Westport in Brief!
EverythingWestport.com
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
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Quick Article Index . . .
Four hours, 20 articles. Score: 17 wins, no losses, 3 pass-overs.
Four hours, 20 articles. Score: 17 wins, no losses, 3 pass-overs.EverythingWestport.com
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Moderator Steve Fors had his hands full last night trying to keep a marathon special town meeting in line and on target.
For the articles' authors, however, the holiday season came early as no article was defeated.
There’s just a hint of irony that Pearl Harbor Day was selected for the town meeting as the town’s finances are under attack by painful reductions in state aid and local tax collections.
When After Article 1, a provision to transfer $272,000 from free cash and overlay surplus accounts to balance the town budget took over an hour to pass, it was obvious to meeting attendees they had a long night ahead.
The $272,000 was reduced from the original Selectmen's projections of $364,00 needed to balance the budget, reflecting additional budget cuts.
Article 1 was necessitated when lower than expected excise tax collections from the town's new mealstax, and reduced tax revenues created a budget shortfall.
339 registered voters turned out and let their voice be heard. 17 articles passed, most unanimously, and all were supported by the finance committee, most unanimously. All three articles authored by the Highway Surveyor, Jack Sisson, were passed over.
"It was very unusual for a special town meeting to run that long," said Town Clerk Marlene Samson. "I was very surprised how long it took on some of the articles, especially when those articles didn't face any opposition."
Click here to read the town warrant. PDF
Voter attendance by Precinct
Precinct / Voters in Attendance / Total Registered Voters / % in Attendance
Precinct A - Legion Hall / 32 / 2309 / 1.4
Precinct B - Town Hall Annex / 121 / 2604 / 4.65
Precinct C - Macomber School / 30 / 2028 / 1.48
Precinct D - Briggs Road Fire Station / 39 / 2137 / 1.82
Precinct E - High School / 117 / 2635 / 4.44
Totals / 339 / 11,713 / 2.89
Article 18- WestportHistorical Society to receive CPC funding to acquire the Cadman/White/Handy House. With no opposition to saving this undisputed historic asset, voters did have a few concerns over spending CPC funds to acquire a property for a private, non-profit organization. Local attorney Dorothy Tongue explained it was the Westport Historical Society's intent to protect the town's investment by inserting language into the agreement with the CPC having a first right of refusal to acquire the property or a clause in the contract to sell and return the money to the CPC fund if the Westport Historical Society became insolvent. Attorney Tongue is working on the language.
Seen by many as being the most valuable historic property in town, the Cadman/White/Handy house provides not only a portal into two centuries of architectural paradigms, but also a rich personal history of the trials and tribulations endured by Westport's earliest residents. The town meeting vote was a wonderful victory for historical preservationists.
The Westport Board of Selectmen (4 to 1) and the Community Preservation Committee had previously endorsed funding the project up to the amount of $415,000. The Finance Committee was 8 - 0 in favor. Voters, after hearing lengthy discussion of the merits of installing a new septic system, overwhelmingly voted for article 18.
Article 19- The town will accept a gift from the present owners of the Handy house of approximately 8 acres (map 54, lot 41A) that abuts the town's landfill. The donation was made to thank the town for the support of CPC funding that will enable the Westport Historical Society to acquire the Handy house. The town already has a deeded easement for monitoring the landfill's test wells, and the land comes with a conservation restriction.
Article 15-Dr. Carlos Colley, Superintendent of Westport Community Schools, gets a major win for Westport's school system with the passage of Article 15. Proposition 2 1/2 overrides don't usually get a warm reception at town meeting, but a 46.1 percent reimbursement from the Massachusetts School Building Authority's "Green Improvements" initiative was the catalyst that moved this article along. Up next, a ballot question to allow all town voters an opportunity to voice their opinion.
The article is a one-time tax override, and will not add to the town's tax base.
There was some confusion over the funding exclusion language, but Town Counsel assured voters it would have no impact on the legality of the article.
Voters unanimously passed the $2.5 million override for green school building capital improvement projects.
"In order to receive reimbursement for energy efficient repairs on some buildings from the Massachusetts School Building Authority, a successful vote on this warrant article is required, demonstrating to the MSBA Westport voters' intention to make a financial commitment to the project," Colley told town meeting attendees.
"A Yes vote now will enter Westport into a lottery to get reimbursed.A No vote leaves Westport out in the cold for reimbursement," he added.
Even the most conservative of groups voiced no opposition to this article, as the state's contribution makes it a win-win for taxpayers and the Westport school system.
Article 7- Turbulence still surrounds proposed wind turbine installation in bucolic Central Village. There is still unease from town residents and even from within the town's Alternative Energy Committee, supporters of the project, about the wisdom of installing a monolithic 462' high 1.5 megawatt tower at the site of the town's new fire station #1.
Exploding blades, flying ice, imploding towers and blade flicker were all sited as safety concerns by some town residents. Nevertheless, many seem to agree with the concept of generating revenue for the town from a green energy turbine, just not in Central Village. Can we have our cake and eat it too?
There was no shortage Tuesday night of consultants, experts, and pundits who either sang the praises or criticized the aggressive wind- generated energy project. Portsmouth RI's Personnel Director, David Faucher appeared at the meeting in support of the turbine.
Faucher (pictured right with Atlantic Design Engineer's president Simon Thomas in background) spoke of higher-than-expected returns from their turbine, while Alternative Energy Committee member Ed Goldberg said that the committee didn’t give proper consideration to other locations.
"As a member of the Alternative Energy Committee, I have repeatedly asked that multiple sites be reviewed and scored to determine whether the proposed location is not only good but in fact the best," Goldberg said.
"My requests have been denied," Goldberg said. "The Board of Selectmen also made a similar request last spring that was neither honored nor enforced," Goldberg added. "Equally bewildering is that Governor Patrick while in Westport this summer expressed support for leasing land in the Horseneck area but this offer was dismissed in the interest of expediency as well."
Goldberg also said that wind maps prepared by the Community Wind Collaborative suggest that the area closer to the coast has persistent wind 26 percent greater than the current proposal which could materially increase the energy output."
In one of the rarer moments of the evening the Finance Committee wasn't unanimous with a vote of 7-0 with one abstention to support the granting of an additional $19,137.50 for a wind/feasibility study. Town meeting voters, putting location aside, decided to continue funding the study, and "we will deal with location later if the study prompts it" said David Dion, chairman of the Alternative Energy Committee.
Article 20 - Fireworks were promised over the reimbursement to Henry's Diesel Performance Plus for repairs to a highway vehicle involved in a snow removal accident last year. The issue became a political football as the state Inspector General, following up on an earlier decision made by the town administrator, has ruled that the bill cannot legally be paid by the town because bid laws were not followed. This decision was disputed by the highway surveyor, who said the insurance company had paid the town the full claim equaling the damages to the town truck, which is now back on the road and in service.
At the request of Highway Surveyor, Jack Sisson, the article was passed over, and Board of Selectmen Chairman Steve Ouellette, who said with the help from our new state representative, Paul Schmid, they would file a "home rule petition" to get the bill paid. This article was passed over unanimously by town meeting.
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