Huntington residents voted by raising cards at the Annual Town Meeting on Monday. (Photo by Amy Porter)
HUNTINGTON – Only one article failed to pass of the 24 presented to the nearly 80 residents at the Annual Town Meeting in Stanton Hall on Monday evening. Failing to pass was Article 24, to see if the town would vote on a temporary moratorium on recreational marijuana establishments until June 30, 2019, or until the town adopts zoning bylaw amendments that regulate such establishments, whichever comes earlier.
The discussion on the amendment got off to a rocky start when Edward Renauld, chairman of the Board of Selectmen said they were not supporting the moratorium, because last year the town passed the same moratorium.
Linda Hamlin, Planning Board chair explained that the board had sent out a survey last summer with the tax bills. She said despite the fact that the majority of people in Huntington voted yes to legalize marijuana in Massachusetts in 2016, more than half of the surveys that came back indicated that residents didn’t want it in Huntington.
In the Annual Report, which was dedicated to Linda Hamlin and her husband Steve Hamlin, both artists, business owners and long-time volunteers in town, Hamlin wrote that the Planning Board had been waiting for state regulations by the Cannabis Control Commission, the governing body for the new legislation. She said the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC), the Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) and K-P Law, Huntington’s town counselors, had recommended extending a moratorium until such time as the CCC had their final legislation completed.
At the meeting, Hamlin said that Huntington still has a lot of work to do on its part, including drafting a Host Community Agreement. “If we don’t have a moratorium, I’m concerned,” she said, fearing a “wild west” scenario where anyone could come in without zoning regulations in place.
Comments from residents expressed concern at the loss of business opportunities for the town. “Why would we do this? We’re a Green Community,” expressed one resident, referring back to an earlier comment about the town’s “Green Community” designation.
Town Collector and Treasurer Aimee Burnham asked why a survey was sent out. “What I don’t understand is, if we voted on it as a community, why follow up with a survey to get different results,” she asked.
School Committee member Melissa Nazzaro asked whether the town wouldn’t be covered by the Site Plan Review Zoning Bylaw passed earlier in the meeting. “This is going to end up being a local or regional opportunity,” Nazzaro said.
Huntington Library Director Margaret Nadeau, who was also honored in the meeting for her 35 years of service and impending retirement, said she had read last week that the cost for a license would be $100,000, implying there wouldn’t be too many inquiries. Hamlin responded that the town has already received two or three calls. The motion was moved, and lost by a significant majority of hands.
Planning Board Chair Linda Hamlin was honored along with her husband Steve Hamlin by the dedication in the town’s Annual Report. (Photo by Amy Porter)
After the meeting, Hamlin said the Planning Board is going to be working on the bylaw starting this week. “If someone comes in the weeks before we get the bylaw, we can’t deny them. We have no protection,” she said.
Hamlin said the town also has no way for interested parties to get a special permit, because it’s not addressed in the zoning bylaws. She said the board’s plan is to have something ready for a fall Special Town Meeting.
Other significant articles that passed the Annual Town Meeting included the Alternative Assessment plan for Gateway Regional School District towns, which received a unanimous vote. Huntington is now the fourth town to approve the new assessment method that would base town assessments on the percentage increase of the Gateway budget, which cannot exceed 2.5%, instead of on each town’s percentage share of students, which can swing wildly from year to year. All six towns must vote for the amended assessment in order for it to pass.
The Huntington FY19 budget of $5,219,695 also passed, representing a 5.2% increase of $261,911 over FY18; along with a $100,000 transfer from Free Cash for the purpose of reducing the amount to be raised for taxation to under 2.5%. At the town forum in May, Renauld said the increase in the town’s operational budget was only $32,000, or 2%. The largest increases were in Huntington’s share of the Gateway Regional budget (5.95% increase) and in vocational school tuition (18.4% increase). If the alternative assessment passes all six towns, Huntington’s share of the GRSD budget will be reduced by $45,000.
Also included in passage of the budget was approval for Huntington’s share of the salary and benefits for the Regional Economic Development Director, Jeanne LeClair.
Residents voted unanimously to appropriate a sum of $90,000 to purchase and equip a new Rescue truck for the Fire Department; to transfer $45,000 from the Water Sewer Reserve Account to purchase a pick-up truck for the Water and Sewer Departments, and to transfer $30,000 from Free Cash for a new trash compactor, concrete pads and wiring.
Renauld said the selectmen had wanted to purchase a new pumper truck for the Fire Department, but the cost estimates exceeded $300,000. “We’re really behind in our capital purchases,” he said. Another article proposed and voted for unanimously was the transfer of $25,000 from Free Cash into a Capital Equipment Stabilization Fund. Selectman Darlene McVeigh said the plan is to transfer $25,000 this year and $75,000 over the next two years, to raise approximately half of the money needed to purchase a pumper truck in three years.
Also honored at the Annual Town Meeting were Roland “Ron” Damon for his longtime service on the School Committee from 1991 to 2018 and James Gobeillle, who is retiring as the Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator, for his 20 years of service on Huntington Water & Sewer.
