BERNARDSTON — Setting aside money is the key theme stringing together 29 articles on Bernardston’s annual town meeting warrant.
During the meeting, set for Thursday, May 11, at 7 p.m. in Pioneer Valley Regional School’s auditorium, residents will be asked to approve allocating $175,000 for three stabilization accounts, according to Finance Committee Chairwoman Jane Dutcher.
Bridge repair, primarily removing lead paint on two bridges over the Falls River, would account for $80,000 of the $175,000.
“Maybe we’ll get to a level when we can do at least one of the bridges, if not two,” Dutcher said.
Additionally, the Finance Committee is recommending using $25,000 of free cash to establish an Other Post Employment Benefit (OPEB) account to offer benefits other than pensions to the town’s retired employees, and $20,000 to fund an employee retirement and separation account, rather than having unbudgeted expenses.
Other articles concerning replenishing accounts involve appropriating: $352,038.82 for contracted services, pension and insurance expenses; $1,200 for the Cemetery Commission to maintain the Old Cemetery; $100 for the Flag Replacement Account; $5,000 toward the fiscal year 2019 audit; $15,000 for the Renovate/Construct Town Buildings Account; and $4,000 toward the Board of Assessors FY19 revaluation.
A two-thirds majority vote on Article 17 would ensure the purchase of a $42,000 squad truck for the Fire Department. Fire Chief Peter Shedd said he is without a vehicle after the 2006 Ford Explorer he was driving developed a transmission problem. Purchasing a new squad truck would allow Shedd to use the other squad truck, which he said has had some battery and rust issues, and recently had the engine replaced as the chief’s vehicle.
“We use that for all medicals and brush fires. It gets used quite a bit,” Shedd said, adding that the Fire Department would ensure the new vehicle is “more dependable than what the current one is.”
Shedd also plans give a presentation on the results of the Fire Station Expansion Committee’s feasibility study, the various options, and the pros and cons of each, hoping to gain a sense of the town’s willingness to move forward.
Following Northfield’s vote to support Pioneer Valley Regional School District’s request for a 3.8 percent increase in Northfield’s assessment, the Bernardston Board of Selectmen agreed to recommend the district’s respective request for Bernardston, an assessment which would increase by 2.21 percent from this year.
Seeing how Warwick also approved the district’s request, Selectman Robert Raymond said Bernardston would have to pay the higher amount should Leyden — the final town to vote — also approve the district’s request. Originally, the Selectboard and Finance Committee recommended level funding Bernardston’s contribution of nearly $2.8 million.
Should voters pass a 2.21 percent increase, Dutcher said the projected tax rate would increase from $19.63 per $1,000 valuation to $19.92.
Four articles submitted by the Planning Board involve subtle changes to the zoning bylaw, including:
allowing large-scale, ground-mounted solar photovoltaic installations between one and five acres by right in the business district, industrial district and expedited permitting district (EPD), while requiring a special permit for equivalent installations in the center village, residential agricultural (R/A) and residence/one-acre (R1) districts;
writing out “medical marijuana treatment centers” instead of using the acronym MMTC;
having special permits lapse 36 months after approval, as opposed to the current 24 months, bringing Bernardston’s bylaw in line with state laws;
and deleting an unnecessary line concerning solar electric generating facilities.
Should voters approve Article 25, the Planning Board would also add one associate member.
Article 10 would amend the town’s local room occupancy excise — whereby the town receives 4 percent of hotel guests’ payments — to a 6 percent rate, in line with the maximum allowed by the state, Raymond said.
Repairs to the Senior Center, Article 18, include installing a $5,000 mini-split system on the lower level and using another $2,450 for sidewalk repairs.
“Over the years, the salt that’s spread over there and plows hitting the edges of the sidewalk has created some bad sidewalks,” Raymond said. “We don’t want anybody falling.”
Article 19 involves using $3,000 of free cash to join the Mosquito Control District, whereby traps would be set up in town, the mosquitoes would be tested and the larvae would be killed if they were found to have Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) or the West Nile Virus.
“We’ve had Triple E and West Nile as close as Northampton,” Raymond said. “They’re getting closer and closer to home. So it sounds like a damn good idea really.”
Other articles involve: allowing the tax collector to periodically alert town officials about residents who neglected to pay taxes regardless of the amount of time they’ve been delinquent in payment; allocating $12,390.93 for the Recreation Commission’s expense account; and transferring $1,000 from the Kiwanis Expendable Interest Account to the Recreation Commission for programs and field maintenance.