WARWICK — The Selectboard’s gun policy once again comes under fire at the town meeting Monday.
The meeting will be held in Town Hall, directly after a 7 p.m. special town meeting.
The policy, stemming from a verbal dispute at a meeting in July 2015, banned firearms from being carried at town meetings.
A petition article was created by Warwick resident Adam Holloway challenging the policy and the way that the dispute was handled at the town meeting. The petition gathered enough signatures and is up for vote this year, and joins the annual budget and faster Internet, as well as 25 other articles on the warrant.
“The reality is that (the ban) would be against our constitutional rights,” Holloway said. “So the merit of (the petition) was that the rules don’t apply to the Selectboard.”
But according to the town’s lawyer, Jeremia Pollard, the petition would not do much if passed.
“Is it going to have any binding effect? That’s doubtful. It’s just an article that has no effect than to make a statement,” Pollard said.
In addition to the petition article, the Selectboard’s proposed town budget would go from $1.49 million to $1.478, meaning a 0.8 percent decrease.
The Pioneer Valley Regional School District budget will be of high importance, according to Town Coordinator David Young, because the school’s requested town assessment of $843,647 is percent higher than the Selectboard’s suggested $833,318.
In order for a school budget to pass, three of the district’s four towns must approve their respective assessments. If three fail to pass their assessments, the budget can be lowered or sent back to the School Committee to be revamped.
Young said that if the higher school budget is passed, this would push an article forward to vote that would give raises to town employees if approved. This would cost the town $13,600 and would provide a 4.5 percent raise for workers.
“We don’t have step raises here, just cost of living increases, so this is interesting,” Young said.
For faster Internet, voters will be asked to approve the borrowing of a Selectboard-suggested $240,000. This money would be used to help modernize the existing wireless Internet system within the town.
Additional articles up for vote include:
Upkeep on the revolving funds received from dog licenses, various inspections and other town services.
Buying air packs for firefighters for $2,800.
Purchase turnout gear for firefighters for $5,000.
Pay $2,000 to match a grant for public safety communication equipment.
Approve $5,000 to the Town Hall improvement account.
Raising $15,000 for the Warwick Community School Improvement Account.
Raising $2,000 for the Landfill Monitoring Fund, used to continue monitoring the closed landfill.
Discontinuing Paul Road as a public way.
Make Stevens Place Road a private way.
Adopt a $300 fine for violations of the Scenic Roads Act, such as unauthorized cutting down of a scenic tree or damaging or destroying a scenic stone wall.