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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2000-04-24 Annual Town Meeting WarrantCOMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS Middlesex, ss. Officer's Return, Reading: By virtue of this Warrant, I, on February 22, 2000 and warned the inhabitants of the Town of Reading, qualified to vote on Town affairs, to meet at the place and at the time specified by posting attested copies of this Town Meeting Warrant in the following public places within the Town of Reading: Precinct 1 J. Warren Killam School, 333 Charles Street Precinct 2 Registry of Motor Vehicles, 275 Salem Street Precinct 3 Reading Senior Center, 49 Pleasant Street Precinct 4 Joshua Eaton School, 365 Summer Avenue Precinct 5 Town Hall, 16 Lowell Street Precinct 6 Alice M. Barrows School, 16 Edgemont Avenue Precinct 7 Reading Library, Local History Room, 64 Middlesex Avenue Precinct 8 Arthur W. Coolidge, Middle School, 89 Birch Meadow Drive The date of posting being not less than fourteen (14) days prior to April 24, 2000, the date set for the Annual Town Meeting in this Warrant. I also caused an attested copy of this Warrant to be published in the Reading Chronicle in the issue of March 28, 2000. Daniel W. Halloran, Constable A true copy. Attest: 'Cheryl A, Johnson, own Clerk -Z/' 1 TOWN WARRANT (Seal) COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS Middlesex, ss. To any of the constables of the Town of Reading, Greetings: In the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, you are hereby required-to notify and warn the inhabitants of the Town of Reading, qualified to vote in elections and Town affairs, to meet at the Reading Memorial High School Auditorium, 62 Oakland Road in said Reading, on Monday, April 24, 2000, at seven-thirty o'clock in the evening, at which time and place the following articles are to be acted upon and determined exclusively by Town Meeting Members in accordance with the provisions of the Reading Home Rule Charter. ARTICLE 2 To hear and act on the reports of the Board of Selectmen, Town Accountant, Treasurer-Collector, Board of Assessors, Director of Public Works, Town Clerk, Tree Warden, Board of Health, School Committee, Contributory Retirement Board, Library Trustees, Municipal Light Board, Finance Committee, Cemetery Trustees, Community Planning & Development Commission, Town Manager and any other Board or Special Committee. Board of Selectmen ARTICLE 3 To choose all other necessary Town Officers and Special Committees and determine what instructions shall be given Town Officers and Special Committees, and to see what sum the Town will raise by borrowing or transfer from available funds, or otherwise, and appropriate for the purpose of funding Town Officers and Special Committees to carry out the instructions given to them, or take any other action with respect thereto. Board of Selectmen ARTICLE 4 To see if the Town will vote to authorize the payment during Fiscal Year 2001 of bills remaining unpaid for previous fiscal years for goods and services actually rendered to the Town, or take any other action with respect thereto. Board of Selectmen ARTICLE 5 To see if the Town will vote to approve an amendment to the Administrative Code pursuant to Section 6-1 of the Reading Home Rule Charter, or take any other action with respect thereto. Board of Selectmen ARTICLE 6 To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of Selectmen to sell, or exchange, or dispose of, upon such terms and conditions as they may determine, various items of Town tangible property, or take any other action with respect thereto. Board of Selectmen 2 ARTICLE 7 To see if the Town will vote to amend the FY 2000 - FY 2009 Capital Improvements Program as provided for in Section 7-7 of the Reading Home Rule Charter and as previously amended, or take any other action with respect thereto. Board of Selectmen ARTICLE 8 To see if the Town will vote to amend one or more of the votes taken under Article 17 of the Warrant of the Annual Town Meeting of April 12, 1999, as amended under Article 4 of the 1999 Subsequent Town Meeting, relating to the Fiscal Year 2000 municipal budget, and to see what sum the Town will, raise by borrowing or transfer from available funds, or otherwise, and appropriate as the result of any such amended votes for the operation of the Town and its government, or take any other action with respect thereto. Finance Committee ARTICLE 9 To see if the Town will vote to approve the FY 2001 - FY 2010 Capital Improvements Program as provided for in Section 7-7 of the Reading Home Rule Charter, or take any other action with respect thereto. Board of Selectmen _ ARTICLE 10 To see what sum the Town will raise by borrowing, whether in anticipation of reimbursement from the State under Chapter 44, Section 6, Massachusetts General Laws, or pursuant to any other enabling authority or from the tax levy, or transfer from available funds, or otherwise, for highway projects in accordance with Chapter 90, Massachusetts General Laws, or take any other action with respect thereto. Board of Selectmen ARTICLE 11 To see what sum the Town will raise by borrowing, or from the tax levy, or transfer from available funds, or otherwise, and appropriate for the purpose of designing improvements to the Saugus River drainage basin from Salem Street Southward, including the cost of engineering fees, inspection fees, contingencies and related expenses incidental thereto and necessary in connection therewith, said sum to be expended under the direction of the Board of Selectmen, and to see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of Selectmen to file applications for a grant or grants to be used to defray all or any part of the cost of said project and related matters, and to see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of Selectmen to enter into all contracts and agreements as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this Article or take any other action with respect thereto. Board of Selectmen 3 ARTICLE 12 To see what additional sum the Town will raise by borrowing, or transfer from available funds, or otherwise, and appropriate for the purpose of constructing an addition, remodeling, reconstructing and making extraordinary repairs to the Alice M. Barrows School on Edgemont Avenue, including the costs of original furnishings and equipment, landscaping, paving and other site improvements, engineering and architectural fees, plans and specifications, inspection fees, relocation costs, contingencies and related expenses incidental thereto and necessary in connection therewith, said sum to be expended by and under the direction of the School Committee as an addition to, and in conjunction with, the sum authorized by vote under Article 5 of the Warrant for the Special Town Meeting of December 7, 1998; and to see if the Town will vote to authorize the School Committee to file applications for a grant or grants to be used to defray all or any part of the cost of said school renovations and addition and related matters, and to see if the Town will vote to authorize the School Committee to enter into all contracts and agreements as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this Article, or take any other action with respect thereto. School Committee ARTICLE 13 To see if the Town will vote to determine how much money the Town will raise by borrowing, or from the tax levy, or transfer from available funds, or otherwise, and appropriate for the operation of the Town and its government for Fiscal Year 2001 beginning July 1, 2000, or take any other action with respect thereto. Finance Committee ARTICLE 14 To see if the Town will vote to establish a revolving fund under Chapter 44, Section 53E1/2 of the General Laws for the purpose of using the receipts generated through the sale of compost bins to purchase additional compost bins, and to pay for related expenditures, and to determine the total amount of expenditures during Fiscal Year 2001 which may be made from such fund, or take any other action with respect thereto. Board of Selectmen ARTICLE 15 To see if the Town will vote to establish a revolving fund in accordance with Chapter 44, Section 53E1/2 of the General Laws, for receipts from antennae licenses on the Town's water towers, with the proceeds from the fund used to fund community improvements pursuant to a community improvement program to be administered by the Board of Selectmen, and to determine the total amount of expenditures during Fiscal Year 2001 which may be made from such fund, or take any other action with respect thereto. Board of Selectmen 4 ARTICLE 16 To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of Selectmen, with the approval of the School Committee and the approval of the Commissioner of Education, to rent or lease certain surplus space in the Reading Memorial High School to one or more public or private profit-making businesses or nonprofit organizations; provided, however, that joint occupancy of the High School building shall not interfere with educational programs being conducted in said building and_provided that the terms of any such rental or lease shall be as approved by the School Committee, or take any other action with respect thereto. School Committee ARTICLE 17 To see if the Town will vote to accept the provisions of Chapter 32, Sections 103 (h) and (i) of the Massachusetts General Laws; which provide, respectively, for the payment of cost of living adjustments to non-contributory retirees of the Town of Reading, and for the payment of cost of living increases up to the percentage specified in Section 103 (i), or take any other action with respect thereto. Contributory Retirement Board ARTICLE 18 To see what sum the Town will raise by borrowing, or from the tax levy, or transfer from available funds, or otherwise, and appropriate for the purpose of completion of all required work or restoration or both required by the Conservation Commission in conjunction with Order of Conditions and approved plans for Sunset Rock Lane, DEP# 270-295, RGB# 1997-26, in accordance with the terms of an Irrevocable Letter of Credit entered into and executed to the benefit of the Town of Reading between Presidential Development Corp., Peter C. DeGennaro, President/Treasurer, the Town of Reading and Stoneham Co-Operative Bank, in the amount of $20,000 pursuant to Section 5.7.10 of the Town of Reading General Bylaws, and any other enabling authority, such funds to be expended by and under the direction of the Board of Selectmen, or take any other action with respect thereto. Conservation Commission ARTICLE 19 To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of Selectmen to acquire all or any parts of the following described parcels of land in fee or rights of easement therein by eminent domain under the provisions of Chapter 79 of the General Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, or to acquire said parcels of land or any parts thereof in fee or rights of easement therein by gift, purchase, land swap, or otherwise, for general municipal purposes including both active and passive recreation uses and access thereto, and uses accessory thereto including public parking; and to see what sum the Town will raise by borrowing, or from tax levy or transfer from available funds, or otherwise, and appropriate to the Board of Selectmen to pay for the acquisition of said parcels of land or rights of easement therein, or to be used for payment of land damages or other costs and expenses of such acquisition, and to authorize the Board of Selectmen to enter into agreements with private parties or State or Federal agencies for financial and other assistance in connection with such acquisition and to do all other acts and things necessary and proper for carrying out the purposes of this vote, or take any other action with respect thereto: 5 That portion of the land known as and numbered 40-42 West Street (Spence Farms), shown on Board of Assessors' Rev. Jan. 1, 1991, Map 22 as Lots 2 and 3, consisting of 99,903± square feet of land as shown on the Site Plan dated November 11, 1999 prepared by BSC Group, Boston, MA, as Lot P1. Said portion is part of the land described in a deed recorded at the Middlesex South District Registry of Deeds in Book 11860, Page 703 and -currently believed to be owned by Spence and Sons. That portion of the land known as and numbered 40-42 West Street (Spence Farms), shown on Board of Assessors' Rev. Jan. 1, 1991, Map 22 as Lots 2 and 3, consisting of 24,876± square feet of land as shown on the Site Plan dated November 11, 1999 prepared by BSC Group, Boston, MA, as Lot P2. Said portion is part of the land described in a deed recorded at the Middlesex South District Registry of Deeds in Book 11860, Page 703 and currently believed to be owned by Spence and Sons. Community Planning and Development Commission ARTICLE 20 To see if the Town will vote pursuant to Section 2-6 of the Reading Home Rule Charter to declare the seats of any or all of the following Town Meeting Members to be vacant and to remove any or all of the following described persons from their position as Town Meeting Members for failure to take the oath of office within thirty days following the notice of election or for failure to attend one-half or more of the Town Meeting sessions during the previous year, or take any other action with respect thereto: Precinct 5 Ruth L. Clay Board of Selectmen 6 and you are directed to serve this Warrant by posting an attested copy thereof in at least one (1) public place in each precinct of the Town not less than fourteen (14) days prior to April 24, 2000, the date set for the meeting in said Warrant, and to publish this Warrant in a newspaper published in the Town, or by mailing an attested copy of said Warrant to each Town Meeting Member at least fourteen (14) days prior to the time of holding said meeting. Hereof fail not and make due return of this Warrant with your doings thereon to the Town Clerk at or before the time appointed for said meeting. Given under our hands this 1 st day of February, 2000. Hoyt, Chairman NXA~ Vice Chairman George V. Hines, Secretary Camille W. nthon Matthew Cummings SELECTMEN OF READING Daniel W. Halloran, Constable 7