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ATM 2012 WARRANT
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Source page 1
Recommendations of the Finance Committee
to the Voters of Canton, Massachusetts
2012
TOWN OF CANTON
ANNUAL TOWN MEETING
MONDAY, APRIL 30, 2012 @ 7:30 p.m.
Morse Auditorium
Canton High School
900 Washington Street, Canton
Study this report and come to Annual Town Meeting.
Bring this report with you.
__________________________________________
$86,000,000 plus will be appropriated by YOUR VOTE at Town Meeting is important
Canton Town Meeting Voters for because it establishes the priorities for our schools,
Next Year’s expenditures. public works, public safety, town government and
future direction for our environment.
For Emergency Preparedness Information, log The Town, upon request, will endeavor, to the
onto www.town.canton.ma.us and click on greatest extent possible, to make available any
“Emergency Planning Guide” or Call and all visual and audio devices and assistance for
1-800-480-2520 for a free FEMA Emergency the disabled. For more information, please call
Preparedness Handbook. 781-821-5000.Source page 2
ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page #
Reports
Finance Committee Report ……………………………………………………………….… 4
Charts and Exhibits
Figure 1 – Historical Summary of Expenses – FY01-FY12 Estimated ………. 7
Figure 2 – Reserve Accounts & Bond Rating Agency Expectation ……….…… 8
Town Finance Terminology …………………………………………………………………. 13
A Guide to Participating at Town Meeting …………………………………………….. 13
Note to All Voters Concerning Town Meeting Procedures ……………………….. 14
Summary of Revenue and Expenditures ……………………………………………….. 15
Revolving Funds ………………………………………………………………………………… 24
Votes to Transfer Available Funds ……………………………………………………….. 103
Operating Budget by Voting Category FY 2013 ……………………………………… 104
Operating Budget by Department – Detail FY 2013 …………..…………………… 106
Five Year Municipal Capital Plan for FY 2013-2017 ……………………….………. 114
Five Year School Committee Capital Plan for FY 2013-2017 …………………… 115
Five Year Self-Supporting Capital Plan for FY 2013-2017 ……………………….. 115
Annual Town Meeting Articles
Art. Page #
1 Elect a Moderator ………………………………………………………………………………. 16
2 Adopt Rules to Govern Town Meeting …………………………………………………… 16
3 Hear Reports of Committees Appointed at Prior Town Meetings ……………… 18
4 Act on “Consent Agenda” ……………………………………………………………………. 18
5 Collective Bargaining Agreements Under the Board of Selectmen …………… 19
6 Funding of Cost Items Not in Departmental Budgets ……………………………… 19
7 Set Salaries of Elected Officers ……………………………………………………………. 20
8 Pay Bills of Prior Fiscal Year ……………………………………………………………….. 21
9 Adjust Fiscal ’12 Accounts ………………………………………………………………….. 21
10 Transfer Unexpended Prior Year Appropriations …………………………………… 22
11 Authorize Contracts of More Than Three Years Duration ……………………….. 23
12 Authorize Certain Revolving Funds ……………………………………………………… 24
13 “Omnibus” Capital Outlay Program …………………………………………………….. 26
14 Amendment to Zoning By-Laws by Eliminating CCEOD Residential
Component ……………………………………………………………………………………. 34
15 Amend Zoning By-Laws 8.6 Flexible Development/Replace with Open
Space Residential Development ………………………………………………………… 41
16 Amend Zoning By-Laws 8.5 – Carriage House ……………………………….……… 47
17 Amend Zoning By Law 10.3.1 – Establishment of Planning Board ……………. 49
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
Art. Page #
18 Amend Zoning By-Law Section 11.0 by Striking Last Words ……………………. 50
19 Amend Zoning By-Law by Revising Current Numbering of Second Section
6.3 “Landscaping and Screening” ……………………………………………………. 51
20 Amend Zoning By-Law by Adding “Priority Revitalization Area C” to
Section 9.8 (Canton Center Economic Opportunity District By-Law) ….… 60
21 Amend Zoning Map by Placing Parcels Along Revere Street and
Neponset Street ………………………………………………………….………………….. 70
22 Amend Retail Use By-Law ………………………………………………………………….. 71
23 Amend Zoning By Law Section 9.0 Special Districts by Adding “Senior
Assisted Living Overlay District” …………………………………..……….………….. 71
24 Amend Zoning Map, Include Area in Senior Assisted Living Overlay
District …………………………………………………………………………………….…… 74
25 Amend Grant of Conservation Easement for Maresfield Farm ……………….... 75
26 Creation of a School Special Education Stabilization Fund ……….……………… 76
27 Appropriate Funds for Window Replacement Repair Project at
Lt. Peter M. Hansen Elementary School …………………………...……………….. 77
28 Appropriate Funds for Window Replacement Repair Project at William H.
Galvin Middle School ………………………………………………………..…………….. 78
29 Fire Department Staffing Study ………………………………………………………..…. 79
30 Amend General By-Laws of the Town – Article XIV (Police Regulations)
By Adding Section 55– Hunting ………………………………………………………… 80
31 Amend General By-Laws of the Town – Article XIV (Police Regulations)
By Adding Section 56 – Secondhand Jewelry and Electronics ……………… 81
32 Special Tax Assessment Plan – Harbar Corporation …..………………………….. 82
33 Land Transfer – 800 Dedham Street ……………………………………………………. 83
34 Acceptance of Chapter 41, Section 111M ……………………………………………… 83
35 Amend General By-Laws Article II, Section 2 – Annual Meeting, Time of ….. 84
36 Amendment of Human Resources By-Law ………..………………………………….. 85
37 Amend the General By-Laws of the Town by Adding Article XXII –
Regulation and Maintenance of Vacant and Foreclosing Properties ………. 85
38 Accept Chapter 32B Section 20 (Other Post Employment Benefits) …………. 96
39 Acceptance of Historical Way ……………………………………………………………… 97
40 Additional 43D Priority Development Sites …………………………………………… 99
41 Accept General or Session Laws Enacted by the General Court ……..………… 100
42 Insurance Proceeds …………………………………………….…………………………….. 100
43 Vote to Rescind Unused Borrowing Authorizations ……………………………….. 101
44 Local Option Meals Excise Tax …………………………………………………………… 101
45 Transfer of Funds to Meet FY13 Appropriations ……………………………………. 102
46 Appropriate Funds to Meet Expenses for Next Fiscal Year ……………………… 102
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
Overview of the Issues to Consider in this Year's Warrant
The economy is showing signs of improvement and the financial outlook for Canton is favorable. Thanks
to added revenue from the May 2008 override, Canton was able to manage through the economic
downturn without significantly reducing its municipal services or the quality of public education offered to
our residents. However, just like many of our residents, Canton had to make some sacrifices during this
economic downturn to maintain a balanced budget.
The $73.9 million FY13 operating budget recommended by the Finance Committee in this year's
warrant is expected to maintain the current level of Town's services and offer a small increase in
salary for our public employees. The recommended budget represents a 2.7% increase over the FY12
budget approved at the 2011 ATM. The FY13 budget recommended by the Finance Committee assumes
that property taxes will be increased by the maximum 2.5% allowed under Prop 2 1/2, and that revenue
will be supplemented with an increase in State Aid, Local Receipts and a small amount of growth.
This year, there is significant uncertainty in the FY13 budget estimates related to the unknown costs for
employee contracts and the State Aid assumptions underlying the revenue forecast. As a result, if certain
employee contract assumptions do not materialize, the Finance Committee may need to revise their
budget recommendations on ATM Town
Floor. Furthermore, there is also a Finance Committee Budget Recommendations
possibility that Canton could need a • 2.7% Average Increase in Operating Budgets
special Town meeting to bring Canton's • 1.2% Fixed Cost - Assumes Health Reform Savings
budget back in balance if the state's
budget does not provide the added State • 3.0% Municipal - Assumes Level Services
Aid revenue contemplated in our • 4.9% Schools - Replaces $286,000 Lost Revenue
estimates. These issues are described in • Uncertainty in Revenue Forecast and Contract
more detail in the FY13 Budget section Costs
below.
While the economic future looks brighter, and the estimated increase in revenue gave the Finance
Committee more funds to work with, there were still significant challenges in balancing this year's budget.
Prior increases and uncertainty of special education expenses continue to put stress on Canton's
financial position and quality of education. Last year, the School Department was required to identify
nearly a million dollars in cuts from their baseline budget to meet the Finance Committee's spending
target. This year, the School Committee was hoping to restore the programs and teachers' cuts in 2011
and make some desired enhancements. However, more than $286,000 of the increase in the
school's budget appropriations will be used to replace the revenue lost from non-resident tuitions
and temporary federal supplements that will not be available in 2013. As a result, the School
Committee will be challenged to balance their desire to offer salary increases to all teachers & other
employees and make needs-based enhancements to restore the programs offered in the past. Similarly,
the Board of Selectmen had to make significant cuts in the Department budget requests in order to fund
potential changes in employee contracts.
Rising health care costs continue to impact businesses and municipalities alike. Town residents who
work in the private sector have seen their contributions for health insurance increase while their
employers also cut the benefits offered in the plans. In prior years, every union covering town employees
had to agree to any proposed changes in the health plan making it nearly impossible for the town to pass
along the financial impact from rising health care to the town's employees. This year, the Municipal
Health Reform Law was passed, which gives Towns the option to move their health insurance to the
Group Insurance Commission's (GIC) plan used by the State or to change their existing plans to be more
in line with the benefits offered by GIC. As discussed in the Contract Obligations section below, the
budget recommended by the Finance Committee assumes that the Town will make changes to
their health plan to mitigate the rising cost for Health Insurance.
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
The Capital Planning Committee and the Finance Committee are recommending that Canton continue its
capital funding at 5.5% of revenue. Allocating the Town's limited revenue between the operating
expenses, needed to maintain our services, and the capital expenses, needed to maintain our buildings
and infrastructure, is always a difficult decision. This year, the Capital Planning Committee (CPC) and the
Finance Committee needed to make some difficult recommendations to postpone important capital
projects due to the accelerated capital spending decisions made in 2011. Articles 27 and 28 are also
capital projects that have been recommended by the School Department. Since the Massachusetts
School Building Authority (MSBA) currently has a program to reimburse 40% of the cost to replace
windows in older school buildings the School Department is requesting to replace the Windows in the
Hansen and the Galvin. However, to qualify for MSBA reimbursement, these capital requests must be
considered and approved under separate town Articles.
1
Standard & Poor’s, in a recent report , assigned its AAA long-term rating to Canton’s general
obligation (GO) municipal purpose loan of 2012 bonds and affirmed the same rating on Canton’s
GO bonds outstanding, reflecting the Town’s sound fiscal policy. This is the highest bond rating
afforded to municipalities in the United States given only to
towns that consistently demonstrates sound Fiscal Policy.
This rating allows the Town to borrow money for capital Some Motions and Articles
projects at the lowest available interest rates, currently recommended by the Finance
around 3.0%.
Committee are intended to
To qualify for this low borrowing rate, Canton is expected to improve the Town's position with
maintain a "target" level of reserves, protecting the Town the Bond Rating agencies
from unexpected expenses. Currently, Canton's reserves
are projected to be $7.0 million as of June 30, 2012, which including:
is slightly below the target range for AAA municipalities (see Article 26 - SPED Stabilization
Status in Town's Reserves Section Below). Furthermore,
some of the Articles and Motions the Finance Committee is Article 38 - OPEB Trust Fund
recommending in this Warrant are intended to improve the Article 44 - Meals Tax
Town's position with the Bond Rating agencies. These Article 45 - Move $600,000 from
include Article 26, to create and fund a Special Education Free Cash to Stabilization Fund
Stabilization Fund; Article 38, to create and Fund a Trust
Fund for Other Post Employment Benefits; and Motion 1 of
Article 45 to transfer $600,000 from the Free Cash Reserve to the Town's General Stabilization Reserve
Fund. In addition Article 44 (Local Option Meals Excise Tax) would increase Canton's revenue while
being paid in part by residents from other towns.
While it is never easy for elected or appointed officials to recommend a tax increase, the Finance
Committee strongly recommends the ATM voters approve Article 44 and allow the Town to establish a
local option meals tax of 0.75% increasing the tax on restaurant meals from 6.25% to 7.0%. Although this
change would only increase a $100 restaurant bill by 75 cents, it would allow Canton to collect an
estimated $275,000 annually from the state. Most of our neighboring towns have adopted this option so
Canton residents are currently paying this tax when they visit restaurants in neighboring towns. Canton
deserves the opportunity to collect the excise tax from non-residents that visit Canton's
restaurants.
Within this warrant, the Finance Committee tried to provide prudent financial recommendations that not
only consider the current needs of our residents, but also consider the implications that these
recommendations will have for the future. While we certainly hope the voters will give substantial weight
to our recommendations, it is ultimately up to the voters of the Town of Canton to deliberate and vote
these issues at ATM.
The voters should read the Finance Committee discussions on each Article and note that a vote to
"postpone indefinitely" may have varied meanings. In some cases the Finance Committee had to
1
Standard and Poor’s Global Credit Portal® report dated March 2, 2012.
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
“postpone indefinitely” the subject matter of an Article due to the time frame for the vote and the lack of
available information. This should not be construed to mean that we were against the Article – only that
we did not have enough time or information to weigh the merits prior to our voting deadline for the
Warrant. In other cases, the Finance Committee weighed the information presented and a vote to
"indefinitely postpone" implies that we do not support the recommendations in the Article. The discussions
that follow each motion are intended to give insight into the Committee's decisions and the considerations
inherent in each motion.
Historical Perspective on Canton's Finances
Balancing the budget the past few years has been a challenge. The poor economic conditions resulted in
lower revenues for the town. Local receipts for excise tax and building permits dropped, property owners
sought tax abatements on their declining property values, and there was very little new growth to offset
the reductions in revenue. There was also a significant drop in state aid as Massachusetts dealt with its
own budget problems. It is very difficult for a town to reduce expenses during difficult economic times.
Our residents have become accustomed to the level of services the town provides, while other expenses
such as health care, veteran services and special education significantly increased during the past three
years. However, Canton was able to maintain a consistent level of services and offer our children a
quality education by using the additional revenue from the override passed in 2008 and prudently using its
reserves to supplement the remaining revenue shortfalls.
Fiscal Year 2011- (7/1/10 – 6/30/11) - At the 2010 ATM voters approved a FY11 General Fund Budget
based on revenues forecast to be $69.68 million and expenses to be $70.82 million. The $1.14 million
shortfall in revenue was funded by reducing the Overlay Reserve $500,000 and reducing the Free Cash
Reserve $640,000. While using reserves to supplement operational budgets is not recommended without
a plan to balance the budget in subsequent years, the decrease in state aid and the increase in
unexpected in special education costs simply could not be absorbed in one year.
Actual revenue for FY11 was $70.53 million, approximately $595,000 higher than budget as Canton
collected more in local receipts and there was an unexpected one-time tax/title foreclosure payment made
to the Town. There was also good news on the expense side in FY11. Fixed Expenses were $146,000
below budget and municipal operating costs were $136,000 below budget. As a result, the Town
increased its reserves in fiscal year 2011 as shown in Figure 2 below, versus decreasing them as
expected.
Fiscal Year 2012- (7/1/11 – 6/30/12) - At the 2011 ATM voters approved a FY12 Budget based on $71.4
million in forecasted revenue and $71.9 million in expenses. The $500,000 shortfall in revenue was
funded by reducing the Overlay Reserve $500,000. While the use of $500,000 in Overlay Reserves was
anticipated by the Finance Committee in FY12, the Assessors were uncomfortable that the overlay
reserve was getting too low and they warned that funds from the overlay reserves would not be available
to supplement the FY13 budget.
At the time of this writing, the town's FY12 finances are more favorable than planned. The current
estimate of the Town's FY12 revenue is $470,000 greater than budget; state aid is $170,000 greater than
planned and there was approximately $300,000 more in tax/title payments collected. The historically mild
winter of 2012 was also good news for the town's finances. While all of budgeted appropriations for snow
and ice removal budget will be spent in FY12, approximately $300,000 of the Finance Committee reserve,
which was perennially used to supplement the snow and ice budget, will not be needed. At this time we
are also expecting Fixed Costs expenses to be about $400,000 below budget due to lower than expected
health care costs and below budget State and County charges. If the good news continues through the
end of the year, the Town's reserves may be close to the minimum level.
Figure 1 below provides a historical view of the expenses between the School Department, the municipal
side of government, and the fixed costs (i.e. health care, retirement, etc.). Fixed costs have increased
dramatically since 2003 largely due to increases in health insurance. In last year's annual report the
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
Finance Committee report noted that bringing health care and employee benefit costs under control is a
critical component in alleviating Town’s financial stress. Fewer insured employees resulted in a lower
increase in FY12. This year, Massachusetts passed the Municipal Health Reform Law under Chapter 69
of the Acts of 2011. This Reform facilitates the Town's effort to mitigate rising health care costs. As a
result, the Finance Committee has anticipated that the Town will take advantage of the opportunity to
bring these escalating costs under control and has only included a modest increase in health care
insurance in its FY13 recommended budget.
Figure 1
Historical Summary of Expenses
33
28
23
$ millions
18
13
8
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
(est.)
Schools Municipal Fixed Costs
The accelerated increases in the school department expenses can be attributed to an increase in
special education costs and the "automatic salary increases" built into the teacher contracts. Both
municipal and school employee contracts include “automatic salary increases” given to some employees
for longevity, steps (number of years served) and lanes (promotions or the amount of post-graduate
education for teachers), even when there is no Cost Of Living Adjustment (COLA). The School
department contracts include more steps than the municipal contracts, and have more lanes with no
restrictions on the number employees that can receive the promotional increases. As a result, the
$628,663 in “automatic salary increases” inherent in school contracts for FY12 represented an average
salary increase of 2.5% compared to the $75,064 (0.7%) automatic salary increase provided to municipal
employees. To say Town employees did not receive a salary increases in 2012 is simply not true. In
FY12, the appropriation for salary increases was absorbed by the automatic increases built into the
contracts. Therefore no additional revenue was available to offer a COLA for those employees that did
not receive the automatic salary increase.
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
Status of the Town's Reserves
Budget variances are inevitable. The Town's reserves protect against unexpected costs exceeding the
budgets approved at ATM. The operating budget also includes a Finance Committee Reserve account,
which is used to supplement unexpected shortfalls in the operating budgets. In most years, a sizable
portion of the Finance Committee Reserve appropriation is used to supplement the snow and ice removal
budget because the appropriation for snow and ice is based on a very mild winter. For example, we still
expect a small shortfall in the FY12 snow and ice removal appropriation, even with the very mild winter
we enjoyed in 2012. However, this year the Finance Committee's reserve will be used for emergency
repairs to the town pool, to supplement the Fire Department's budget for an EMT position and other
overtime, and any other unexpected costs that may arise during the year.
The Town also maintains three sources of "Reserves"
(savings accounts) that serve as potential sources to fund Free Cash Reserve - This is a
unplanned expenses. Figure 2 shows the Town's reserve poorly named reserve that the
balances including the estimated balances as of June 30, Town maintains for unexpected
2012. The Free Cash Reserve requires a majority vote at emergencies. "Free Cash" should
ATM to be appropriated. The Stabilization Fund requires a not be used to supplement
2/3 vote at ATM to be appropriated and the Assessors
Overlay Reserve Fund can only be used if approved by the operational budget deficits!
Town's Assessors.
Figure 2
Reserve Accounts & Bond Rating Agency Expectation (in millions)
8
7
($0.5M) 0.9
($0.8M) +$0.4M
6 2.0 0.4
1.5
5 1.2
0.8
millions
4 3.5 4.1
7.39
3.0
3.2
3
3.4
3.5
2
1 2.0 2.2 2
1.7
1.0 0.7
0
7/1/2008 7/1/2009 7/1/2010 7/1/2011 7/1/2011 Bond Rating 6/30/12
Expected Actual Agency (Current
Minimum estimate)
Free Cash Reserves Stabilization Fund Overlay Reserves
The Finance Committee hoped that the Town would strengthen its reserve position during the years
following the 2008 override. Rather than strengthening its reserves, Figure 2 shows that approximately
$1.0 million of Canton's reserves were depleted from 2008 to 2011. The $0.8 million reduction in FY
2010 was due, in most part, to unexpected snow and ice removal costs, an increase in mandated Special
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
Education costs and an unexpected drop in our State Aid revenue. In 2011, the Finance Committee
expected a $0.7 million reduction in its reserves as the FY11 budget included the use of $0.5 million
Overlay Reserves, reducing the Overlay Reserve to $0.8 million. ATM also voted to supplement the
operating budgets with $0.6 million in Free Cash Reserves, reducing that fund to $0.7 million. The actual
Overlay Reserve dropped $0.4 million more than expected and was less than $0.4 million at year-end
FY11 due to greater than expected tax abatements. However, as noted above, favorable variances in
revenue and expenses in FY11 resulted in an increase in free cash. As a result, our Reserves at fiscal
year-end 2011 were $6.0 million, which was $0.4 million greater than the FY2010 level.
The budget outlook for 2012, as noted above, is also looking very favorable due to a mild winter, an
increase in State Aid, and other favorable budget variances in fixed costs. Based on current estimates,
Canton's reserves are estimated to grow to approximately $7.0 million, just below the $7.4 million target
for FY13.
In addition to providing a source of funding for unforeseen one-time emergency situations, these funds
are viewed as a collateral source when rating agencies determine the Town's Bond Rating. Canton's
prudent fiscal management has allowed the Town to earn the highest long-term bond rating (Standard &
Poor's AAA) offered to municipalities in the United States. This allows Canton to issue bonds for debt
capital projects at the most favorable interest rates.
There would be a substantial increase in cost to the Town if a downgrade in Canton's bond rating were to
occur. A downgrade in the town's bond rating results in higher interest rate for new borrowing. Each
downgrade represents an increase of approximately 25 basis points or ¼%. Each year, ATM approves
between $2.0 million and $3.0 million of additional debt for capital projects. Currently, Canton has
approximately $11.5 million of debt authorized by ATM that has not been borrowed. A ¼% increase in
interest rate equates to approximately $300,000 increase in the cost to borrow $10.0 million over the life
of a 20 year bond.
Bond rating agencies have recommended that Canton maintain its total reserves between 10%
and 15% of revenues to justify our AAA excellent rating. The $7.0 million of total reserves
estimated for FY12 (including the transfer recommended in Article 9) is $0.4 million below the
$7.39 million target based on the FY13 revenues. However, Canton's recent increase in reserves and
the increase in the town's Stabilization Fund should be viewed favorably to the bond rating agencies.
This year, the Finance Committee recommends in Article 45 that $600,000 be transferred from Free Cash
Reserves to the Stabilization Fund. This transfer will not change the total amount of Canton’s reserves,
but should demonstrate that Canton is committed to maintain adequate reserves.
Capital Budget
For the last five years, the Capital Planning Committee (CPC) has recommended that the Town set aside
5.5% of the recurring revenues for the Capital Budget. The Town first pays debt service on all existing
debt within the levy from this amount. The remaining amount is used to fund capital projects identified in
the Capital Planning Committee’s (CPC) 5-year plan. While the prior target was 6.0% of revenue to fund
Capital projects, the CPC has selected 5.5% in recent years so that additional money could be allocated
to the operating budgets. While this has allowed Canton to avoid operational cuts in services during the
economic downturn, it also resulted in some difficult decisions for the CPC to postpone important capital
projects. Deferring maintenance and other capital improvements runs the risk of low-cost projects
becoming expensive ones and continued deterioration of the Town’s infrastructure.
The Finance Committee concurs with all of the recommendations made by the Capital Planning
Committee as presented in Article 13. The municipal requests include $364,000 in cash capital projects
and $243,000 in capital projects to be funded with debt. In addition, the CPC recommended two
infrastructure capital improvement projects for the Water Enterprise Fund, totaling $2.49 million in debt
capital. The debt service for these projects will be included in our water bills. Last year, the Schools
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
accelerated their 5-year capital spending budget to pay for the Kennedy expansion, roof repairs, and the
Rodman HVAC. As a result, there was only $365,000 allocated to the schools for cash capital projects
and $112,000 in debt capital projects recommended by the CPC for the schools in FY13.
In addition to the items in Article 13, the School's capital requests include Articles 27 and 28. These
capital projects may qualify for grants from the Massachusetts School Building Association (MSBA), and
therefore, need to be addressed in separate Articles. Although the Schools have already accelerated their
5-year capital spending in FY11 and these projects require the use of capital spending that was
earmarked for later years, the CPC recommended approval of these projects to take advantage of the
40% reimbursement by the MSBA. While the Finance Committee was concerned that further accelerating
the School's capital spending would leave little funds available for emergency capital repairs, a Majority of
the members did recommend funding one of these two window replacement projects. The minority the
Finance Committee members supported both projects because this was the lowest cost option for the
town. Please refer to the discussion of these Articles for more details.
Contract Obligations
The School Committee and Board of Selectmen are currently negotiating collective bargaining
agreements for town employees. Usually, contracts are settled 45 days prior to ATM so proper funding
for the contracts can be estimated by the Finance Committee and included in the ATM budget
recommendations. However, no collective bargaining agreements have been reached by the time this
warrant was being prepared. Labor negotiations were delayed this year because of the Municipal Health
Reform Law passed in 2011. The regulations that identified the proper steps for implementing health plan
design changes were not released until late October or November 2011. Once the town's options were
better understood, the BOS voted to implement healthcare reform and the process to evaluate Canton's
options started.
The Municipal Health Reform Law gives Towns the option to modify their insurance plan without these
changes being vetoed by the unions. Prior to this law, every union covering town employees had to
agree to any proposed change, if the Town wanted to revise its health plan. This made it nearly
impossible for the Town to revise its plan in a manner that would reduce benefits or require the
employees to absorb a greater share of the rising health care cost. Over time, the difference in benefits
and costs of the health plans offered to municipal employees and private employees has grown,
prompting the Reform.
The Reform provides two options. Towns may move their health insurance to the Group Insurance
Commission's (GIC) plan used by the State employees or change their existing health plans to be more in
line with the benefits offered by GIC. In order to provide Canton employees with the best plan and
minimize the disruption to our work force, the Town is exploring changing their plan design. The Reform
allows the Town to implement plan design changes as of July 1 as long as it follows the appropriate
implementation procedures.
At the time this report was being prepared, the Town was still working with the Public Employees
Committee (PEC) to define the changes in Canton's healthcare plan design. The Reform provides the
PEC with 30 days to meet with the Town to conclude the healthcare negotiations. If an agreement is not
reached by the end of the 30 days, a 3-member panel (comprised of a representative from the Governor’s
office, the union and Town Management) will decide on a plan. It is the Finance Committee's expectation
that a revised health plan and the cost of the plan will be known before ATM. However, when the
Finance Committee needed to prepare its budget recommendations, an estimate of the cost of the final
plan needed to be developed. While the Finance Committee recommended that the Town seeks the
maximum savings available by the reform, it is uncertain what the final plan design will be or the
appropriate budget provision to use for FY13 health plan costs. If the actual costs differ significantly from
the estimates included in the Finance Committee's recommended budget, amendments to the
recommended budget may be made on Town Floor.
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
Along with the changes in health plan design, the Town must also negotiate the mitigation costs provided
in the Reform (up to 25% of the plan savings), salary compensation changes, and other contract changes
typically negotiated in collective bargaining. However, the salary and other contract provision
negotiations could not begin until the health plan design and mitigation plan was concluded. Since the
compensation and other contract negotiations had not commenced when the Finance Committee needed
to finalize its budget recommendations, the estimates included in this warrant were made with little
knowledge of what the final settlement may be.
Canton is fortunate to have many dedicated employees that work hard to serve our residents. The
Finance Committee recommends that these employees be compensated and receive benefits
commensurate with that offered by our benchmark towns. The Finance Committee also believes our
town employees should receive annual increases that reflect the current economic conditions and the
spending limits mandated by Proposition 2 1/2. The estimates included in the Finance Committee's
recommended budget, are consistent with these values. Included in our budget are recommended
appropriations in Article 6 for municipal collective bargaining agreements.
Canton residents should be aware that the recommended budget in this year's warrant includes $92,560
for automatic salary increases for the municipal departments and $588,306 for automatic salary increases
for the school employees related to steps, lanes and longevity. The Finance Committee believes that to
achieve equity for all employees, the percentage increase in budget appropriations for employee
compensation should be similar for both the schools and municipal employees. Since the automatic
salary increases inherent in the school contracts are greater than those included in the municipal
contracts, to achieve a similar percentage increase in total compensation between the municipal
employees and school employees, the municipal employees should receive a larger appropriation for
other changes in contract costs.
The School Committee is aware of the disparity in the automatic salary increases inherent in their salary
structure and is working with the Canton Teachers Association and the Massachusetts Teachers
Association to make modifications to their salary structure. The Finance Committee has suggested
modifications to the existing salary structure that would maintain the steps and lane format, reduce the
extraordinarily large salary increases inherent in the current plan, and use the savings to fund small
increases for the highest paid teachers over the next three years. Without significant revenue
increases or modifications to the current salary structure, future budget cuts for the schools are
inevitable.
FY 2013 Budget
In Article 46, the Finance Committee is recommending a FY13 operating budget of $72.0 million for the
General Fund, which is a 2.8% increase over the FY12 budget approved at ATM. This year there is
significantly more uncertainty in the budget estimates than there has been in prior years. The Finance
Committee has used all of the available information to develop budget recommendations that represented
a fair estimate of the revenue and expenses for Canton in FY13. Prior to ATM, some of the issues
creating the uncertainty in the revenue estimates or contract costs may be resolved. If more accurate
estimates become available before ATM, the Finance Committee may modify its recommendations on
Town Meeting Floor if the revised estimates are materially different from the original recommendations.
The revenue estimate included in the Finance Committee's budget includes a provision for state aid
based on Governor Patrick's proposed budget. The Governor's budget included an increase in state aid
for one third of the wealthier towns that have been receiving less than the targeted support and no
increase for the other two thirds of the towns. The Finance Committee's budget estimate assumed that
the final state budget may phase in the increase so that all towns can receive additional state aid in FY13.
The Finance Committee is recommending a 3.0% increase in the operating budgets for the municipal
departments and a 4.9% increase in the operating budget for the Schools. While the Finance Committee
does not have the authority to determine how the Schools spend their appropriation, the assumption the
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
Finance Committee made when developing its recommendation was that both the municipal employees
and the school employees would receive the same percentage increase in Total Compensation. The
School Department received a larger budget appropriation in FY13 to restore cuts that were made in
FY12 and to mitigate some of the revenue lost from federal grants and other revenue offsets that were
not expected to continue in FY13. The Finance Committee's recommended budget also includes a
modest 1.2% increase in fixed costs with the understanding that the Town will achieve some savings from
Municipal Health Insurance Reform.
The Water Enterprise Fund operating budget increased 0.2% due to an increase in debt service and a
decrease in the MWRA assessment that offset the other increases operational expenses. The
recommended budget for the Sewer Enterprise Fund was increased 3.6%, driven mostly by a 9.6%
increase in debt service. The recommended budget for the Rink Enterprise Fund has been reduced by -
8.4% from FY12 budget due to a reallocation of an employee salary to the Recreation Department.
The Finance Committee believes that the recommended FY13 budget will be adequately funded with
expected revenues. In addition, the Finance Committee is confident that the recommended FY13 budget
will provide fair compensation to our Town employees, while allowing Canton residents to enjoy the high
quality of services they are accustomed to. The Finance Committee adamantly opposes any use of
Canton's reserves to fund recurring operational deficits.
Respectfully submitted,
Town of Canton Finance Committee:
Alan Hines, Chairman Mark Porter, Vice Chairman
Rob Barker David Emhardt Patricia Johnson
Barbara Saint André Jim Sims Diane Wolff Eric Zine
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
TOWN FINANCE TERMINOLOGY
The terms below are frequently used in the annual Town report and at Town Meetings. In order to provide
everyone with a better understanding of their meanings, the following definitions are provided:
APPROPRIATE: To authorize spending. Once an appropriation for a budget or article has been made by Town
Meeting, the appropriation can only be changed by another Town Meeting. There is one exception-a transfer from
the Reserve Fund.
BONDS: The money Canton borrows to pay for capital building projects such as the High School and police
station.
CAPITAL EXPENSES: Expenses associated with the purchase of long term assets, or projects. Paying for these
expenses can come from either cash (Cash Capital) or from long term bonding.
CHERRY SHEET: A financial statement from the State, printed on cherry-colored paper which itemizes State
disbursements due the Town, and the State and County charge to the Town, usually resulting in a net receipt of
funds. It is the basis for the amounts which appear in the Finance Committee forecast of Revenue and Expenditure.
DEBT EXCLUSION: Taxes raised through a prop 2.5 override to pay for capital projects such as building the high
school or library.
ENTERPRISE SURPLUS: (Retained Earnings) This fund balance represents the amount to be used, by a vote of
Town Meeting, for operating cost offsets, funding capital improvements and reimbursing the General Fund for prior
year funding.
FIXED COSTS: Costs primarily associated with employee benefits, such as health insurance and retirement costs.
FREE CASH RESERVE: An accumulation of surpluses left at the end of the fiscal year. This funding is available to
be allocated at Town Meeting through a simple majority vote. It is akin to a savings account.
FY12: July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012
FY13: July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013
LEVEL FUNDING: The budget amount for this year will be identical to the budget amount last year (i.e., no
additional money will be available to cover increased costs in salaries or supplies.)
LEVY LIMIT: The maximum amount of tax levy in any given year. The levy limit is based on the previous year’s
levy limit plus 2 1/2% plus new growth, and not the previous year’s actual levy.
LOCAL RECEIPTS: Money the town collects from local sources such as excise tax, licenses and permits,
investment income, and penalties
NEW GROWTH: Additional tax revenue the Town receives from new construction, such as new homes or
additions to existing buildings.
OPERATIONAL OVERRIDE: An increase above the standard 2.5% yearly increase in taxes. This increase is
unlike a debt exclusion override, in that it is permanent.
OVERLAY: The amount raised by the Assessors primarily for the purpose of creating a fund to cover abatements.
OVERLAY RESERVE: This is the accumulated amount of the Overlay for various years not used or required to be
held in the specific Overlay accounts for a given year. The Assessors control release of funds in the Overlay reserve
that exceed pending tax liability.
RAISE: To tax. The tax rate is set by the Assessors after the Annual Town Meeting and after receipt of the
“Cherry Sheet.”
RESERVE FUND: This fund is established by the voters at an Annual Town Meeting, and may be composed of an
appropriation, money transferred from the Overlay Reserve, or both. Transfers from the Reserve Fund are within
the control of the Finance Committee, and are for “extraordinary and unforeseen expenditures.”
REVENUES: Amount of money the town receives to cover expenses. The majority of this money comes from
property taxes. The remainder comes from local receipts, State Aid and transfers from other funds.
STABILIZATION FUND: The fund is established by the voters for future uses. A Town Meeting vote is required
for its use towards a “borrowing article” and/or for “any lawful purpose.”
STATE AID: The amount of money that the state of Massachusetts gives to the town of Canton.
STEP AND LANE INCREASES: Automatic increases in salary for town workers, negotiated in the union contracts.
STRUCTURAL DEFICIT: Town’s recurring expenses are greater than its recurring revenues.
TAX LEVY: (LEVY): The revenue a community can raise through real estate and personal property taxes.
A GUIDE TO PARTICIPATING AT TOWN MEETING
If town meeting is to run smoothly a few simple rules must be followed…….
No person should speak unless standing at a microphone and then only after having been ‘recognized’ by the
moderator.
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
It is both impolite and contrary to the rules of procedure to shout out “Question”, or “Move the Question” while
seated, while someone else is speaking, or without being ‘recognized’.
When recognized, a voter should first state his or her name and address clearly and distinctly before making any
statement.
Voters should be brief. It is a good idea to state at the outset why you have risen to speak: e.g. I rise to speak in
favor (or against) the motion to Voters may wish to summarize at the close of their remarks: I hope the motion
now pending is (not) adopted
Rather than repeat arguments already made, consider saying: I concur with the statements made by the previous
speaker(s) and for the same reasons urge you to vote (in support of) or (against) the main motion when it is put.
A town by-law restricts any one speaker to not more than ten minutes at any one time. The patience of other
voters is often not as long.
A town by-law restricts any one speaker from speaking more than twice on the same matter except to correct an
error or a misstatement.
A person who is speaking on behalf of another (such as an attorney) is required to disclose that fact before making
any statement.
A motion to reconsider is quite technical in nature. A person who intends to move reconsideration should discuss it
in advance with the moderator. Generally the motion may be made at any time so long as a sufficient interval has
elapsed since the last vote on the matter was taken, and/or additional information has become available, so as to
give a reasonable basis to believe the meeting might vote differently. When the motion to reconsider is pending
debate is limited to why reconsideration should prevail and not to the merits of the underlying motion.
When one voter is speaking every other voter in the hall should pay attention to what is being said. No person
should interrupt a speaker unless some ‘rule’ is being violated. If a voter believes a rule is being violated they
should rise in place, wait to be recognized by the moderator (For what purpose does the lady rise?) Voter: I rise to
a point of order. Moderator: State your point of Order. Voter: …The speaker is dealing in personalities, (or) the
remarks of the speaker are not germane to the subject at hand, etc.
Rather than read every warrant article the moderator may say “The chair asks unanimous consent that the reading
of the article be waived (Pause) Seeing no objection it is so ordered.”
Voters should refrain from displaying their approval or disfavor towards a speaker by applauding or by any other
means.
NOTE TO ALL VOTERS CONCERNING
TOWN MEETING PROCEDURES
At previous Annual Town Meetings a by-law was adopted which requires that almost all warrant articles be acted
upon in the order they are drawn by a lottery, not the order they appear in the warrant. There are certain
exceptions, however, to the lottery system. The following should help you understand how the Town Meeting
works:
Town Meeting will be opened by the Town Clerk. A Moderator will be elected (Article 1); procedures to govern
Town Meeting will be adopted (Article 2); and reports of all outstanding committees will be received (Article 3).
After these three articles have been acted upon, all subsequent articles, except next year’s proposed annual
operating budget, will be voted on in the order in which they are drawn by the Town Clerk. There are instances,
however, where the Moderator may declare that for some legal or technical reason a particular article or articles
must be considered in some other sequence.
The proposed annual operating budget cannot be acted upon until all matters which affect it have been acted
upon, specifically, all collective bargaining agreements, and any warrant article that calls for an expenditure. This
may mean that the proposed annual operating budget may, in fact, be the last article acted upon at the Annual
Town Meeting.
It is hoped that this brief explanation will be helpful to you in understanding the lottery system under which the
Town Meeting is currently operated.
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
SUMMARY OF REVENUE AND EXPENDITURES
FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013
ACTUAL BUDGET PROPOSED
GENERAL FUND REVENUE:
PROPERTY TAX REVENUE 55,119,095 57,309,364 59,323,367
STATE AID 6,867,639 6,800,664 7,106,407
LOCAL RECEIPTS 5,652,165 4,940,391 5,234,686
TRANSFERS FROM OTHER FUNDS 2,664,393 2,382,592 2,239,456
TAX TITLE / FORECLOSURE REVENUE 224,631 0 0
TOTAL REVENUE 70,527,923 71,433,011 73,903,916
GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES:
SCHOOL EXPENSES 30,502,314 30,440,978 31,920,505
MUNICIPAL EXPENSES 15,518,935 15,535,215 16,002,440
FIXED COSTS 23,424,488 24,079,632 24,357,420
TOTAL OPERATING EXPENSES 69,445,737 70,055,825 72,280,365
CASH CAPITAL EXPENDITURES 457,390 910,000 729,000
TRANSFER TO STABILIZATION FUND 200,000 40,000 0
STATE & COUNTY CHARGES 849,149 967,186 894,551
TOTAL EXPENDITURES 70,952,276 71,973,011 73,903,916
OPERATING SURPLUS/(DEFICIT) - GENERAL FUND (424,353) (540,000) (0)
ONE-TIME SOURCES OF FUNDS:
FREE CASH RESERVE 890,000 40,000 0
OVERLAY SURPLUS 500,000 500,000 0
TOTAL NON-RECURRING SOURCES 1,390,000 540,000 0
ADJUSTED SURPLUS/(DEFICIT) - GENERAL FUND 965,647 0 (0)
ENTERPRISE FUNDS:
WATER REVENUE 6,909,293 6,430,759 6,446,385
SEWER REVENUE 4,792,007 5,299,532 5,488,176
RINK REVENUE 442,288 448,479 410,967
TOTAL ENTERPRISE FUNDS' REVENUE 12,143,588 12,178,770 12,345,528
ENTERPRISE FUNDS' SURPLUS USED 0 55,000 104,000
WATER EXPENSES 5,774,545 6,430,759 6,446,385
SEWER EXPENSES 4,976,094 5,299,532 5,488,176
RINK EXPENSES 446,564 448,479 410,967
TOTAL ENTERPRISE FUNDS EXPENSES 11,197,202 12,178,770 12,345,528
ENTERPRISE FUNDS' CASH CAPITAL EXPENDITURES 60,338 55,000 104,000
ENTERPRISE FUNDS' SURPLUS/(DEFICIT) 886,048 0 0
GRAND TOTAL APPROPRIATIONS 82,209,817 84,206,781 86,353,444
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
Town of Canton
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Norfolk, ss
To the Constables of the Town of Canton,
Greetings:
In the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts you are hereby required to notify and warn the
inhabitants of the Town of Canton to meet at Morse Auditorium, on the grounds of the Canton High
School, 900 Washington Street in said town on;
MONDAY, THE THIRTIETH DAY
OF APRIL, 2012
At half past seven o'clock (7:30 P.M.) in the evening for the annual town meeting at which time and
place the following articles are to be acted upon:
ARTICLE 1
ELECT A MODERATOR
Article 1 To elect a Moderator to preside at this Town Meeting, to serve until the commencement of Annual
Town Meeting in 2013 or to take any other action related thereto.
Board of Selectmen
DISCUSSION: Nominations will be accepted and a moderator elected at town meeting during the discussion of
this article.
APPROVED__________DISAPPROVED__________
ARTICLE 2
ADOPT RULES TO GOVERN TOWN MEETING
Article 2 To see if the town will vote to adopt certain procedures to govern the conduct of the 2012 Annual
Town Meeting, or to take any other action related thereto.
Board of Selectmen
MOTION 1
MOVED: That this 2012 Annual Town Meeting meet on consecutive Monday and Wednesday
evenings (but not including Monday, May 28th) in the Morse Auditorium, on the grounds of the Canton
High School until the business of this Annual Town Meeting has been concluded, each such session
after the initial session to begin at 7:00 o’clock P.M. and to adjourn at 11:00 o’clock P.M., or as near
that hour as may be feasible, according to the nature of the business pending at the said hour.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 6-0-0
DISCUSSION: The Finance Committee recommends adoption of this motion as it formalized procedures that
have been followed by Town Meetings in the past.
APPROVED__________DISAPPROVED__________
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
MOTION 2
MOVED: That the following individuals be granted all of the rights and privileges of participation
in this Annual Town Meeting, except the right to vote, under any article of this warrant which affects
matters within their jurisdiction:
Debra Bromfield, Director of Student Services
Rick Brandstatter, Canton Development Properties (Article 20)
Paul Brodmerkle, P.E. Site Design Professionals, LLC (Meditech) (Article 25)
John Ciccotelli, Director of Public Health
Shannon Connell, Esq., Counsel, Meditech (Article 25)
Paul R. DeRensis, Town Counsel
James Donovan, Town Engineer
Helena Findlen, Police Department Lieutenant
Rick Fitzpatrick, Business Manager, Norfolk County Agricultural High School (Article 46)
William T. Friel, Town Administrator
Jeffrey Granatino, Superintendent of Schools
Suzanne Green, Superintendent/Director, Norfolk County Agricultural High School (Article 46)
John Hamnett, Business Manager, Pine Street Realty (Article 22)
Jennifer Henderson, Director for Curriculum, Instruction & Technology
Brian Joyce, Senator
Louis Jutras, Information Systems Manager
Mark Lague, Library Director
Sheila Lemke, Architectural Director, Meditech (Article 25)
Kenneth Leon, Business Administrator, School Department
Enrique Montemayer, Chief Financial Officer, Harbar (Article 32)
Ezekiel Montemayer, Chief Executive Officer, Harbar (Article 32)
James Murgia, Finance Director
Robert Murphy, Conservation Commission Agent
Tony Polimeno, Facilities Director, Meditech (Article 25)
David Proule, Business Manager, Blue Hills Regional Technical School
James Quaglia, Superintendent-Director, Blue Hills Regional Technical School
Arthur Roberts, Massachusetts Office of Business Development
Harvey Robbins, “Friends of Prowse Farm” (Article 25)
Mark Roy, Executive Director, Canton Housing Authority
Stephen Smith, Ford Construction, Meditech (Article 25)
Michael Trotta, Superintendent of Public Works
Diane Tynan, Director of Council on Aging
Leo Waters, “Friends of Prowse Farm” (Article 25)
John Wieliczki, Director of Assessing
Anthony Will, Owner, 125 Turnpike Street, Canton (Article 22)
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 9-0-0
DISCUSSION: The Finance Committee recommends adoption of this motion as it allows key non-resident town
officials and consultants to legally participate in the Town Meeting and formalizes procedures that have been
followed by Town Meeting in the past.
APPROVED__________DISAPPROVED__________
MOTION 3
MOVED: That whenever during discussion under any article in this warrant during this year’s
annual town meeting, irrespective of which session such discussion is reached during the progress of
the annual town meeting, a motion is made, the effect of which is to increase the total amount to be
appropriated beyond that which is recommended by the Finance Committee or which changes the
method of obtaining funds to meet that appropriation, the moderator shall not accept such motion
unless said motion also contains a corresponding decrease in another appropriation as contained in an
appropriation article on this specific warrant or a corresponding transfer from any other available
funding source or borrowing as an alternative funding source, so that the total amount to be
appropriated by the town, at this town meeting, and to be expended thereafter, for all the
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
appropriation articles contained in this warrant, shall not in any event exceed the total dollar amount
recommended by the Finance Committee as set forth in the published Report of the Finance Committee
Recommendations as may be increased by any transfer from available funds provided, however that
nothing in this motion shall prevent an increase in appropriation funding contingent upon the passage
of a Proposition 2½ override.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 6-0-0
DISCUSSION: The Finance Committee recommends adoption of this motion as it formalizes procedures that
have been followed by Town Meeting in the past to insure that Town Meeting ends with the adoption of a balanced
budget.
APPROVED__________DISAPPROVED__________
ARTICLE 3
HEAR REPORTS OF COMMITTEES APPOINTED AT PRIOR TOWN MEETINGS
Article 3 To hear the reports of all committees, appointed at previous town meetings, which have not yet
been discharged, or to take any other action related thereto.
Board of Selectmen
MOVED: That reports of the following committees appointed at previous Town Meetings be
heard and accepted:
ADA Transition Plan Implementation Committee (ATM 1999, Article 10)
Economic Development Committee (ATM 2004, Article 14)
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 8-0-0
DISCUSSION: The Finance Committee supports the adoption of this motion to hear the reports of all standing
committees appointed at prior Town Meetings.
APPROVED__________DISAPPROVED__________
ARTICLE 4
ACT ON “CONSENT AGENDA”
Article 4 To see if the town will vote to dispose of certain articles in this warrant by a single vote, in
accordance with a so-called, consent agenda, or to take any other action related thereto.
Board of Selectmen
MOVED: That the subject matter of Article 4 be indefinitely postponed.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 8-0-0
DISCUSSION: The Finance Committee unanimously voted to indefinitely postpone Article 4 because at the time
the Finance Committee’s vote was taken, it was uncertain which items would be recommended for the consent
agenda. The purpose of the consent agenda article is to combine non-controversial articles together and vote them
in a single motion, thus saving the time it would take to act on each one individually. When Article 4 is presented
at ATM, any citizen that does not agree with the motion may rise and request that an article be withdrawn from the
consent agenda.
APPROVED__________DISAPPROVED__________
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
ARTICLE 5
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS UNDER THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN
Article 5 To see if the town will vote, in accordance with the provisions of section seven of chapter one
hundred fifty E (G. L. Ch.150E, §7) to raise and appropriate, transfer from available funds, or borrow pursuant to
any applicable statute, a sum of money for the purpose of funding any cost items contained in any collective
bargaining agreements entered into by the Board of Selectmen, on behalf of the town, with any group of
employees, or, groups of employees, serving under its jurisdiction, and to raise and appropriate, transfer from
available funds, or borrow pursuant to any applicable statute, such sums of money as may be necessary to fund
contracts for personal services with any individual employee, or to take any other action related thereto.
Board of Selectmen
MOVED: That the subject matter of Article 5 be indefinitely postponed.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 8-0-0
DISCUSSION: The Finance Committee recommended to indefinitely postpone this article as there were no
municipal collective bargaining agreements settled in time for town meeting to fund. This year’s process has been
delayed primarily due to negotiations between the town and union representatives over health insurance changes.
APPROVED__________DISAPPROVED__________
ARTICLE 6
FUNDING OF COST ITEMS NOT IN DEPARTMENTAL BUDGETS
Article 6 To see what sum of money the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, transfer from available funds or
borrow pursuant to any applicable statute for the purpose of funding cost items, not included in departmental
budgets appropriated for FY 13, for the twelve month period beginning July 1, 2012, to budget category
Department 910 for the Board of Selectmen to expend without further appropriation to pay for collective bargaining
agreements and/or individual employees or groups of employees serving under its jurisdiction, as may be reached
after the conclusion of this Town Meeting between the Town and bargaining units, and/or individual employees or
groups of employees serving under its jurisdiction, such sums to be allocated to pay for the relevant departments
payroll expenses from budget classification Department 910 as required by such agreements; and to take any
other action related thereto.
Board of Selectmen
MOVED: That the sum of Two Hundred Fifty Seven Thousand Ninety Five Dollars ($257,095) be
raised and appropriated from the fiscal year 2013 tax levy and other general revenues of the Town in
order to fund cost items, not included in departmental budgets appropriated for fiscal year 2013, to
Department #910’s budget for collective bargaining agreements and/or individual employees or
groups of employees, as may be reached after the conclusion of this town meeting between the Town
of Canton and bargaining units and/or individual employees or groups of employees serving under its
jurisdiction, such sums to be allocated to pay for the relevant departments’ payroll expenses from
budget classification Department #910 as determined by the Finance Director.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 8-0-0
DISCUSSION: The Finance Committee unanimously supports Article 6. The Town of Canton regularly engages
in contract negotiations and these contract negotiations do not always fit the timetable of the annual town meeting.
This Article would allow the Town of Canton and bargaining units to allocate funds for the purpose of payroll
expenses for contracts that are settled after or during the annual town meeting timeframe avoiding these municipal
labor unions having to work without any contract until the next annual town meeting or special town meeting to
approve these funds. The amount of funds not to exceed Two Hundred Fifty Seven Thousand Ninety Five Dollars
($257,095).
APPROVED__________DISAPPROVED__________
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
ARTICLE 7
SET SALARIES OF ELECTED OFFICERS
Article 7 To see if the town will vote, in accordance with the provisions of section one hundred and eight of
chapter forty-one (G. L. chapter 41, §108) to fix the salary and compensation of all elected officers of the town, or
to take any other action related thereto.
Board of Selectmen
MOTION 1
MOVED: That the salary and compensation for the Town Clerk be fixed at $73,571.00 for the
2013 fiscal year beginning July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013.
VOTE: 8-0-0
DISCUSSION: The 2012 salary of the Canton Town Clerk was $70,118. This was less than the Town Clerk’s
annual salary in Needham, Milton, Dedham, Wellesley and Randolph; and was higher than the Town Clerk’s annual
salary in Sharon, Westwood and Foxboro. The Finance Committee understands that the goal of the town is to
provide an employee salary that is at or just above the average of comparison towns. The Finance Committee
understood that the salary approved at last year’s Annual Town Meeting did not satisfy that goal, and felt it more
prudent to attain the town's average salary goal over a period of time.
MOTION 2
MOVED: That the salary and compensation for all part-time elected officials of the Town be fixed
for the 2013 fiscal year beginning July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013, as follows:
Board of Assessors $2,400.00, for each member
Board of Health $600.00, for each member
Board of Selectmen $1,400.00, for each member, with an additional
$200.00 to chairperson
Planning Board $0.00
School Committee $0.00
Library Trustees $0.00
VOTE: 5-2-0
MAJORITY DISCUSSION: The Finance Committee readily acknowledges that all elected and appointed
officials work long hours for the Town and the salary provided is low for the services being rendered. However, the
Finance Committee has long been concerned with the inequities of paying salaries to some elected officials and not
other elected or appointed officials. There also seems to be no rationale for the existing salaries. The salaries
traditionally paid to members of the Assessors and the Board of Health were established to compensate them for
field work that is now being done by other Town Employees or outside contractors.
For the 2013 Fiscal Year, the salary paid elected officials amounts to just over $16,000. The salary payment to an
elected official entitles these officials to benefits, especially health insurance.
The majority supported this motion because only two elected officials are participating in the insurance program
and the current insurance cost to the Town is approximately $10,000. Furthermore, in prior years, the town
overwhelming opposed the Finance Committee's proposal to phase out the salaries and benefits.
MINORITY DISCUSSION: Of larger concern to the Finance Committee is the potential increase in costs if
the remaining 9 elected officials, who receive compensation, suddenly chose to participate in the insurance
program. That would increase cost to the taxpayers by an additional $70,000. The Minority was not compelled by
the prior ATM vote to change their original position that the salaries and benefits should be phased out.
APPROVED__________DISAPPROVED__________
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
ARTICLE 8
PAY BILLS OF PRIOR FISCAL YEAR
Article 8 To see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate, transfer from available funds or borrow
pursuant to any applicable statute a sum or sums of money to pay any unpaid bills of any prior fiscal year, or to
take any other action related thereto.
Board of Selectmen
MOVED: That Five Hundred Fifteen Dollars and Fifty Six Cents ($515.56) be appropriated for the
Finance Director to pay bills from prior fiscal years as set forth below, and to meet this appropriation
Five Hundred Fifteen Dollars and Fifty Six Cents ($515.56) be transferred from the budget
appropriation Account #11551-51200 voted pursuant to Article 44 of the 2011 Annual Town Meeting
for the Finance Department.
Vendor Purpose Amount Source of Funds
Canton Citizen Advertising Services $272.00 Finance Dept.
Rendered during
Fiscal 2011
KE Printing Printing Services $150.52 Finance Dept.
Rendered during
Fiscal 2011
WB Mason Office Supply $93.04 Finance Dept.
Expenses during
Fiscal 2011
_______
Total $515.56
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 8-0-0
DISCUSSION: The Finance Committee unanimously supports the adoption of this article. There were several
outstanding bills from FY11 totaling $515.56 that must be paid. The largest bill was for the Recreation Department
advertizing of the July 4th celebration [$272.00]. The remaining amounts were for the Planning Board printing of
rules and regulations [$100.92], business cards [$49.60] and the purchase of office supplies [$93.04]. The source
of funds to cover these outstanding bills will be the Finance Department.
APPROVED__________DISAPPROVED__________
ARTICLE 9
ADJUST FISCAL ‘12 ACCOUNTS
Article 9 To see if the town will vote to increase or decrease or otherwise adjust the appropriations
heretofore made for the Fiscal Year 2012 beginning on July 1, 2011 and ending on June 30, 2012 and the revenues
sources to meet those appropriations, as voted pursuant to Article 44 of the warrant for the 2011 Annual Town
Meeting, and to raise and appropriate, transfer from available funds or borrow pursuant to any applicable statute to
meet any such increases or adjustments, or to take any other action related thereto.
Board of Selectmen
MOVED: That the appropriations voted for the fiscal year beginning on July 1, 2011 and ending
on June 30, 2012 pursuant to Article 44 of the warrant for the 2011 Annual Town meeting be
supplemented as follows:
- 21 -Source page 22
ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
MOTION 1 That the sum of Ninety Three Thousand Eight Hundred Forty Four Dollars ($93,844) be
appropriated to the Reserve Fund (Account #11322-59600) by transfer from the Rodman Green Roof
Project (Account #43444-58210-A1428).
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 9-0-0
DISCUSSION: The Finance Committee unanimously supports this motion. Failure of the Rodman and High
School roofs led the School Committee to apply to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) for state
funds to pay for the repairs. At 2011 ATM, the town appropriated a $93,844 surplus for the Rodman Roof project
and a $93,844 shortfall for the High School Roof project. The MSBA requires all projects be fully funded, therefore,
the Finance committee authorized a transfer on $93, 844 from the Finance Committee Reserve fund to the High
School Roof Project with the understanding from the School Committee that upon completion of the Rodman
project, any left-over monies would be transferred back to the Reserve Fund. This motion accomplishes that
“repayment”.
APPROVED__________DISAPPROVED__________
MOTION 2 That the sum of Fifty One Thousand One Hundred Eighty Two Dollars ($51,182) be
appropriated to the Veterans’ Services Ordinary Benefits (Account #15432-57700) by transfer from the
Reserve Fund (Account #11322-59600).
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 9-0-0
DISCUSSION: The Finance Committee unanimously supports this motion. The Veterans Services budget was
under-funded in FY 12. The downturn in the economy created an increased need for veteran’s services, for which
the Town is obligated to pay. While 75% of these costs are reimbursed by the state, the expenses must first be
paid from the Veterans Services budget and before reimbursements are made to Canton's general revenue fund.
APPROVED__________DISAPPROVED__________
ARTICLE 10
TRANSFER UNEXPENDED PRIOR YEAR APPROPRIATIONS
Article 10 To see if the town will vote to transfer the unexpended balance of certain appropriations made
under various articles in the warrants applicable to prior town meetings, to new purposes and uses, or to take any
other action related thereto.
Board of Selectmen
MOTION 1
MOVED: That Sixty Thousand Dollars ($60,000) be appropriated to be spent by the
Superintendent of Public Works with the approval of the Board of Selectmen to be added to and
increase the appropriation already voted pursuant to Article 13 Motion 4 of the 2008 Annual Town
Meeting thereby increasing such appropriation from One Hundred Seventy Five Thousand Dollars
($175,000) to Two Hundred Thirty Five Thousand Dollars ($235,000) and to meet this appropriation
the sum of Sixty Thousand Dollars ($60,000) be transferred from the appropriation voted pursuant to
Article 13 Motion 4 of the 2008 Annual Town Meeting for the purpose of a performing engineering plans
for Shepard’s Pond Dam.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 9-0-0
DISCUSSION: The funds voted at a previous ATM to be used for a Study of the Washington Street Culvert have
not been used and the state has identified the Shepard’s Pond Dam as a hazard that must be repaired
immediately. The transfer of unused funds from the study for the development of engineering plans to repair the
Shepard’s Pond Dam is appropriate and doing so will avoid the need to reduce municipal services in other areas to
fund the plans.
APPROVED__________DISAPPROVED__________
- 22 -Source page 23
ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
MOTION 2
MOVED: That Thirty Seven Thousand Dollars ($37,000) be appropriated to be spent by the
Police Chief with the approval of the Board of Selectmen for the purpose of replacing radio equipment
in police vehicles and to meet this appropriation the sum of Thirty Seven Thousand Dollars ($37,000)
be transferred from the appropriation voted pursuant to Article 13 Motion 2 of the 2010 Annual Town
Meeting.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 9-0-0
DISCUSSION: The Finance Committee unanimously agreed to make the transfer because it is will improve
safety and response time for emergencies.
APPROVED__________DISAPPROVED__________
MOTION 3
MOVED: That Thirty Eight Thousand Five Hundred Twenty Six Dollars ($38,526) be appropriated
to be spent by the Superintendent of Public Works with the approval of the Board of Selectmen to be
added to and increase the appropriation already voted pursuant to Article 13 Motion 7 of the 2011
Annual Town Meeting thereby increasing such appropriation from Five Hundred Thousand Dollars
($500,000) to Five Hundred Thirty Eight Thousand Five Hundred Twenty Six Dollars ($538,526) and to
meet this appropriation the sum of Thirty Eight Thousand Five Hundred Twenty Six Dollars ($38,526)
be transferred from the appropriation voted pursuant to Article 13 Motion 7 of the 2010 Annual Town
Meeting for the purpose of rehabilitating the Ponkapoag Standpipe.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 9-0-0
DISCUSSION: The Finance Committee unanimously agreed to make this transfer. There are $38,526 of unspent
bond proceeds from a valve and hydrant project, financed by an interest-free loan from MWRA. The MWRA
recently approved a new interest-free loan of $500,000 for the Ponkapoag Standpipe project. MWRA also approved
using the $38,526 unspent from the valve and hydrant project to be used for the Ponkapoag Standpipe project.
This transfer is needed to take advantage of the financing options offered by the MWRA.
APPROVED__________DISAPPROVED__________
ARTICLE 11
AUTHORIZE CONTRACTS OF MORE THAN THREE YEARS DURATION
Article 11 To see if the town will vote, in accordance with the provisions of section twelve (b) of chapter
thirty B, of the General Laws of the Commonwealth, to authorize the finance director (in his capacity as chief
procurement officer) to solicit and award contracts for terms of more than three years, provided in each such
instance the longer term is determined, prior to the solicitation, to be in the best interest of the town by a vote of
the Board of Selectmen, or to take any other action related thereto.
Board of Selectmen
MOVED: That the Finance Director (in his capacity as chief procurement officer) be authorized
to solicit and award contracts for terms of more than three years, provided in each such instance the
longer term is determined to be in the best interest of the town by a vote of the Board of Selectmen.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 8-0-0
DISCUSSION: The Finance Committee unanimously supports this Article authorizing the Chief Procurement
Officer to solicit and award contracts for supplies or services for a duration in excess of three years, with a prior
supporting vote of the Board of Selectmen. The Finance Committee Members believe that extending the period of
time for certain supplies or services contracts could serve the best interests of the Town from a fiscal, operational,
or planning standpoint.
APPROVED__________DISAPPROVED__________
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
ARTICLE 12
AUTHORIZE CERTAIN REVOLVING FUNDS
Article 12 To see what revolving funds pursuant to c. 44, section 53E ½ of the General Laws of the
Commonwealth the town will authorize or reauthorize, for various boards, commissions or departments of the
town, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2012 and ending June 30, 2013, or to take any other action related
thereto.
Board of Selectmen
MOVED: That the following revolving funds are hereby established pursuant to the provisions of
MGL chapter 44, section 53 E ½ for the 2013 Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013.
Name of FY 13
Revolving Revolving Spending Spending
Fund # Fund Authority Revenue Sources Use of Funds Limit
Pequitside Farm Conservation Rental of Pequitside Farm, Rental of Maintaining, improving & renovation $40,000
Rentals Commission Little Red House, Rental of Rooms in of property, payment of salaries for annually
1 Main Building, Rental of Rooms in time spent arranging rentals with
Tavern or any other portion of building additional amounts transferred to
or grounds. General Fund.
Veteran's Veterans' Contributions, Donations, Gifts, Providing services to veterans not $30,000
Services Special Services Grants. funded under established program, annually
Revenues Director including but not limited to
newsletter publication, monthly
2 breakfasts, funeral services, other
commemorative programs and other
purposes in the opinion of the
Veterans' Director in the best
interests of Canton Veterans.
Fire Alarm Fire Chief Fees received by it from, or on behalf Payment of bills and charges $20,000
Relocation of Commonwealth, any public utility, incurred in connection with annually
3
any other business entity, or any relocation of fire alarm signal wires,
individual person. devices & other appurtenances.
COA Council on Donations received for providing Payment of bills and charges in $25,000
4 Transportation Aging transportation services. connection with transportation of annually
Fund elderly.
Board of Health Board of Contributions, donations, gifts, grants, Providing services to Canton citizens $15,000
Special Health reimbursements. not otherwise funded under annually
Revenues established program, including but
5 not limited to flu vaccinations, child
and teenage health education &
development programs and elderly
health programs.
Animal Control Animal Adoption and boarding fees. Payment for veterinary services and $40,000
Special Control Officer payments to Animal Control Officer annually
6
Revenues with additional amounts transferred
to General Fund.
Library Building Board of Fees for rental and use of Community Paying bills, connected with the $30,000
Rentals Library or other assembly rooms used for providing of maintenance and supply annually
Trustees meetings, programs or other events, of facilities and for the support and
7 including payments for use of facilities safe conduct of said programs and
and conveniences in conjunction with events.
use of spaces, as may be established
by the Board of Library Trustees.
Student Parking School Fees paid by students to park their Payment of bills and charges to $75,000
8 Fees Committee vehicles at Canton High School. maintain the high school parking lots annually
and grounds.
Greenlodge Board of Fees paid by residents and non- Payment of bills and charges to $75,000
Street Parking Selectmen residents to park their vehicles along maintain the program with additional annually
9
Fees Greenlodge Street. amounts transferred to General
Fund.
Beautification Beautification Fees received from the sale of bricks. Payment of services required to $10,000
10 Fund Committee install bricks and for other annually
beautification projects.
- 24 -Source page 25
ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
Name of FY 13
Revolving Revolving Spending Spending
Fund # Fund Authority Revenue Sources Use of Funds Limit
Library Board of Fees received for processing passport Payment of bills and charges for $40,000
Revolving Fund Library applications, loss, damage or late processing passport applications, annually
Trustees return of borrowed materials, purchasing books and other library
replacement of borrower cards, or any materials for public loan.
11 other such fees as may be established
by the Board of Library Trustees, for
the purpose of and consistent with
maintaining a fair and efficient library
loan system.
Soil Erosion and Conservation Fees received for permits and Payment of bills and charges to $30,000
Sediment Commission certificates of compliance under Article process permits and certificates of annually
12
Control Fund XX (20) of the Town General By-Laws. compliance under Article XX (20) of
the Town General By-Laws.
Youth Youth Donations. Payment of scholarships and other $10,000
13 Commission Commission expenses related to youth activities. annually
Fund
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 8-0-0
DISCUSSION: The Finance Committee voted unanimously to continue the twelve funds that were approved at
the prior ATM and add Fund 13, “Youth Commission Fund”. This fund will allow the Youth Commission to
effectively manage the donations received and support the needs of the population they serve. There are no other
changes to the spending limits, and no material changes to the sources of revenue or use of funds.
DISCUSSION:
Revolving Fund #1
DISCUSSION: This motion must be voted by Town Meeting annually to allow the Conservation Commission to
continue its revolving account. They currently have a revolving account to which all rentals related to the use of
the properties located on the premises known as Pequitside Farm are credited.
Revolving Fund #2
DISCUSSION: This motion was requested by the Veterans’ Services Director to establish a revolving fund for
special revenues received. The fund will be used to provide services to veterans who are not otherwise funded
under any established program.
Revolving Fund #3
DISCUSSION: This motion must be voted by Town Meeting for the Fire Chief to establish a revolving fund for
fees received to compensate the department for relocating fire alarm services.
Revolving Fund #4
DISCUSSION: This motion must be voted by Town Meeting for the Council on Aging to establish a revolving
fund to which revenues derived from the transportation supplied to the elderly citizens must be credited. This fund
must be used for the payment of bills and charges in connection with transportation for our elderly citizens. The
expected source of funds will be donations rather than fees charged.
Revolving Fund #5
DISCUSSION: This motion must be voted by Town Meeting for the Board of Health to establish a revolving fund
for donations and other reimbursement received. The fund will be used to purchase additional flu vaccinations and
offer educational programs on health-related topics not otherwise funded by their present annual budget.
Revolving Fund #6
DISCUSSION: This motion must be voted by Town Meeting for the Animal Control Officer to establish a
revolving fund for donations received. The fund will be used to purchase veterinary services not otherwise funded
by their present annual budget.
Revolving Fund #7
DISCUSSION: This motion must be voted by Town Meeting for the Board of Library Trustees to establish a
revolving fund for building rental fees and other payments received. The fund will be used to support the rental
programs and other related costs.
Revolving Fund #8
DISCUSSION: This motion must be voted by Town Meeting for the School Committee to establish a revolving
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
fund for fees paid by students to park their vehicles at Canton High School. The fund will be used for the payments
of bills and other charges to maintain the high school parking lots and grounds.
Revolving Fund #9
DISCUSSION: This motion must be voted by Town Meeting for the Board of Selectmen to establish a revolving
fund for fees paid by residents to park their vehicles on Greenlodge Street. The fund will be used for the payments
of bills and other charges to maintain the parking program. At year end, any balance in this fund is transferred to
the general fund.
Revolving Fund #10
DISCUSSION: This motion must be voted by Town Meeting for the Beautification Committee to establish a
revolving fund for fees paid by residents to purchase commemorative bricks. The fund will be used for the
payments of bills and other charges to install bricks and for other beautification projects.
Revolving Fund #11
DISCUSSION: This revolving fund will allow the Library to keep the fines they charge for books and other
materials that are returned late. This will help the library meet state requirements to receive annual state aid and
certifications. This revolving fund will also allow the Library to collect fees and pay expenses related to processing
passports.
Revolving Fund #12
DISCUSSION: This motion must be voted by Town Meeting for the Conservation Commission to establish a
revolving fund for fees paid in accordance with the Town’s soil erosion by-law. The fund will be used for the
payments of bills and other charges to process permits and certificates of compliance under Article XX (20) of the
Town’s General By-Laws.
Revolving Fund #13
DISCUSSION: This new motion must be voted by Town Meeting for the Youth Commission to establish a
revolving fund for donations received. This will allow the Youth Commission to use the donations to benefit the
Youth of Canton through continued programming.
APPROVED__________DISAPPROVED__________
ARTICLE 13
“OMNIBUS” CAPITAL OUTLAY PROGRAM
Article 13 To see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate, or to transfer from available funds, or to
authorize the Town Treasurer with the approval of the Board of Selectmen, to borrow (and to issue bonds or notes
therefore) any sum or sums of money, or by any combination of these methods of financing as may be necessary
or desirable, make available funds for the purpose of purchasing, leasing, re-conditioning, improving or replacing
any motor vehicles or other items of equipment or machinery or other items of personal property for any town
agency, or for the purpose of contracting for any service, or for the design, repair, acquisition, construction,
replacement or relocation or improvement to any town building or other structure, public works facility (including
highway needs and traffic safety items), any other town owned facility or real property, or for any other purposes
for which borrowing may be authorized, to purchase, or to take by eminent domain, any land or easements
necessary for any such purposes and, where applicable, to authorize the trade-in of any presently owned motor
vehicles, equipment or machinery to reduce the purchase or acquisition cost of any item to be acquired, or to take
any other action related thereto.
Board of Selectmen for Capital Planning Committee
MOTION 1
MOVED: (a) The acquisition of all vehicles and other motorized equipment that is authorized to
be purchased or otherwise acquired by any motion made under this warrant article shall be under the
responsibility of the Finance Director/Chief Procurement Officer. In addition to the procurement, the
“trade-in” or other disposition of all vehicles and other motorized equipment being replaced is also
authorized and shall be under the responsibility of the Finance Director/Chief Procurement Officer. In
all cases where by a motion made under this warrant article, a vehicle or other piece of motorized
equipment is to be acquired by a town agency such purchase or acquisition shall be subject to and
bound by the detailed specifications regarding such purchase or acquisition on file in the office of the
Town Clerk; provided, however, the Finance Director/Chief Procurement Officer, may, in appropriate
circumstances, waive or modify the said detailed specifications, subject to a vote of the Finance
Committee, taken within 30 (thirty) days following a decision to waive or to modify the foregoing
provision requiring full compliance with the specifications on file.
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
(b) All building related projects which are approved and or funded by any motion made under
this article shall be under the responsibility of the Building Renovations Committee appointed pursuant
to Canton By-law, Article X, section 4, except as may be provided by any specific motion made pursuant
to this article.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 9-0-0
MOTION 1
DISCUSSION: This motion authorizes the Finance Director to supervise vehicle acquisitions and the Building
Renovations Committee to oversee all building/land improvement projects.
APPROVED__________ DISAPPROVED__________
MOTION 2
MOVED: That Three Hundred Sixty Four Thousand Dollars ($364,000) be appropriated from the
Fiscal Year 2013 tax levy and other general revenues of the town for various Municipal Departments to
expend with the approval of the Board of Selectmen for the purpose of purchasing certain items of
property set forth below as follows:
FINCOM FINCOM
RECOMMENDATIONS AMOUNT VOTE
Police Department
Replace One Patrol Car $34,000 8-0-0
Replace Bullet Resistant Vests 7,000 8-0-0
Purchase Bullet Resistant Vests Carriers 6,000 8-0-0
Fire Department
Lease/Purchase 2 Ford Explorers 22,000 8-0-0
Purchase Radio Master Box System 92,000 8-0-0
DPW
Replace 1991 Brush Chipper #55 32,000 8-0-0
Replace Platform Body of Forestry Division Truck #37 10,000 8-0-0
Finance
Purchase Microsoft Exchange Server 19,000 8-0-0
Computer/Monitor Replacements 21,000 9-0-0
Purchase Microsoft Office Professional Licenses 16,000 9-0-0
Purchase Disaster Recovery Server 15,000 8-0-0
Recreation
Replace 1994 Kubota Tractor 19,000 8-0-0
Field Rehab & Sod Replacement 10,000 8-0-0
Replace Zero Turn Mower 11,000 8-0-0
Library
Renovate Main Level Meeting/Study Rooms 36,000 8-0-0
Health
Purchase SUV 14,000 8-0-0
_________
GRAND TOTAL $364,000
The amounts listed above for particular acquisitions are not to be construed as individual
appropriations. The sums shown are intended to be estimates of individual items but the amount
appropriated is one line item in the total sum of Three Hundred Sixty Four Thousand Dollars
($364,000). The Finance Director and Town Administrator, acting jointly, are hereby authorized to
distribute such funds in such a manner as may be needed to accomplish the forgoing list of purchases;
provided, however, that each item contained in the list is procured and that the excess funds are
available because one or more items cost less than estimated and not because an item intended to be
procured is not so procured.
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
Police Department
Replace one Patrol Car ($34,000)
The Canton Police utilizes its vehicles on 24 X 7 basis for the safety and security of the town. This is a scheduled
replacement for high mileage vehicle.
Replace Bullet Resistant Vests ($7,000)
This is a scheduled replacement of bullet resistant vests for the Canton Police. This is a replacement only of vests
that have reached their five (5) year warranty.
Purchase Bullet Resistant Vests Carriers ($6,000)
The Canton Police Department has instituted a mandatory Bullet Resistant Vest wear policy. This expenditure will
purchase 45 outside the shirt carriers for all officers. They have a 5 year shelf life.
Fire Department
Lease/Purchase 2 Ford Explorers ($22,000)
This is the fourth and final payment of a four year lease approved at Canton Town Meeting in FY 2009 for the Fire
Department.
Purchase Radio Master Box System ($92,000)
This purchase will begin the replacement of the fire panel master box system from wired to wireless at Town
municipal and School buildings. CPC feels this project will provide the Town with future savings in overtime costs,
future replacement of the CFD alarm wire truck and the replacement cost of wire that the department incurs each
year. The 2009 renovation of Canton Fire Department Headquarters in Revere Street included technology to
interface with this system conversion.
This project will include Phase 1 and Phase 2 of a 3-phase plan for the replacement of master boxes. Phase 1 of
the project will include the installation of Vision 21 System Processor with Radio Module at the Canton Fire
Department dispatch area at a cost of $27,000. Phase 2 will include the installation of master boxes at ten (10)
various municipal locations at a total cost of $60,000. Also included in this request is the installation of a master
box at the high school location at an approximate cost of $5,000. The remaining six locations for the School
Department will be installed under Phase 3 in FY14 for an approximate cost of $42,000.
DPW
Replace 1991 Brush Chipper #55 ($32,000)
The current chipper is over 20 years old and has well exceeded an industry replacement standard of every ten
years. Existing chipper only handles 6 inch diameter trees / limbs. The new upgraded chipper will allow twice the
capacity which will help increase efficiency. The existing unit would be kept as a backup, which will be beneficial
during storm clean-ups like that was experienced in 2011.
Replace Platform Body of Forestry Division Truck #37 ($10,000)
The current truck platform is not feasible to repair and requires replacement. Combination of the rigors of tree
work performed by the truck and its constant exposure to the elements from limited garage space and the need to
keep employees safe requires replacement of this platform. The replacement cost includes all parts and associate
labor with the replacement of the platform unit.
Finance
Purchase Microsoft Exchange Server ($19,000)
This project allows the Town Finance Department to transition from Exchange Server 2003 to Exchange Server
2010 and includes hardware, software, and professional migration services
Computer/Monitor Replacements ($21,000)
This project covers the on-going PC replacement program. This replaces 1/5 of the inventory and covers most of
the Pentium 4 systems that are incapable of running the newer 64bit OS and software.
Purchase Microsoft Office Professional Licenses ($16,000)
This project allows the Finance Department to transition from Microsoft Office Professional 2003 to 2010. There
are multiple ongoing FEMA projects that require Office 2007 or later.
Purchase Disaster Recovery Server ($15,000)
This project allows the Finance Department to acquire an additional backup server to increase the backup capacity
to accommodate the new servers that are being added.
Recreation
Replace 1994 Kubota Tractor ($19,000)
The current tractor is over 17 years old and has exceeded an industry replacement standard of every 10 to 15
years. This is one of the two tractors responsible for mowing town athletic fields. Also, this tractor is used for
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
miscellaneous landscape projects, aerating and seeding athletic fields. Replacement will be L4400 HST Tractor 4
X4 with 4 CYL. Diesel 43 H.P. Engine and 36 H.P. PTO.
Field Rehab & Sod Replacement ($10,000)
This is an ongoing capital program to keep up with replacing worn out turf areas that are heavily used for athletic
and recreational activities. The capital funds will be designated to make improvement to the Windsor Woods
Soccer & Lacrosse fields with the goal of improving drainage and turf conditions. These funds will also be
supplemented by private funding from Canton Youth Soccer and the Canton Lacrosse Club in partnership with the
Recreation Department to make these much needed improvements to help improve safety and playability of this
field.
Replace Zero Turn Mower ($11,000)
This piece of equipment is being requested to replace using an existing walk behind mower with a short cutting
width and is less efficient than a zero turn mower. The new zero turn mower will increase efficiency with its
mobility and wider 61 inch cutting width to mow baseball infields and smaller recreation and park areas.
Replacement will be a 61” 31 H.P. Scag Cheetah Zero Turn Mower.
Library
Renovate Main Level Meeting/Study Rooms ($36,000)
This proposal provides for the re-allocation of space to create two (2) multi-purpose rooms. The proposed location
takes advantage of the need to minimize structural alteration by utilizing existing walls and a soffit. The area has
been reviewed by the Building Commissioner and an architect provided a cost estimate for design and construction.
This allows for adaptive use of the space which is in line with current and future needs of the library.
Health
Purchase SUV ($14,000)
The Health Department proposes the purchase of a small SUV to aid in performance of their duties. These include,
but are not limited to, senior and disabled home health visits and clinics, emergency preparedness operations and
use during real and drilled all-hazards emergency events. This will also be used to tow their existing trailers
containing material and equipment needed in their work. To help fund this vehicle, the Health Department will use
up to $9,000 from their revolving fund to supplement the $14,000 in cash capital.
APPROVED__________ DISAPPROVED__________
MOTION 3
MOVED: That Three Hundred Sixty Five Thousand Dollars ($365,000) be appropriated from the
Fiscal Year 2013 tax levy and other general revenues of the town, for the Canton School Committee to
expend for the purpose of purchasing certain items of property set forth below for the School
Department as follows:
FINCOM FINCOM
AMOUNT VOTE
Building Repairs/Improvements
Repoint Chimney - Hansen $ 6,400 8-0-0
Update existing control system for HVAC; 62,598 8-0-0
Weatherization of buildings – Systemwide 30,478 8-0-0
Grounds Improvement
Playground material – Systemwide 6,550 8-0-0
Technology
(2) iMac computers for Performing Arts 3,275 8-0-0
Computer Replacement with Thin Clients – Luce & JFK 38,520 8-0-0
New Thin Clients – 3rd & 5th grades - 4 per classroom 61,645 8-0-0
Program Improvements
Outdoor challenge/fitness course - Hansen 7,185 8-0-0
Replace video workstations for Fine Arts 31,272 8-0-0
Purchase (24) music stands – Galvin & High School 2,000 8-0-0
Audio system–hearing impaired – GMS 5,565 8-0-0
Audio System–hearing impaired – High School 9,300 8-0-0
Furniture & Fixtures
Desks (24) - Luce 3,671 8-0-0
Various furniture & fixtures – Kennedy addition 31,468 8-0-0
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
Gymnasium wall pads - Galvin 4,950 8-0-0
Stools (30) – Galvin 1,650 8-0-0
Extraordinary Maintenance
Painting Program – Galvin, Hansen & Luce 8,000 8-0-0
Replace (25) classroom doors – Luce 12,224 8-0-0
Vehicle Replacement
1991 Ford F350 38,249 8-0-0
_______
GRAND TOTAL $365,000
The amounts listed above for particular acquisitions are not to be construed as individual
appropriations. The sums shown are intended to be estimates of individual items but the amount
appropriated is one line item in the total sum of Three Hundred Sixty Five Thousand Dollars
($365,000). The Finance Director and the Business Manager of the School Department, acting jointly,
are herby authorized to distribute such funds in such a manner as may be needed to accomplish the
forgoing list of purchases; provided, however, that each item contained in the list is procured and that
the excess funds are available because one or more items cost less than estimated and not because an
item intended to be procured is not so procured.
DISCUSSION:
Building Repairs/Improvements
Repoint Chimney – Hansen ($6,400)
This is to repair damaged chimney currently leaking and in poor condition
Update existing control system for HVAC ($62,598)
This request is to update the existing control system for HVAC and to install a web based EMS to update occupancy
schedule and temperature controls in the school. This will result in energy cost savings for many years to come.
Weatherization of Buildings – Systemwide ($30,478)
Repair and improve energy efficiency in school buildings to weather stripping, and building insulation. Project
partially funded through Performance Contract, total cost $94,684.
Grounds Improvement
Playground material – Systemwide ($6,550)
Purchase and installation of playground wood fiber safety material which is annual expense.
Technology
(2) iMac computers for Performing Arts ($3,275)
This project expands the installed iMac workstations from 4 to 6 to allow more students to enroll in the Music
Technology and Technology for the Performing Arts programs. These electives are highly requested and enrollment
is limited.
Computer Replacement with Thin Clients – Luce & JFK ($38,520)
This project continues the virtualization project within the schools and replaces the computers (60) in the thin
clients in the Luce and JFK computing labs. These systems are used to support the K-5 curriculum
New Thin Clients – 3rd & 5th grades - 4 per classroom ($61,645)
This project continues the virtualization project within the schools and replaces existing computers with 4 thin
clients in each 3rd and 5th grade classroom (96 total). These systems support in-classroom curriculum and small
group learning activities.
Program Improvements
Outdoor challenge/fitness course – Hansen ($7,185)
Purchase and installation of a fitness course which at the Hansen School which will promote learning and encourage
exercise in students.
Replace video workstations for Fine Arts ($31,272)
This request will be to replace the apple workstations and software for the TV Production program. The Apple
Video Editing workstations are eight (8) years of age. In the spring of 2012 they will have doubled their projected
lifespan.
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
Purchase (24) music stands – Galvin & High School ($2,000)
There are now 38 additional instrumental musicians (total of 185) at GMS due to the addition of the 8th Grade
Orchestra and increased enrollment in all 6th-8th grade Band and Orchestra groups. There are not enough music
stands for the band and orchestra to rehearse simultaneously. Additional stand racks are needed for GMS and CHS
so that the music rooms are usable for performing groups and elective classes with stands easily, neatly and safely
stored.
Audio system–hearing impaired – GMS ($5,565)
The request is for five (5) REDCAT Infrared Audio-Systems including additional pass around microphone for the
Galvin Middle School. REDCAT is wireless infrared technology designed to ensure that every student has access to
a clear signal and optimal listening opportunities in his/her learning environment.
Audio System–hearing impaired – High School ($9,300)
The request is for ten (10) REDCAT Infrared Audio Systems including one (1) microphone and one (1) speaker.
Furniture & Fixtures
Desks (24) – Luce ($3,671)
This funding will purchase 24 new desks at the Luce school for students currently using old furniture.
Various furniture & fixtures – Kennedy addition ($31,468)
This will provide new desks, tables, chairs and various classroom items for the new addition at the Kennedy School,
funded by ATM in 2010 and 2011.
Gymnasium wall pads – Galvin ($4,950)
This funding will replace the gym wall pads at the Galvin Middle School which are torn and in poor condition. CPC
has asked the School Department to monitor the rental of all town gyms to insure that all groups using the facilities
are aware of potential damage charges resulting from improper usage.
Stools (30) – Galvin ($1,650)
This request is to purchase 30 new stools for the GMS Fine Arts Department.
Extraordinary Maintenance
Painting Program – Galvin, Hansen & Luce ($8,000)
This request will fund the annual painting at GMS, Hansen, JFK and Luce Schools.
Replace (25) classroom doors – Luce ($12,224)
This request is to replace twenty five (25) classroom doors at the Luce School. These doors were not part of the
Luce Renovation Project in 1997 and are original classroom doors when the Luce School was built.
Vehicle Replacement
1991 Ford F350 ($38,249)
Funding will replace the current School Department 1991 vehicle with a Ford F-350 for use by the School
Maintenance Department.
APPROVED__________ DISAPPROVED__________
MOTION 4
MOVED: That Two Hundred Forty Three Thousand Dollars ($243,000) be appropriated to be spent by
the Department of Public Works Superintendent with the approval of the Board of Selectmen to pay
costs of various capital projects and equipment as set forth below and to meet said appropriation the
Town Treasurer, with the approval of the Board of Selectmen, be authorized to borrow, pursuant to any
applicable statute or any other enabling authority as may be, the sum of Two Hundred Forty Three
Thousand Dollars ($243,000).
FINCOM FINCOM
RECOMMENDATIONS AMOUNT VOTE
Replace 1994 Ford Dump Truck #22 $175,000 8-0-0
Replace 2001 Ford F350 Truck #26 68,000 8-0-0
________
TOTAL $243,000
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
The sums shown are intended to be estimates of individual items but the amount to be appropriated is
one line item in the total amount of Two Hundred Forty Three Thousand Dollars ($243,000). The
Finance Director and the Town Administrator, acting jointly, are hereby authorized to distribute such
funds in such manner as may be needed to accomplish the foregoing list of projects; provided,
however, that each project contained in the list set forth above is undertaken and that any excess
funds are available because one or more of the listed projects cost less than was estimated and not
because a project intended to be undertaken is not so undertaken.
DISCUSSION:
Replace Dump Truck/Plow Unit #22 ($175,000)
Current truck is over 16 years exceeding its recommended replacement cycle. This unit has currently $30,600 of
repairs performed on the truck. This truck is also responsible for covering a primary snow plow and sanding route
in the Town, along with its routine hauling work.
The new purchase will be a 7000 Series Dump Truck with a snow plow and sander unit. The dump body / sander
unit will be built of stainless steel to stand up to the corrosion of road salt used during winter operations. The truck
and body model selected is also intended to help standardize the DPW fleet for a more efficient fleet maintenance
operation.
Replace Truck Plow Unit #26 ($68,000)
The current truck is over 10 years exceeding its recommended replacement cycle. This unit has currently $21,320
of repairs performed on the truck. This truck is also responsible for covering a snow plow route in the town, along
with its routine asphalt patching and repair work.
The new purchase will be a F550 Series Dump Truck with a snow plow and an asphalt hot patch heater for the
dump body that will help improve the quality of asphalt repairs and reduce the waste of asphalt repair material.
The truck and body model selected is also intended to help standardize the DPW fleet for a more efficient fleet
maintenance operation.
APPROVED__________ DISAPPROVED__________
MOTION 5
MOVED: That One Hundred Four Thousand Dollars ($104,000) be appropriated to be spent by
the Department of Public Works Superintendent with the approval of the Board of Selectmen for the
purpose of purchasing two (2) utility trucks and to meet said appropriation One Hundred Four
Thousand Dollars ($104,000) be transferred from the water enterprise surplus (retained earnings).
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 8-0-0
DISCUSSION: The Finance Committee supports the recommendations of the CPC. The two current trucks have
142,200 and 168,920 miles of use. The recommended replacement cycle for both of these vehicles is eight years
or 72,000 miles. The one truck will be upgraded to a small dump truck that will be used daily for both cold and hot
mix patch work, material hauling and snow plowing. The other truck will be upgraded to a truck with a plow and
will be used daily for reading water meters.
APPROVED__________ DISAPPROVED__________
MOTION 6
MOVED: That One Million Four Hundred Thousand Dollars ($1,400,000) be appropriated to be
spent by the Department of Public Works Superintendent with the approval of the Board of Selectmen
to pay costs of water system master plan improvements and to meet said appropriation the Town
Treasurer with the approval of the Board of Selectmen be authorized to borrow pursuant to any
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
applicable statute or any other enabling authority as may be, the sum of One Million Four Hundred
Thousand Dollars ($1,400,000). It is the intent that the bonds and notes issued pursuant to this
authority be general obligations of the Town but are to be repaid in the first instance from water
revenues.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 8-0-0
DISCUSSION: This project is for the excavation and replacement of existing 6-inch water mains with new 8-inch
Ductile Iron Pipe mains on 8,400 feet of pipe on various streets in the Oakdale Road area as well as the installation
of new hydrants as needed and the renewal of house services from the main to the curb box. This project will help
to address fire flow and pipe size deficiencies. The engineering and design money has been allocated by a previous
ATM.
APPROVED__________ DISAPPROVED__________
MOTION 7
MOVED: That One Million Ninety Thousand Dollars ($1,090,000) be appropriated to be spent by
the Department of Public Works Superintendent with the approval of the Board of Selectmen to pay for
costs for the rehabilitation of the Tolman Tank and improving the water flow in the surrounding area
and to meet said appropriation the Town Treasurer with the approval of the Board of Selectmen be
authorized to borrow pursuant to any applicable statute or any other enabling authority as may be, the
sum of One Million Ninety Thousand Dollars ($1,090,000). It is the intent that the bonds and notes
issued pursuant to this authority be general obligations of the Town but are to be repaid in the first
instance from water revenues.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 8-0-0
DISCUSSION: The Tolman Street Water Tank is the oldest tank in service. This request is for the design and
construction of the rehabilitation of the Tolman Street Water Tank as well as interior and exterior paint, foundation
repair, a new roof and the addition of a water mixing system.
APPROVED__________ DISAPPROVED__________
MOTION 8
MOVED: That One Hundred Twelve Thousand Dollars ($112,000) be appropriated to be spent by
the School Committee to pay costs of systemwide HVAC improvements for the School Department and
to meet said appropriation the Town Treasurer, with the approval of the Board of Selectmen, be
authorized to borrow, pursuant to any applicable statute or any other enabling authority as may be, the
sum of One Hundred Twelve Thousand Dollars ($112,000).
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 8-0-0
DISCUSSION: Ongoing five year master plan for maintenance and limited replacement of HVAC equipment at
Luce, Hansen and Kennedy Elementary Schools, Galvin Middle School, Rodman Administration Building and Canton
High School.
APPROVED__________ DISAPPROVED__________
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
ARTICLE 14
AMENDMENT TO ZONING BY-LAWS BY ELIMINATING CCEOD RESIDENTIAL COMPONENT
Article 14 To see if the town will vote to amend the Zoning By-Laws by deleting Section 9.7 and replacing it with
the following:
9.7 CANTON CENTER ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY DISTRICT (CCEOD)
9.7.1 Subdistricts. The CCEOD is divided into two separate and distinct Subdistricts of Canton Center. The
Subdistrict Revitalization Areas are shown on a map entitled "Canton Center Economic Opportunity District (Priority
Revitalization Area "A" and Revitalization Area “B") prepared by the Canton Planning Department and dated
December 20, 2004, which map is hereby incorporated by reference in this Section
9.8. The Subdistricts are as follows:
1. Priority Revitalization Area "A": That area of Canton Center that runs (1) along Washington Street from
Neponset Street to Sherman Street, a distance of approximately 2000 linear feet and (2) that area zoned
"Industrial" that runs along Pequit Street in the vicinity of Washington Street, to the Northern border of the
District.
2. Priority Revitalization Area "B": That area of Canton Center that runs (1) along Washington Street from Sherman
Street to Lewis Street, a distance of approximately 1000 linear feet, but excluding (2) that area of land designated
as Industrial that runs along Pequit Street in the vicinity of Washington Street to the Northern border of the
District.
Certain activities in the Priority Revitalization Areas A and B are subject to Design Review as set forth in Section
10.6.
9.7.2 Priority Revitalization Area “A”; Purpose. Priority Revitalization Area "A" is established for the accomplishment
of the following purposes:
1. To promote the economic health and stability of the Town by encouraging development and economic
investment in the Canton Center that will generate employment and tax revenue.
2. To provide additional planning flexibility for projects located in Canton Center, including enhancing the
coordination of the project with the environmental and natural features of the development site.
3. To encourage development, including but not limited to, offices and retail shops.
4. To permit and encourage the development of parks and open spaces, which would be available for use by the
general public, as a condition for the grant of a special permit pursuant to this Section 9.7 authorizing an increase
in the otherwise permissible density of population or intensity of a particular use in a proposed development
pursuant to the requirements of this Section.
5. To permit the use of new development standards which will promote the desired changes in Canton Center.
6. To provide information on the potential impacts of a proposed development.
7. To enable the Special Permit Granting Authority (SPCA) to require adherence to "Site Development and Use
Plans" in the granting of a special permit.
9.7.3 Priority Revitalization Area “A”; Definitions. For the special purposes of Area “A”, the following words and
phrases shall have the meaning hereinafter indicated:
Building Height: Building height shall be limited as set forth in this Section and measured as set forth in the State
Building Code 780 CMR 101.0 et seq.
Buildable Lot Area: A buildable lot area shall be a single continuous tract of land located entirely within Priority
Revitalization Area "A" which is contiguous with the frontage, and which excludes any land defined as a "Resource
Area" under the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act (M.G.L. c. 131, s. 40) and any required yard area.
Gross square feet of nonresidential floor area: The total nonresidential floor area contained within exterior walls but
does not include basement space used for heating and utilities, storage or for automobile parking.
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
Open Space: Open Space is defined as an area of land containing no building or structure, or impervious material.
In the event that natural materials (i.e. brick, pavers, etc.) are used in the construction of walkways, courtyards,
patios, etc., allowing such surfaces to be pervious, the area of these surfaces can be credited toward the open
space requirement. However, surfaces using such pervious materials for vehicular movement or parking may not
be used when calculating the open space requirement.
9.7.4 Priority Revitalization Area “A”; Scope of Authority. Priority Revitalization Area "A" shall be an overlay district
and shall not restrict the owner's rights relative to the underlying zoning districts. However, if the owner selects to
use Priority Revitalization Area "A" for development purposes, the development shall conform to the requirements
of this Section for Priority Revitalization Area "A".
9.7.5 Priority Revitalization Area “A”; Special Permit Granting Authority. The Board of Appeals is hereby designated
as the Special Permit Granting Authority (SPGA) for all purposes in Priority Revitalization Area "A". All special
permit applications shall conform to the standards and criteria of this Section and the Board of Appeals Rules and
Regulations governing the administration of applications for special permits.
9.7.6 Priority Revitalization Area “A”; Applicability. In Priority Revitalization Area "A", no building shall be
constructed or externally enlarged, and no use shall be expanded in ground area, or established in an existing
building except in conformity with a special permit issued by the Board of Appeals and a Site Development and Use
Plan that bears the endorsement of approval by the Board of Appeals. Requirements and Procedures for approval of
such Site Development and Use Plan shall be in accordance with Section 10.5 and this Section.
9.7.7 Priority Revitalization Area “A”; Special Permit Criteria. In addition to the specific criteria contained within
Section 10.4, the SPGA shall issue a special permit for development within Priority Revitalization Area "A" only after
consideration of the project's compliance with the following additional criteria:
1. Adequacy of the site in terms of the size of the proposed use(s);
2. Adequacy of the provision of open space, its accessibility to the general public, and/or its association with
adjacent or proximate open space areas;
3. Suitability of the site for the proposed use(s);
4. Impact on traffic and pedestrian flow and safety;
5. Impact on the visual character of the neighborhood;
6. Adequacy of utilities, including sewage disposal, water supply and storm water drainage; and
7. Degree to which the proposed project complies with the goals of the Canton Center Revitalization Plan and the
provisions of this Section.
9.7.8 Priority Revitalization Area “A”; Special Permit Uses. Within Priority Revitalization Area "A", the Board of
Appeals may issue a special permit authorizing the following uses. No building or structure shall be designed,
arranged or constructed and no building, structure or land shall be used, in whole or in part, for any purpose other
than for one or more of the uses herein set forth as permissible by special permit.
1. Retail stores and offices including salesrooms and showrooms, consumer service establishments, business and
professional offices, executive and administrative offices, banks and other institutions.
2. All uses allowed by right or by special permit in the underlying zoning district.
3. Restaurant and other on-premises eating and drinking establishments.
9.7.9 Priority Revitalization Area “A”; Standards.
1. Minimum Lot Size. The minimum lot size is 10,000 square feet of "buildable lot area." The lot must contain the
"buildable lot area" in a single, contiguous site within the boundaries of Priority Revitalization Area "A". No portion
of a way or street, as defined by the by-law may be included in computing the minimum required "buildable lot
area".
2. Lot Coverage. No building shall be constructed so as to cover, together with any other building on the lot, more
than fifty (50) percent of the "buildable lot area".
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
3. Minimum Lot Frontage and Access. Lots with over 60,000 sq. ft. of "buildable lot area" shall have a minimum
frontage of one hundred twenty (120) feet and at least one means of ingress/egress. Each means of ingress/egress
shall have a continuous frontage of not less than sixty feet.
4. Density. No building or structure shall be designed, arranged or constructed and no building, structure or land
shall be used, in whole or in part, which exceeds the densities specified below for and nonresidential uses.
a. Three thousand (3,000) gross square feet of nonresidential floor area per 10,000 sq. ft. of "buildable lot area" or
portion thereof.
5. Setbacks and Yard Regulations for Buildings. No building shall be constructed so as to be nearer to the line of
any street than the "required setback distance" or nearer to the sidelines of its lot than the "required side yard
width" or nearer to the rear line of its lot than the "required rear yard depth" specified below. The required setback
distance shall be measured from the nearest exterior line of the street in question.
a. Required Setback Distance — 15 feet
b. Required Side Yard Width — N/A
c. Required Rear Yard Depth — 25 feet
6. Storage or Display. No storage or display of goods, products, materials or equipment, vending machines or
similar commercial devices shall be located nearer to the line of any street than the permitted setback distance for
a building on the lot.
7. Change of Lot. No lot on which a building is located shall be reduced or changed in size or shape so that the
building or lot fails to comply with the "buildable lot area", frontage, building coverage, yard setback, or other
dimensional provisions of this Section.
8. Height Regulations. No building shall be constructed to exceed forty (40) feet in height or a total of three (3)
stories whichever is lower.
9. Buildings within the central business area that are permitted to have zero setback from the line of Washington
Street are limited to two (2) stories and twenty-seven (27) feet in height, for a horizontal distance of 30’
perpendicular to the line of Washington Street. Beyond 30’ the provisions of section 9.7.9.8 Height Regulations
shall apply.
9.7.10 Priority Revitalization Area “A”; Common Open Land. At a minimum, each site shall have thirty percent
(30%) of its lot area designated as Open Space or Common Open Land for use by the general public. The
contiguous open space shall be located between the side line of the frontage street and the front face of the
proposed structure nearest to Washington Street. The open space shall have a shape, dimension, character and
suitable to assure its use for park or open space purposes by the general public, and seventy-five percent (75%) of
the land to be considered as Common Open Land shall be contiguous and no piece of land to be included as part of
the calculation of Common Open Land shall consist of a piece less than 200 square feet in size.
9.7.11 Priority Revitalization Area “A”; Parking Requirements. In Priority Revitalization Area "A", there shall be
provided and maintained improved off-street automobile parking in connection with the erection, establishment or
increase in units or dimensions of buildings, structures and uses, in the following amounts:
1. For restaurants and other on premises eating and drinking establishments, not less than one (1) parking space
for each six (6) seats, subject to the discretion of the Board of Appeals to require additional parking space. Where
benches are used, not less than one (1) parking space for each six (6) feet of bench, subject to the discretion of
the Board of Appeals to require additional parking space.
3. For retail stores and offices including salesrooms and showrooms, consumer service establishments, public
administration buildings, business and professional offices, executive and administrative offices, banks and other
financial institutions one parking space for each two hundred fifty (250) square feet of gross floor area. For the
purpose of this section, "gross floor area" means the total floor area contained within exterior walls, but does not
include basement space used for hearing and utilities, storage or for automobile parking.
4. Uses not listed herein shall comply with the parking space requirements of the By-Law Section 5.1 Off-Street
Parking.
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
9.7.12. Priority Revitalization Area “A”; Below Grade Structured Parking. Below grade automobile parking shall be
permitted within the basements of buildings provided that such "structured basement" automobile parking is
exclusively reserved for motor vehicles of employees of the development.
1. Below grade structured parking may be designed to allow two cars to park in "tandem". In such cases, each of
the two "tandem" parking spaces shall be counted as providing a parking space for the purpose of meeting the off
street parking requirement of this by-law. "Tandem" parking is defined as two parking spaces placed one behind
another in single file.
9.7.13 Priority Revitalization Area “A”; Miscellaneous Parking Requirements.
1. In the case of mixed uses, the parking spaces required shall be the sum of the requirement for the various
individual uses, computed separately in accordance with this section. Parking spaces for one use shall not be
considered as providing the required parking spaces for any other use unless it can be clearly demonstrated to the
Board of Appeals that the need for parking occurs at different times.
2. A change in the use of the premises or in the configuration of the building or lot subject to a special permit and
site development and use plan issued pursuant to this Section shall require the special permit holder to apply to
the Board of Appeals for a modification of the number of off street parking spaces required pursuant to such special
permit and plan if such change, alone or in combination with previous changes, would require an increase or
decrease of more than 10% in the number of off street parking spaces required pursuant to this Section.
3. Off-street automobile parking spaces, to the extent required in this section, may be provided either on the same
lot or premises with the parking generator or on any lot or premises associated therewith a substantial portion of
which at least is within three hundred (300) feet of the generator.
4. Off-street parking facilities and connecting drives between such facilities and the street shall be designed to
insure the safety and convenience of persons traveling within or through the parking area, and between the
parking facility and the street. The provisions of Section 6.1 Design Standards shall be considered the minimum
criteria for evaluating such design.
5. In addition to the requirement for automobile parking spaces there shall also be provided for each building or
group of buildings sufficient off-street loading space to insure that all loading operations take place off the public
way. Loading spaces and access drives leading to loading spaces shall be so designed that vehicles to be loaded or
unloaded are not required to maneuver in the public way to enter or leave the designed loading area. The
provisions of Section 6.2 Loading Areas shall be considered the minimum criteria for evaluating such design.
9.7.14 Priority Revitalization Area “A”; Signs and Advertising Devices. The provisions of Section 6.3 Signs is
adopted for the regulation and restriction of billboards, signs and other advertising devices with the Canton Center
Economic Opportunity District.
9.7.15 Priority Revitalization Area “A”; Certified Acoustical Barriers. No activity or use shall be allowed which
causes exterior noise levels to exceed a day-night average sound level of 65 decibels (65 Ldn) at the lot line; no
dwelling unit shall be located where exterior noise levels exceed a day-night average sound level of 65 decibels (65
Ldn); and no dwelling unit shall be constructed which allows interior noise levels to exceed a day-night average
sound level of 45 decibels (45 Ldn). The day-night average sound level (Ldn) is the 24-hour average sound level, in
decibels; resulting from the accumulation of noise from all sources contributing to the external noise environment
of the site with 10 decibels added to sound levels occurring from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The day-night average
sound level (Ldn) shall be determined in accordance with The Code of Federal Regulations Title 24-Housing and
Urban Development, Part 51 Environmental Criteria and Standards (24 CFR 51).
9.7.16 Priority Revitalization Area “B”; Purpose. The Revitalization Area "B" is established for the accomplishment
of the following purposes:
1. To promote the economic health and stability of the Town by encouraging development and economic
investment in the Canton Center that will generate employment and tax revenue.
2. To provide additional planning flexibility for projects and to enhance the coordination of the project with the
environmental and natural features of the development site.
3. To encourage mixed-use development of business and professional offices.
4. To permit the use of new development standards which will retain the sites' present character.
5. To provide information on the potential impacts of a proposed development.
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
6. To enable the Special Permit Granting Authority (SPGA) to require adherence to "Site Development and Use
Plans" in the granting of a special permit.
9.7.17Priority Revitalization Area “B”; Definitions. For the special purposes of Revitalization Area "B", the following
words and phrases shall have the meaning hereinafter indicated:
Applicant: The person or persons, including a corporation or other legal entity, who applies for issuance of a special
permit for construction of a Revitalization Area "B" development, within Revitalization Area "B" hereunder. The
applicant must own, or be the beneficial owner of, all the land included in the proposed site, or have authority from
the owner(s) to act for him or hold option or contract duly executed by the owner(s) and the Applicant giving the
latter the right to acquire the land to be included in the site.
Buffer: An area within the Revitalization `B" Development adjacent to the boundaries, streams and ponds, which
may not be developed except as provided herein.
Business and Professional Office: The office of one skilled in an occupation that primarily services clients or patients
rather than retail customers including, but not limited to the office of a
doctor, lawyer, dentist, architect, engineer, landscape architect, real estate agent, insurance agent, or the studio of
an artist, musician or teacher, or the workroom of a dressmaker or milliner or photographer.
Development Schedule: A schedule showing the order and timing of construction and the sequence of the
improvements to be built or furnished in the Revitalization Area `B" site, separated into stages where applicable.
Height Regulations: Building height shall be limited as set forth in this Section and measured as set forth in the
State Building Code 780 CMR 101.0 et seq.
Open Space: Open Space is defined as an area of land containing no building or structure, or impervious material.
In the event that natural materials (i.e. brick, pavers, etc.) are used in the construction of walkways, courtyards,
patios, etc., allowing such surfaces to be pervious, the area of these surfaces can be credited toward the open
space requirement.
Regulations: The applicable rules and regulations of the Board of Appeals relative to special permits
and site plans. The Board of Appeals, as the Special Permit Granting- Authority, reserves
the right to modify and/or waive any and all requirements described in this Section.
Upland: Land without a wet area and not subject to flooding.
Wetlands: All land subject to the provisions of Massachusetts G.L. c. 131, ss. 40 and 40A and/or the Town's
Wetlands By-Law.
9.7.18 Priority Revitalization Area “B”; Scope of Authority. Revitalization Area "B" is an overlay zoning district. If
the landowner selects to file a development plan in conformance with the requirements of Revitalization Area "B",
the development shall conform to the objectives, standards and criteria specified by the Revitalization "B" overlay
zoning by-law. If the landowner selects to file a development plan in conformance with the requirements of
underlying zoning district, the development shall conform to the objectives, standards and criteria specified by the
underlying zoning district.
9.7.19 Priority Revitalization Area “B”; Special Permit Granting Authority. The Board of Appeals is hereby
designated as the Special Permit Granting Authority (SPGA) for all purposes in Revitalization Area "B". All special
permit applications shall conform to the standards and criteria of this Section and the Board of Appeals Rules and
Regulations ("Regulations") governing the administration of applications for special permits.
9.7.20 Priority Revitalization Area “B”; Applicability. In Revitalization Area "B", no building shall be constructed or
externally enlarged, and no use shall be expanded in ground area, or established in an existing building except in
conformity with a special permit issued by the Board of Appeals and a Site Development and Use Plan that bears
the endorsement of approval by the Board of Appeals. Requirements and Procedures for approval of such Site
Development and Use Plan shall be in accordance with Section 10.5 and this Section.
9.7.21 Priority Revitalization Area “B”; Special Permit Criteria. In addition to the specific criteria set forth in Section
10.4, the SPGA shall issue a special permit for development within the Revitalization Area "B" only after
consideration of the project's compliance with the following additional criteria:
1. Adequacy of the site in terms of the size of the proposed use(s);
2. Suitability of the site for the proposed use(s);
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
3. Impact on traffic and pedestrian flow and safety;
4. Impact on the visual character of the neighborhood:
5. Adequacy of utilities, including sewage disposal, water supply and storm water drainage; and
6. Degree to which the proposed project complies with the goals of the Canton Center Revitalization Plan and the
provisions of this Section.
9.7.22 Priority Revitalization Area “B”; Specially Permitted Uses. Within Revitalization Area "B", the Board of
Appeals may issue a special permit for the following uses. No building or structure shall be designed, arranged or
constructed and no building, structure or land shall be used, in whole or in part, for any purpose other than for one
or more of the uses herein set forth as permissible by special permit.
1. Business and Professional offices.
2. All uses allowed by right in the underlying zoning district.
9.7.23 Priority Revitalization Area “B”; Standards.
1. Minimum Lot Size. The minimum lot size is 10,000 square feet of lot area. The lot must be a single, contiguous
site within the boundaries of Revitalization Area "B." No portion of a way or street, as defined by the by-law may
be included in computing the minimum required lot area.
2. Lot Coverage. No building shall be constructed so as to cover, together with any other building on the lot, more
than thirty (30%) percent of the lot area.
3. Minimum Lot Frontage and Access. Lots shall have a minimum of seventy-five feet (75') of continuous frontage.
Each means of ingress/egress shall have a continuous frontage of not less than seventy-five feet (75').
4. Density, Mix of Uses and Infrastructure Standards. Within a Revitalization Area "B" Development, no building or
structure shall be designed, arranged or constructed and no building, structure or land shall be used, in whole or in
part, which exceeds the densities, either individually or in combination, specified below.
a. No building shall be constructed so as to cover, together with any other building on the lot, more than thirty
percent (30%) of the lot area.
b. Two thousand (2,000) gross square feet of non-residential floor area per 10,000 sq. ft. of lot area or portion
thereof.
5. Infrastructure Standards. All utilities and services shall be placed underground. Private driveways servicing the
site shall be sized to adequately serve the intended vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Private driveways shall strive
to conform to the Rules and Regulations of the Canton Planning Board governing the subdivision of Land, the
Canton Department of Pubic Works Regulations regarding water, sewer and storm drainage, and any other
applicable regulation and/or standards of the town.
6. Setbacks and Yard Regulations for Buildings. No building shall be constructed so as to be nearer to the line of
any street than the "front yard setback requirements" or nearer to the sidelines of its lot than the "side yard
setback requirements" or nearer to the rear line of its lot than the "rear yard setback requirements" or on a lot that
does not comply with the lot width requirements specified below.
7. Lot Width Requirements: Each lot shall have a lot width of not less than one hundred feet (100') at the front
yard setback line and the rear yard setback line.
8. Front Yard Setback. Each lot shall have a front yard setback requirement of not less than thirty feet (30') and a
side yard setback requirement of not less than ten feet (10') from the nearest point on any exterior wall of the
building.
9. Rear Yard Setback. Each lot shall have a rear yard setback requirement of not less than thirty-five feet (35').
10. Height Regulations. No building shall be constructed to exceed the height of the underlying zoning or thirty-six
feet (36'), whichever is lower. Maximum building height shall be measured as set forth in the State Building Code
780 CMR 101.0 et seq.
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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 30, 2012
9.7.24 Priority Revitalization Area “B”; Open Space, Common Open Land and Buffers. At a minimum, each site
shall have thirty percent (30%) of its lot area designated as Open Space. Open Space is defined as an area of land
containing no building or structure or impervious material.
1. The proposed development is encouraged to have Common Open Space for use by the general public. The
Common Open Space shall have a shape, dimension, character and location suitable to assure its use for park or
open space purposes by the general public. Such Common Open Space may be provided as a condition for the
grant of a special permit pursuant to this Section authorizing an increase in the otherwise permissible density of
population or intensity of a particular use in a proposed development pursuant to the requirements of this Section.
2. Areas which shall be credited toward the Open Space requirement include
a. Side, rear and front yard setbacks.
b. Buffer areas.
c. The area of surfaces that use natural materials (i.e. brick, bluestone, etc.) in the construction of walkways,
courtyards, patios, etc.
d. Common Open Space.
9.7.25 Priority Revitalization Area “B”; Parking Requirements. In Revitalization Area "B", there shall be provided
and maintained improved off-street automobile parking in connection with the erection, establishment or increase
in units or dimensions of buildings, structures and uses, in the following amounts:
1. Nonresidential uses shall comply with the parking space requirements of the Zoning By-Law Section 6.1 Off-
Street Parking.
2. Below grade structured automobile parking shall be permitted within the basements of buildings provided that
such "structured basement" automobile parking is exclusively reserved for motor vehicles of employees of the
development.
3. The parking spaces required shall be the sum of the requirement for the various individual uses, computed
separately in accordance with this Section. Parking spaces for one use shall not be considered as providing the
required parking spaces for any other use.
4. A change in the use of the premises or in the configuration of the building or lot subject to a special permit and
site development and use plan issued pursuant to this Section shall require the special permit holder to apply to
the Board of Appeals for a modification of the number of off street parking spaces required pursuant to such special
permit and plan if such change, alone or in combination with previous changes, would require an increase or
decrease of more than 10% in the number of off-street parking spaces required pursuant to this Section.
5. Off-street automobile parking spaces, to the extent required in this Section, shall be provided on the same lot or
premises with the parking generator.
6. Off-street parking facilities and connecting drives between such facilities and the street shall be designed to
insure the safety and convenience of persons traveling within or through the parking area, and between the
parking facility and the street. The provisions of Section 6.1 shall be considered the minimum criteria for evaluating
such design.
7. In addition to the requirement for automobile parking spaces there shall also be provided for each building or
group of buildings sufficient off-street loading space to insure that all loading operations take place off the public
way. Loading spaces and access drives leading to loading spaces shall be so designed that vehicles to be loaded or
unloaded are not required to maneuver in the public way to enter or leave the designated loading area. The
provisions of Section 6.2, Loading Areas, shall be considered the minimum criteria for evaluating such design.
9.7.26 Priority Revitalization Area “B”; Signs and Advertising Devices. The provisions of Section 6.3 are adopted for
the regulation and restriction of billboards, signs and other advertising devices within the Revitalization Area "B".
9.7.27Priority Revitalization Area “B”; Certified Acoustical Barriers. No activity or use shall be allowed which causes
exterior noise levels to exceed a day-night average sound level of 65 decibels at the lot line; no dwelling unit shall
be located where exterior noise levels exceed a day-night average sound level of 65 decibels; and no dwelling unit
shall be constructed which allows interior noise levels to exceed a day-night average sound level of 45 decibels.
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