to honor our fallen heroes.

In Recognition
Congratulations Fire Lieutenant English and Fire Lieutenant Impagliazzo for being sworn in for their recent promotions at the May 22^nd Select Board meeting. Also, during this meeting, Police Chief Enos presented the Life Saving Medal to Officer Christian Ortiz and Officer Scott Dumond for their heroic actions responding to a medical emergency. Fire Chief Whalen also recognized the outstanding work the following members of the Fire Department: Lt. Bradford, Firefighter Sarasin, Firefighter Silva, Firefighter Cronin, Firefighter Olson, Firefighter Impagliazzo, and Firefighter English for their prompt treatment and transport which resulted in a positive medical outcome. The Select Board meetings can be viewed on the Town of Seekonk’s Facebook page.

Annual Spring Town Meeting News
Seekonk held its Spring Town Meeting on May 13, 2024 at the Seekonk High School. Below is a report summarizing the meeting and votes. The complete set of minutes can be found on the Town Clerk’s webpage.

The Town Clerk called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. with a quorum of over 75 registered voters. The Town Moderator made a motion to allow the Town Moderator to proceed with all articles, even those that affect him personally.

Article 1 - To receive Town Officers or Committees reports. No reports were given.

Action on the motion: Motion passed.

Article 2 - To see what sums of money the Town will vote to raise and appropriate or transfer from available funds or borrow for Operating Expenses and the Sanitation Fund of the Town for the Fiscal Year commencing July 1, 2024 and ending June 30, 2025. The Town Administrator presented the FY25 Budget and School Superintendent presented the School Department’s FY25 Budget.

A motion was made and seconded on Town Meeting floor by the Board of Selectmen to increase line item 55 Education/Seekonk Schools by $135,000.

Action on the motion: Motion passed.

A motion was made and seconded on Town Meeting floor by the Board of Selectmen to amend line 118 of the Sanitation Budget by increasing the appropriation by $387,651.

Action on the motion: Motion passed.

A motion was made and seconded to approve the Town appropriate the sum of $70,758,508 to defray charges and expenses of the Town for Fiscal Year 2025 for the purposes and amounts set forth in Budget Schedules A through J in column titled Board of Selectmen Budget 2025: the sum of $53,848,336 to be raised by taxation within the levy limit under proposition 2 ½;

The sum of $450,000 to be transferred from the Overlay Surplus
The sum of $1,650,000 to be transferred from Ambulance Fees;
The sum of $52,036 to be transferred from the Sanitation Enterprise Fund.

Action on the motion: Motion passed

A motion was made and seconded to approve the Town appropriate the sum of $1,875,537 to defray charges and expenses of operating the Sanitation Enterprise Fund for the Fiscal Year 2025 for the purpose and amount set forth in Schedule K in the column titled Board of Selectmen Recommended Budget 2025; the sum of $1,875,537 to be provided from revenues of the Sanitation Enterprise Fund.

Action on the motion: Motion passed

Article 3 - To see if the Town will vote to fix the salary and compensation for the elected and appointed officials of the Town as provided by GL c 41, s108 for their services for the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2024, provided that any part-time elected official may waive receipt of compensation.

Action on the motion: Motion passed

Article 4 - To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, transfer from free cash or available funds in the treasury, or transfer from designated funds that have been reserved for appropriation the following sums to be expended for departmental equipment and all incidental and related expenses, including new or continuing leases for such equipment, and further to authorize appropriate Town officials to enter into contracts for more than three years for such purposes, as applicable.

A motion was made on Town Meeting floor to take two separate votes: 1) Item 8 (2/3^rd vote); and 2) Items 1-7, 9 & 10.

Action on Motion: Motion passed

Motion 1: Item 8-Dump Truck lease/purchase

Action on Motion: Motion failed

Motion 2: Items 1-7, 9 & 10

Action on Motion: Motion passed

Article 5 - o see if the Town of Seekonk will vote to act on the report of the Community Preservation Committee on the Fiscal Year 2025 Community Preservation Budget and to appropriate from the Community Preservation Fund, pursuant to G.L. c. 44B, § 6, a sum of money to meet the administrative expenses and all other necessary and proper expenses of the Community Preservation Committee for Fiscal Year 2025; and to reserve for later appropriation monies from the Community Preservation annual revenues or available funds in the amounts recommended by the Community Preservation Committee for open space, historic resources and community housing purposes, as well as a sum of money to be placed in the Fiscal Year 2025 budgeted reserve for general Community Preservation Act purposes, with each item to be considered a separate appropriation, as follows:

Appropriations:

From FY 2025 estimated revenues for Committee Administrative Expenses $32,618

Reserves:

From FY 2025 estimated revenues for Historic Resources Reserve $65,237
From FY 2025 estimated revenues for Community Housing Reserve $65,237
From FY 2025 estimated revenues for Open Space Reserve $65,237
From FY 2025 estimated revenues for the FY 2025 Budgeted Reserve $424,039

Action on the motion: Motion passed

Article 6 - To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of Selectmen to dispose of surplus property or material, exclusive of buildings and land, but including compost, no longer needed by the Town.

Action on the motion: Motion passed

Article 7 - To see if the Town will vote to transfer a sum of money from Free Cash to the FY 2024 Town Meeting Operating Budget Line Item #69 (Snow & Ice Expenses).

Action on the motion: Motion passed

Article 8 - To see if the Town will vote to transfer a sum of money from Free Cash to the Opioid Settlement Special Revenue Fund.

Action on the motion: Motion passed

Article 9 - To see if the Town will vote pursuant to G.L. c.40, §5B to establish a special purpose stabilization fund, to be known as the Dr. Kevin M. Hurley Middle School HVAC Stabilization Account, and in connection therewith, to transfer to said fund from Free Cash or available funds in the treasury the sum of $50,000.00.

Action on the motion: Motion failed

Article 10 - To see if the Town will vote to accept the provisions of G.L. c.44, §53F¾, to create a PEG Cable Access and Cable Related Fund.

Action on the motion: Motion passed

Article 11 - To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of Selectmen to enter into a five (5) year contract, with five one (1) year renewal option, commencing on July 1, 2024 with MTG Disposal to provide curbside solid waste and recyclables collection for Town residential units.

Action on the motion: Motion passed

Article 12 – To see if the Town will vote to transfer from the Board of Selectmen for the purposes for which it is currently held to the Board of Selectmen for the purpose of sale or other disposition, and authorize said board to sell or otherwise dispose of, the property located at 0 Fall River Ave and shown as Assessors Map #7, Lot #113, inclusive of buildings and land, as such property is no longer needed by the Town.

Action on the motion: Motion passed

Article 13 – To see if the Town will vote to amend the Zoning Bylaws of the Town of Seekonk by deleting existing language as indicated by strikethrough text and by inserting new language as indicated by underlined, boldfaced type, all as presented. Each of the 5 amendments were voted separately.

Action on Motions: Amendment 1: Motion failed; Amendment 2: Motion failed; Amendment 3: Motion failed; Amendment 4: Motion failed; Amendment 5: Motion failed

POINT OF ORDER: If the meeting should continue past 10:30PM.

Motion was made to continue with the meeting. Motion passed

Article 14 – To see if the Town will vote to amend Section 3.2 of the Town of Seekonk Zoning Bylaws and the Town of Seekonk’s Zoning Map as it pertains to the underlying zoning designation of the property located at 1693 Fall River Ave., Seekonk, Massachusetts more specifically designated as Assessor’s Plat 1, Lot 39, to rezone the subject property from the Residential-3 and Mixed-Use Overlay zoning district to the Industrial and Mixed-Use Overlay zoning district.

Action on the motion: Motion failed

Article 15 – To see if the Town will vote to transfer a sum of money from Free Cash to purchase percussion band instruments for the Seekonk High School Band.

Action on the motion: Motion passed

Article 16 – To see if the Town will vote to amend Section 2 and Section 4 of Category 14B - Fowl of the General Bylaws of the Town of Seekonk by inserting new language as indicated by underlined, boldfaced type, all as presented.

Action on the motion: Motion passed

The motion was made and seconded to dissolve the meeting at 11:43PM.

Action on motion: Motion passed

We would like to thank the poll workers, registrars, town hall staff, high school staff, police, fire, DPW, and voters for your participation in town meeting.

Other Town News
Congratulations and best of luck to all the graduates of Seekonk High School’s Class of 2024. We wish you success and happiness as you begin your new journey.

Please be advised, dog license renewals are past due, and a late fee will be imposed beginning June 1, 2024. The license fees are as follows: $10.00 for spayed/neutered dogs and $20.00 for un-spayed/un-neutered dogs. As a reminder, license fees are waived for residents 70 years of age or older. However, you still need to apply for the license and show the dog is current on their rabies vaccine.

We are still updating census forms. If you have not returned your census, please return it to the Town Clerk’s Office as soon as possible. Failure to respond to census mailings for two consecutive years will result in the removal from the active voting list. 2024 will be a very busy year for elections. Please be sure to return your census forms to ensure all voter registration information is accurate.

The Summer Solstice occurs on June 20^th at 4:51PM. We wish you a happy, safe, and memorable Summer!

~Kristen and Lorraine