SOUTHWICK – Residents will have the opportunity to weigh-in on the town budget tonight at the Fall Special Town Meeting.
Set for 6:30 p.m., the meeting takes place at Powder Mill Middle School, which is a change from the usual location at the high school.
The warrant has eight articles, including one added a few weeks ago to see if the town will vote to appropriate and transfer the sum of $100,000 from the FY2014 Community Preservation General Unreserved Fund for the purpose of rehabilitating the running track on the grounds of the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional High School. The grounds are owned by the Town of Southwick.
School Superintendent John Barry said a donor – who has not been named yet – offered to give the schools $400,000 toward a new track. The department already appropriated $98,000 from its unused capital accounts toward the total project, estimated at up to $650,000.
The current track is in poor condition and has deteriorated over the years. Barry said other schools often aske to change locations when a meet is scheduled in Southwick.
There are two other substantial appropriations on the warrant. One, requested by the Southwick Water Commission, is to see if the town will appropriate $160,000 to pay costs of constructing a new water tank, including the payment of all costs incidental and related thereto, which amount shall be expended in addition to the $1,200,000 previously appropriated for this project under Article 7 of the Warrant at the Special Town Meeting held on October 10, 2012, to determine whether this amount shall be raised by taxation, transfer from available funds, borrowing or otherwise, or take any other action relative thereto.
The other is to see if the town will appropriate $150,000 to pay costs of constructing a new sewer interceptor main, including the payment of all costs incidental and related thereto, which amount shall be expended in addition to all other amounts previously appropriated by the town for this project, to determine whether this amount shall be raided by taxation, transfer from available funds, borrowing or otherwise, or take any other action relative hereto.
Other articles include one to transfer $7,800 to salary accounts, and two articles request allowing two retired police officers to stay on as reserve officers until age 70.
The entire warrant, as well as the Southwick Finance Committee’s list of pros and cons, is available online at southwickma.org.
