7 May, 2014
Hopkinton's Annual Town Meeting for 2014 started on May 5, and completed fifteen Articles. Town Meeting resumed Tuesday, May 5 and finished through Article 33. Town Meeting finished up its' work on Wednesday, May 7, at 9:00 pm.
Here are the (unofficial) results...
| Article | Title | Town Meeting Vote | Notes |
| 1 | Acceptance of Town Reports | Passed (Unanimous) | To hear the Reports of Town Officers, Boards and Committees. |
| 2 | FY14 Supplement Appropriations | Passed (Unanimous) | To transfer $935,000 from Free Cash for HR, Snow Removal, and 300th Anniversary Celebration Committee. |
| 3 | FY14 Budget Transfers | Passed (Unanimous) | To transfer $48,314.14 from 300th Anniversary Expenses to a Celebrations Special Fund, and to transfer $33,930 from Waste Disposal to Highway Expenses. |
| 4 | Unpaid Bills from Previous Fiscal Years | Passed (Unanimous) | None. |
| 5 | Property Tax Exemption Increase | Passed (Unanimous) | For Veterans and Seniors. |
| 6 | Amend the Salary of an Elected Official | Passed (Clear Majority) | Town Clerk Salary |
| 7 | FY15 Operating Budget | Passed (Clear Majority) | Appropriation Committee subtracted the transfer from Sale of Cemetery Lots Receipts ($750) from the Cemetery Commission and raise $750 for the care of cemetery plots. |
| 8 | Underride | Passed (Majority) | Reduced potential tax levy by $1,250,000 |
| 9 | FY15 Revolving Funds | Passed (Unanimous) | |
| 10 | Chapter 90 Highway Funds | Passed (Unanimous) | $662,271 |
| 11 | Transfer to Capital Expense Stabilization Fund | Amended - Passed (Unanimous) | Article amended, reducing the amount from $50,000 to $20,000 (to pay for article 21). The amendment passed unanimously. |
| 12 | Transfer to General Stabilization Fund | Passed (Unanimous) | $50,000 |
| 13 | Other Post Employment Benefits Liability Trust Fund |
Amended - Passed (Unanimous) | Article amended, reducing the OPEB contribution from $350,000 to $197,600. The amendment passed. |
| 14 | Pay As You Go Capital Expenses | Passed (Unanimous) | $789,999 |
| 15 | Library Construction | Passed (Clear Two-thirds) | Article amended, reducing the amount for the library from $11,753,517 to $7,253,517. The amendment failed. |
| 16 | Sidewalk Construction & Rehabilitation Program | Passed (Clear Two-thirds) | $1,519,000 |
| 17 | Hayden Rowe Traffic Calming | Failed (67-82) | |
| 18 | Main Street Fire Roof | Passed (Unanimous) | $400,000 for for the design, reconstruction and repair of the roof at the Main Fire Station. |
| 19 | International Horton Ambulance | Passed (Clear Two-thirds) | $270,000 for a new ambulance. |
| 20 | Vactor Truck | Passed (Clear Two-thirds) | $395,000 for a new Vactor truck. Amended; Funds from Water Enterprise Fund not to exceed 5%, funds from Sewer Enterprise Fund not to exceed 20%. The amendment failed (74-90). |
| 21 | Evaluation Studies of School Roof Repairs | Passed (Majority) | $30,000 for conducting engineering evaluation studies, for repair of roofs at Hopkins School and Hopkinton High School. |
| 22 | School Safety and Security | Passed (Unanimous) | $152,400 for the replacement of safety and security systems and equipment. |
| 23 | Board of Assessors Consultant | Passed (Unanimous) | $21,300 for a consultant |
| 24 | Community Preservation Recommendations | Passed (Unanimous) | To allocate funds from various "buckets" to increase classroom space in the barn at the Hopkinton Center for the Arts ($80,000 and $34,000); for the preservation of Town records ($15,000); for plumbing, electrical and aesthetic repairs to the Claflin Fountain on the Town Common ($45,000); for Passive Recreation to fund the placement of Conservation Restrictions on the open space properties known as Cameron Woods and Whisper Way ($15,000); to install signage to identify trailheads at the Town-owned parcels on Fruit Street, Phipps Woods, Braden Woods, Cameron Woods and Whisper Way ($7,500); to restore and reset granite curbing on Town Common memorials ($6,500); to digitize and catalogue historic Hopkinton documents ($5,000). |
| 25 | Farmer's Market Wine Sampling on Town Common | Passed (Majority) | Allowing wine sampling on Town Common at Farmer's Markets. |
| 26 | Downtown Business/Residence A District Boundary Modifications | Passed (Unanimous) | To amend the Zoning Map by changing the boundary between the Downtown Business (BD) District and the Residence A (RA) District to run concurrently with existing property lines on certain parcels. |
| 27 | Downtown Business District Lot Area | Failed (87-78) | To amend Article VIA, Downtown Business (BD) District, of the Zoning Bylaws by deleting item A of § 210-20.1, Size and setback requirements, therefrom in its entirety and inserting in place thereof a new item A as follows: A. Minimum lot area: 7,000 square feet. |
| 28 | Industrial A and Industrial B Districts - frontage |
Passed (Clear Two-thirds) | To: 1. Amend Article VIII, Industrial A (IA) District, § 210-28(A), Size and setback requirements, by deleting the words “on a public way” from subsection (1). 2. Amend Article VIIIA, Industrial B (IB) District, § 210-37.2(A), Size and setback requirements, by deleting the words “on a public way” from subsection (1). |
| 29 | Floodplain District | Passed (Unanimous) | To amend Article X, Floodplain District, of the Zoning Bylaws by deleting §§ 210-50 through 210-53 inclusive in their entirety, and inserting new text. |
| 30 | Repeal Subdivision Phasing Bylaw | Passed (Unanimous) | To repeal Article XVIB, Subdivision Phasing, from the Zoning Bylaws, in its entirety, and to amend § 210-163(B) of Article XXVI, Open Space Mixed Use Development Overlay District, by deleting item 1 therefrom and renumbering the remaining items appropriately. |
| 31 | Medical Marijuana Dispensaries | Passed (Clear Two-thirds) | To amend the Zoning Bylaws. Amended to increase the buffer zone (schools, churches...) from 500 feet to 1000 feet. The amendment failed. |
| 32 | Open Space Mixed Use Development (OSMUD) Overlay District – Hockey Rink | Passed (Clear Two-thirds) | To amend Article XXVI, Open Space Mixed Use Development Overlay District, of the Zoning Bylaws. |
| 33 | Open Space Mixed Use Development (OSMUD) Overlay District – More dwelling units; senior housing development definition |
Failed (61-107) | To amend Article XXVI, Open Space Mixed Use Development Overlay District, of the Zoning Bylaws |
| 34 | Neighborhood Overlay Mixed Use District | Passed (137-19) | To amend the Zoning Bylaws and the Zoning Map. |
| 35 | Sidewalk Easement – East Main Street | Passed (Unanimous) | To authorize the Board of Selectmen to acquire an interest in a property. |
| 36 | Gift of Land – Hunters Ridge Open Space | Passed (Unanimous) | To authorize the Board of Selectmen to acquire certain parcels of land. |
| 37 | Gift of Land – 294 Hayden Rowe Street | Passed (Unanimous) | To authorize the Board of Selectmen to acquire a certain parcel of land. |
| 38 | Acceptance of Easement – Upper Charles Trail | Passed (Unanimous) | To authorize the Board of Selectmen to acquire an interest in a property. |
| 39 | Acquisition of Property at 25 Ash Street | Passed (81-41) | To authorize the Board of Selectmen to negotiate to acquire a certain parcel of land. |
| 40 | Street Acceptances | Passed (Unanimous) | To accept such streets as and for public ways and to authorize the Selectmen to acquire any land or interest in land necessary: Snowy Owl Road from Spring Street to Falcon Ridge Drive Falcon Ridge Drive from Snowy Owl Road to Snowy Owl Road Appaloosa Circle from the existing end of public way to dead end Equestrian Drive from Saddle Hill Road to Appaloosa Circle Hazel Road from Eastview Road to Susan Drive Susan Drive from Hazel Road to dead end |
| 41 | Scenic Road Designation – Chamberlain Street | Passed (Clear Majority) | To designate Chamberlain Street, from Angelo Drive westerly to the dead end, as a scenic road. |
| 42 | Commissioner of School Trust Funds | Passed (Clear Majority) | To choose members to fill the vacancies now existing in the Board of Trustees of the School Fund in the Town of Hopkinton. |
