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2013 Town Meeting - First Night Summary

By Michelle Murdock, Freelance Writer
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Hopkinton’s 2013 Annual Town Meeting opened with a tribute to Town Clerk Ann Click who is retiring at the end of the current fiscal year after serving as Hopkinton’s Town Clerk for the past 16 years.

First up for vote was the consent agenda that dealt with Articles expected to have little or no discussion. The following articles were originally included in the consent agenda:

Article 3: FY2013 Budget Transfers (no action)
Article 12: Transfer to General Stabilization Fund (no action)
Article 15: Pay-As-You-Go Capital
Article 41: Amend Elmwood farm CPA vote
Article 55: Zoning – Neighborhood Mixed Use District and Rezoning of Land on Lumber St. and West Main St. (no action)
Article 56: Zoning – Agricultural District Name Change
Article 59: Gift of Land – Hayden Rowe Street
Article 61: Acceptance of Drainage Easement
Article 65: Street Acceptances
Article 68: Lumbar Street – Expansion of Sewer Service Area (no action)

After discussion, articles 55, 56 and 65 were held and will be voted on separately.

Articles 1-5 passed unanimously.

Article 6 to Amend the Salary of an Elected Official, specifically the Town Clerk, was approved unanimously. The change represented a 2.5% increase to $62,308 effective July 1, 2013.

Next up was the FY 2014 Operating Budget presentation. New this year, was a single funding article that combines both the Town and the School budgets. According to BOS Chair Ben Palleiko this is purely an administrative move, cleaning up the warrant. The total FY2014 budget totals $67,386,504.37 and represents a 4.6% increase over FY2013. It maintains the town’s current town services while investing in key areas to accomplish strategic goals. This year’s budget includes no debt exclusions, meaning everything will be approved at Town Meeting and none of the articles will go to the ballot.

General government is up 4.9% primarily due to a new human resources position. The school budget is up 4.4% and totals $35,585,384.

First up for discussion was the sewer budget and money allocated for the Pavement Management Program. Ken Weismantel wanted to know if the increase in sewer department spending would cause an increase in rates and was assured by DPW Director John Westerling that this was not the case.

Weismantel also asked about monies allocated to repairing Hopkinton’s roads and proposed an amendment to increase funding for the Pavement Management Program by $100,000. Eric Sonnett spoke in favor of the amendment saying Hopkinton’s roads “were a time bomb waiting to happen.”

The amendment required a standing vote and failed 84 for and 91 against.

A second amendment, to hold line 421 in the amount of $130,000 until the close of Article 62: Municipal Parking Lot, passed after some discussion.

Other discussions included town hall head count and whether or not Town Hall was becoming more or less efficient. A second question centered on the 18% increase in technology spending for the schools and why Apple Macs at a cost of $1200 per laptop were being used by teachers.

Selectman Todd Cestari questioned the amount of school budget dollars being spent on what he considered administrative costs and said he was disappointed that that money was not going directly to students. In rebuttal, School Committee member Jon Graziano responded that “teachers are part of services to students.”

In the end, the FY2014 Operating Budget passed with a clear majority.

The next article generating discussion was Article 10: Opposition to Casino Siting in the amount of $100,000. Selectmen Chair Palleiko explained the need for the funds, saying they were needed for studies related to surrounding communities, mitigation and creating a municipal agreement with other nearby towns to oppose the casino in Milford.

Several residents, while opposed to casinos, were opposed to the $100,000 funding. Reasons cited included the fact that Hopkinton does not have a vote regarding the casino since it is not the host community and others objected to the wording written to oppose the casino.

Palleiko responded that without the funds, voters would be “putting the town at grave risk” and jeopardizing the board’s ability to get surrounding community status and mitigation funding for Hopkinton.

In the end, an amendment was proposed to change the wording of the article from “in opposing” to “in connection with” the siting of a casino in Milford. The amendment and Article 10 both passed with a clear majority.

Article 11: Transfer to Capital Expense Stabilization Fund in the amount of $50,000 passed.

Article 13: Other Post Employment Benefits Liability Trust Fund in the amount of $50,000 passed.

Article 14: Transportation Contract also generated some discussion. The article requested authorization for the School Committee to negotiate a 5-year versus a 3-year transportation contract. Planning Board member John Coutinho argued in favor of a 3-year contract saying he thought it provided more flexibility. Others argued in favor of the longer term saying it helped with the bid process. Others wanted to know if the 5-year term would generate more savings. In the end the article passed with a clear majority.

Article 16: Integrated Financial Management System for $300,00 that would provide new software for the finance department at Town Hall passed unanimously.

Article 17: Elementary School Feasibility Study in the amount of $600,000 was next. Prior to discussion and a vote, brief presentations were made by School Committee Chair Nancy Burdick, Elementary School Building Committee Chair Joe Markey and Vice-Chair Mike Shepard.

“We want to make this your school, not our school,” said Shepard, who recapped the steps already taken and outlined the timeline going forward.

Shepard confirmed that the Board of Selectmen, the Elementary School Building Committee and the School Committee have confirmed and supported the $600,000 cost estimate for the study through schematic design phase of the project.

Questions for Article 17 included details on the timeline, why two Statements of Interest were submitted, and whether the solution would be a green building, but after very little discussion the article passed unanimously.

Article 18: Joint Technology Initiative for $80,000 passed with a clear majority.

Article 19: Hopkins School Emergency Generator in the amount of $205,000 passed with a clear majority.

Article 20: Middle School Auditorium Upgrades for $32,000. The Appropriation Committee recommended no action on this article, suggesting that the $32,000 be funded through the operating budget. Superintendent Hiersche explained that the money was removed from the operating budget in order to reduce that budget and pointed out that the repairs would include paint and new carpet, but the no action recommendation passed with a clear majority.

Next up for discussion was Article 21 for $96,000 for the Hopkins Loop Road. This item failed at last year’s Town Meeting and some of the same arguments against it were used again this year. At issue is the fact that since the road is not accepted by the Town, Chapter 90 funds from the state cannot be used for repair. Planning Board Chair Ken Weismantel explained that the road needs to be upgraded and repaired before it can be accepted, and the as built plans, which do not exist, also need to be provided. After going in circles, Palleiko said, “Let me see if I can bring this to a merciful close.”

But that didn’t happen and the discussion continued until a standing vote was required. The article passed 90-28.

Article 22 for $80,000 for a new Tractor Mower passed with a clear majority.

Article 23 for Police Station Drainage and Basement in the amount of $50,000 passed and the final article of the night, Article 24: Police Vehicles in the amount of $78,000 also passed unanimously.

Town Meeting will resume on Tuesday, May 7 in the Middle School Auditorium and voting will begin with Article 25.