SOUTHWICK – Voters will have the opportunity to put their money where their mouth is, or not, at the annual Town Meeting tonight.
A special Town Meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. at Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional High School auditorium, followed by the Annual Town Meeting at 7 p.m.
The special meeting has nine warrant articles, all dealing with finances. The first article is to see if the Town will vote to appropriate and transfer from available funds the sum of $28,576.00 for salary accounts. The specifics include $675 for the assistant town accountant, $1.015 for the town clerk/treasurer/collector, $758 for the building and grounds supervisor, $50 for park and recreation clerical, and $150 for emergency management.
A second article asks for a transfer of $100,000 for snow and ice removal expenses, and $20,000 for the Finance Committee reserve fund.
Article 3 is to see if the Town will vote to appropriate and transfer the sum of $23,000 from available funds in water retained earnings for the payment of the bills from the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission for payments for purchased water in fiscal year 2013, and another article is to see if the Town will vote to appropriate and transfer from Free Cash the sum of $10,000 to the Other Post Employment Benefits Trust fund established under the provisions of M.G.L. Chapter 32B, Section 20 or take any other action relative thereon.
The Annual Town Meeting warrant includes 24 articles. Among them are articles to instruct the Selectmen to appoint minor officers or to take any other action relative thereon; authorize the Board of Selectmen to sell or trade obsolete equipment or take any action relative thereon; and see if the Town would allow the Board of Selectmen to apply for and accept any and all grants from private entities, the Federal Government or the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for the purposes for which said grants are authorized, or to take any other action relative thereon.
Voters will also vote whether or not to authorize the Town Treasurer, with the approval of the Board of Selectmen, to issue bonds, notes, and certificates of indebtedness for a period of not more than two years in accordance with M.G.L. Chapter 44, Section 17.
Approval for $100,000 for costs of purchasing and installing above ground storage tanks, including the payment of all costs incidental and related thereto, as well as see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board $145,000 to pay costs of insulating and installing HVAC enhancements at the Library, will be on the warrant.
Acceptance of a donation of a new, fully permitted, Animal Control Facility from Robert J. Polverari and Barbara A. Polverari to be known as the “Polverari – Southwick Animal Control Facility” is also up for vote tonight.
A solar bylaw is Article 20 on the warrant. The bylaw covers Small Scale and Large Scale, Ground Mounted, Photovoltaic Systems.
The full warrant with descriptions is available on the town web site.
