Short Takes from the Board of Selectmen's Meeting

Much of the discussion last night was in preparation of town meeting, giving public hearing time to the various articles to be addressed.

Topics covered:

This year’s town warrant covering the topics for town meeting should be coming out in the next week or so.

Articles 23 to 26 will be on accepting Silas Drive, Copley Drive, Dartmouth Drive, Berkley Road, Beechwood Circle, Woodstone Road and Fawcett Orchard Road as public ways enabling the town to provide public services to the street such as paving and plowing.

There was good news regarding some budget adjustments for Algonquin and Assabet which had been over budgeted in the Preliminary Budget, freeing up $442,417.  Per the Northborough Town Administrator “Due to shifting enrollment as well as State Department of Education’s funding formulas, Northborough’s assessment decreases 3.34%, while Southborough’s increases 5.09%.”  At the same time, the final assessment for Assabet Regional enrollment was $680,836 or $49,164 less than the preliminary budget.  John Coderre’s recommendation was that the freed up funding should go to three one time items:

• $301k to subsidize the Pay As You Throw Trash Program to continue the program as is, to allow for the investigation of the toter system for the coming year FY2012.  (Quotes for the new system has been requested and will be presented at the BOS on 4/12)
• Reserve $100k to fund the filing of a Declaratory Judgment regarding the MSBA’s grant reimbursement for Algonquin’s School building.  (History: The state grants of $36.4M have been applied to the pay down the school bonds which in effect apportions using the Regional Agreement’s rolling admissions rather than the MGL Chapter 70B which apportions based in part on town wealth and enrollment.  The Regional School committee had recommended a compromise, but this is was rejected soundly last year at Southborough’s town meeting.)  Superior Court would provide closure (hopefully) to resolve the  issue which has been so divisive between the towns over the past eight years.
• $27.6k would be used to cover the federally mandated election equipment purchase.

Also on the Warrant as article 41,  Wegmen’s to be located at the Shops at 9 and 20 has requested an all alcoholic beverage, amending the previous licensing allowing for beer and wine.  BJ’s Wholesale also under contract to located at the Shops at 9 and 20 and will have a full alcohol license.

Article 40 will be asking for the discontinuance of Mill Street to allow the property owner to subdivide land (with out a road easement) and the town to discontinue their obligation to maintain the way and recognize some un-taxed areas where the owners were previously unknown.  Apparently the issue came to light when the Laurence Family wanted to re-draw the lot lines and learned of a road on the property which continued Mill Street all the way to Whitney Street, over the dam and Cold Harbor Brook .  The official 1971 town map did not show this continuance and Attorney George Pember indicated the area shows no evidence of paving or maintenance as a road.

Video on Demand of the meeting is available on the Town website.