Canton, Massachusetts · Saved source text
2014 Annual Report
Saved text from 227 source pages. Transcription and OCR may contain errors; verify figures and wording against the original. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
Source page 121
reviewing tonight, that‘s about twenty-four million dollars. We worked to increase
our partnership with the Mass Office of Business Development (MOBD) and
continue to work with them on a couple of new businesses, hopefully we‘ll be
talking about this year, next year at Town Meeting in 2015. We are continuing to
work with Mass Development on financing for our businesses here in the Town, 43D
Expedited Permitting, the alignments with the Canton Association of Business and
Industry to promote business and increase donations to the Town and CABI, in the
Town for over forty years, has donated through scholarships at Canton High, Mass
Hospital School, Police and Fire, about three hundred and fifty thousand dollars in
that time period, so really evident of the business, community partnership. Also, the
new hotel tax that Town Meeting and the Selectmen approved has generated about
three hundred and fifty thousand dollars, expected this year, with the new hotel tax
that Town Meeting approved. So that‘s been a great new addition for the Town and
that business is doing very, very well up on Royall Street. I just put an update on the
property taxes in the area, Canton‘s in third here. Dedham and Braintree, Dedham
with Legacy Place and Braintree with South Shore Plaza really have a commanding
lead in that but Canton is right on their heels, and you can really see our mix of
business taxes compared to the other towns is very strong and we‘re really proud of
that. Some of our top companies here in Canton I think Town Meeting‘s familiar
with. Obviously all these companies are continuing to grow and do well financially
which is good. Many of these companies employ upwards of ten to twenty percent
Canton residents and contribute through many different streams to the Towns
economy. And, the headlines, as we mentioned, Dunkin Brands we‘ll talk about a
bit later. I just wanted to talk about the 43D process which the Board of Selectmen
approved in Town Meeting in 2007. That‘s generated about eight hundred thousand
dollars in annual tax revenue. Again, this program was to try to get buildings that
were vacant back on the tax rolls and it‘s been really successful for us here and
across the state level. Canton Commerce Center, which is Dan Road, John Road and
New Boston Road has had a record eighty percent occupancy and we have 20 Dan
Road will be our 43D for next year. Hotel tax we talked about and that will be
revenue success for the Town. I‘d just like to thank the Board of Selectmen and
Town departments and Town boards for their support of our businesses at the various
hearings that they attend, and the Police and Fire Chief, DPW and the school
department really put a great position forward on behalf of the Town so thank you to
the Board of Selectmen and everyone for your ongoing support of the business
community. Thank you Mr. Moderator.‖
John Bonnanzio gave the following report for the School Building Study
Committee:
―Thank you very much. If you don‘t mind, everyone indulging me for just a
moment, I‘d like to begin by thanking the members of the School Building Study
Committee for their hard work this past year and it‘s important that we thank them
because I‘m going to ask them to step up to the plate and serve one more year, at
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least, on this committee as it continues its work. I would say, let me begin by
mentioning first that as the Chair of this committee I‘m representing the schools but
I would like to thank, more importantly, Stacey Chambers, who is a citizen and
parent representative to the committee, Jan Chamberlain is a teacher representative, a
town resident, a J.F.K. Elementary School teacher, Mr. John Connolly, no more
needs to be mentioned, Mr. Lou Grady, a parent representative, he is an engineer by
the way and has been an enormous help to this committee, Dr. Jon Arata, who we all
know is our former Town Moderator and Finance Committee Chair, who is a parent
representative and then there is Ken Leon who is our school business manager, who
is on the committee as the Superintendents designee. Just quickly, to remind
everyone, that the School Building Study Committee‘s charter goes back to last year
at the 2013 Annual Town Meeting. Our charter, obviously, was to look into the
amount of capacity that the school system has for future growth and we have begun
that work, and it‘s actually quite a herculean task, particularly as the enrollment
situation is a moving target, in part, but not entirely, because of that fact that we have
40B projects or at least one right now, that is a bit of a wild card. The School
Building Study Committee has been going from school to school to school, speaking
with all the interested parties, we‘ve not gotten to all of them as of yet. One of the
things we did complete just recently was an online survey of the teachers in the
school system. There were closed end questions but there were also open ended
questions and we‘ve gotten hundreds of responses from our teachers. So I
mentioned that because we‘re really pulling out all of the stops to make sure that we
understand over the short, intermediate and long term precisely what our space
needs are going to be within the school system. Just a couple of system-wide
observations that I‘d like to share, and I‘ll keep this as short as I possibly can.
Despite recent expansions and upgrades within the system the typical core school
building, if you will, is approximately fifty years old. Internal infrastructure such as
HVAC is largely in excellent shape, that‘s the good news, with some notable
exceptions, but largely in very good shape. Daily school maintenance keeps all of
the buildings exceptionally clean. I can‘t say enough about how good these
buildings really are repair-wise for our kids and our faculty. Ongoing repairs and
upgrades of HVAC has been driven by a strong commitment to the school‘s capital
budget and has extended the utility and the safety of the buildings. Schools are green
with respect to HVAC but are otherwise insufficient in absolute terms, something to
keep in mind going forward. Upcoming window and door replacement projects at
the Hansen and Galvin Middle School should greatly improve energy efficiency,
obviously, in those two buildings. All buildings were initially designed for space
efficiency but are no longer operable. For example, many interior classrooms lack
natural light, buildings often lack appropriate space for special education students
and the Massachusetts School Building Authority space requirements are out of
touch with respect to space needs, so, for example they don‘t reflect todays pull out
requirements whereby we often have a special education student who needs to be
pulled out of the classroom or otherwise there may be a larger amount of space that‘s
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needed for just a few of these students. System wide enrollment growth which I
know everyone is interested in, is relatively static at approximately one to one and a
half percent organic growth each year. That translates into approximately thirty to
forty-five additional students annually. Economic downturns we‘ve observed
typically translate into enrollment tops. 40B development, as I‘ve already mentioned,
produce higher but varied enrollment growth but without corresponding revenue
growth to fund the capital and operating budgets of the school and I‘m sure we‘ll be
hearing more about that in the next few hours. The most immediate task at hand for
the School Building Study Committee, otherwise the SBSC, was to confirm that the
School Committee‘s immediate need is to replace the four Hansen modular units.
We‘ve spent a considerable amount of time looking at that, and, in fact, we made a
recommendation to the School Committee which, of course, has been accepted by
them and they are moving forward with a request to begin that project. What we
made a recommendation to do was to replace the four modular units and, in addition
to that, add four additional classrooms so that increases, basically four, the hope is
that we‘ll have eight new classrooms. I would like to be able to tell this group that
these eight classrooms will be all that we need going forward. I‘m not prepared to
say that‘s the case at this point but one of the things that this committee certainly
needs to do is to continue to study the needs of the enrollment growth and I think
we‘ll have a better idea this time next year as to what those needs will look like once
the project on Randolph Street is complete, which I believe it will be by next year.
Thank you very much.‖
Lisa Lopez, Chairperson of the Canton Community Preservation Committee gave the
following report for the Canton Community Preservation Committee:
―I am delighted to provide our first annual report. First, let me tell you who is on the
committee, and this is a committee appointed by the Board of Selectmen according
to the town by-law that was passed a number of years ago, it includes Kathy Fox
Alfano representing the Board of Selectmen, Bob Golledge representing the School
Committee, George Comeau representing the Historical Commission, Deb Sundin
representing the Conservation Commission, Larry Bogue representing the Recreation
Department, John McSweeney representing the Housing Commission, Bob Panico
representing the Capital Planning Committee, Jeremy Comeau representing the
Planning Board and I represent the public at large. Now, you may think that a
committee of nine would make it virtually impossible to get anything done but
nothing could, frankly, be further from the truth. As a reminder, we‘re the
committee that‘s charged with implementing the Community Preservation Act which
Canton voters voted overwhelming to adopt in Canton about a year ago. And, our
committee acts by making recommendations to Town Meeting to fund specific
projects relating to outdoor recreation, historical preservation, community housing
and open space acquisition. I want to make it clear that the CPA projects that come
to us for review, they are not funded by this municipal budget. Let me state that
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again, they are not funded by this municipal budget that we‘re going to be voting,
largely, tonight. Instead, they‘re funded by a special CPA dedicated fund made up of
a local surcharge on commercial and residential real estate taxes and state matching
dollars, and these can only be spent on CPA permitted projects. Now, between what
we budgeted last year at Town Meeting and what we plan to budget at this year‘s
Town Meeting we will have a CPA fund of over one million dollars. Now, if, and
only if, all of the projects that our committee recommends are voted tonight and
approved by this Town Meeting we will still have a CPA fund of almost seven
hundred thousand dollars. Again, these monies cannot be spent on anything other
than legally permissible CPA projects that are first recommended by our committee
and then we need to come before you, Town Meeting, to get approval. And later this
evening when the number is called, Article 21 by the lotter, I‘ll explain each of the
six specific projects that our committee is going to recommend for you. I want to
make clear that our committee has not initiated any projects. We behave more like a
self-funded foundation that awards money to worthy grant applicants. Neither do we
act as project manager. To win our committees recommendation for approval a grant
proposal needs to be made and we need to be persuaded that in addition to falling
within the four categories of permitted spending the project is ready, it‘s going to be
competently managed and more over it‘s in the best interest of all of the Town of
Canton. Over the past year our committee has met twelve times and our sub-
committees have met multiple times, we have finalized our governing structure, our
rules of operation, the application process for project sponsors and we‘ve conducted
extensive interviews among the Town, Town boards, committees, the public at large,
to get a good idea of exactly what our residents want to see this money be spent for.
We‘ve just issued our first annual Community Preservation Committee plan. It‘s on
the Town‘s website for anyone who‘s interested in reviewing it. During the year we
received fourteen pre-applications for funding and based on our committees
feedback we received seven full applications for project funding. These applications
were then supplemented by very full and detailed information on budgets, timelines,
professional competencies and we held open meetings to discuss all of the projects
and then subsequently another open meeting for our committee to deliberate on the
projects. As I said, when Article 21 is called by the lottery I‘ll explain each of the
six projects that we‘re going to recommend for funding this evening. Let me just
finish up by thanking the community for its patience and support because, although
we are new to this law, we are getting used to our obligations to steward these funds.
We are fortunate that the law is already fourteen years old and one hundred and fifty
other communities are CPA communities, so we have lots of great best practices to
draw on. Thank you.‖
REPORTS ACCEPTED UNANIMOUS VOICE VOTE
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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 following articles be disposed of by a single vote, in
accordance with the Finance Committee motions or Planning Board motions as
printed in the report of the Finance Committee: Articles 6, 10, 12, 22, 28 and
30.
FINCOM
Article Description Motion VOTE Reason
Unpaid Bills of Prior Postpone
6 8-0-0 There are none.
Years Indefinitely
Authorize Certain
10 Adopt this article 7-0-0 Non-controversial.
Revolving Funds
Withdrawn
without
Inclusionary Zoning consideration, Article withdrawn
12 7-0-0
Article without prejudice by Planning Board.
& without
unfavorable action
Withdrawn
without
Establish a Canton consideration, Article withdrawn
22 7-0-0
Housing Trust Fund without prejudice by Planning Board.
& without
unfavorable action
Accept General or
Postpone
28 Session Laws enacted by 6-0-0 There are none.
Indefinitely
General Court
Postpone
30 Insurance Proceeds 7-0-0 There are none.
Indefinitely
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 8-0-0
Mark Porter, Chairperson of the Finance Committee, moved a substitute motion that
the following articles be disposed of by a single vote, in accordance with the Finance
Committee motions or Planning Board motions as printed in the report of the
Finance Committee: Articles 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 19, 20, 22, 27 and 30.
Allan Keith requested that Article 8 be removed from the consent agenda.
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VOTED: That the following articles be disposed of by a single vote, in accordance
with the Finance Committee motions or Planning Board motions as printed in the
report of the Finance Committee: Articles 6, 10, 12, 16, 19, 20, 22, 27, and 30.
FINCOM
Article Description Motion VOTE Reason
Unpaid Bills of Prior
6 Postpone Indefinitely 8-0-0 There are none.
Years
Authorize Certain Non-
10 Adopt this article 7-0-0
Revolving Funds controversial.
Withdrawn without
Article
Inclusionary Zoning consideration, without
12 8-0-0 withdrawn by
Article prejudice & without
Planning Board.
unfavorable action
Withdrawn without
Article
Amend Zoning Map consideration, without
16 8-0-0 withdrawn by
(CCEOD) prejudice & without
Planning Board.
unfavorable action
Non-
19 Street Opening By-Law Adopt this article 6-0-0
controversial.
Chapman Street Curb No objection
20 Postpone Indefinitely 6-0-0
Improvements from proponent.
Withdrawn without
Article
Establish a Canton consideration, without
22 8-0-0 withdrawn by
Housing Trust Fund prejudice & without
Planning Board.
unfavorable action
Non-
27 Amend 43D Priority Sites Adopt this article 7-0-0
controversial.
30 Insurance Proceeds Postpone Indefinitely 7-0-0 There are none.
ADOPTED UNANIMOUS VOICE VOTE
ARTICLE 6
PAY BILLS OF PRIOR FISCAL YEAR
Article 6 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
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MOVED: That the subject matter of Article 6 be indefinitely
postponed.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 8-0-0
ARTICLE 10
AUTHORIZE CERTAIN REVOLVING FUNDS
Article 10 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, 2014 and ending June 30, 2015, 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 2015
Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015.
Name of FY 15
Revolving Revolving Spending Spending
Fund # Fund Authority Revenue Sources Use of Funds Limit
Pequitside Conservation Rental of Pequitside Farm, Maintaining, improving & $40,000
Farm Rentals Commission Rental of Little Red House, renovation of property, payment annually
Rental of Rooms in Main of salaries for time spent
1
Building, Rental of Rooms in arranging rentals.
Tavern or any other portion of
building or grounds.
Veteran's Veterans' Contributions, Donations, Gifts, Providing services to veterans $60,000
Services Services Grants. not funded under established annually
Special Director program, including but not
Revenues limited to newsletter
publication, monthly breakfasts,
2 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 Payment of bills and charges $20,000
Relocation behalf of Commonwealth, any incurred in connection with annually
3 public utility, any other business relocation of fire alarm signal
entity, or any individual person. wires, 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 annually
Fund of elderly.
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Name of FY 15
Revolving Revolving Spending Spending
Fund # Fund Authority Revenue Sources Use of Funds Limit
Board of Health Board of Contributions, donations, gifts, Providing services to Canton $15,000
Special Health grants, reimbursements. citizens not otherwise funded annually
Revenues under established program,
including but not limited to flu
5
vaccinations, child and teenage
health education & development
programs and elderly health
programs.
Animal Control Animal Adoption and boarding fees. Payment for veterinary services $40,000
6 Special Control and payments to Animal annually
Revenues Officer Control Officer.
Library Board of Fees for rental and use of Paying bills, connected with the $30,000
Building Library Community or other assembly providing of maintenance and annually
Rentals Trustees rooms used for meetings, supply of facilities and for the
programs or other events, support and safe conduct of said
7 including payments for use of programs and events.
facilities and conveniences in
conjunction with use of spaces,
as may be established by the
Board of Library Trustees.
Student Parking School Fees paid by students to park Payment of bills and charges to $75,000
8 Fees Committee their vehicles at Canton High maintain the high school annually
School. parking lots 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 maintain the program, provided annually
9 Fees along Greenlodge Street. however the first $35,000 of
receipts is to be transferred to
the General Fund.
Beautification Beautification Fees received from the sale of Payment of services required to $10,000
10 Fund Committee bricks. install bricks and for other annually
beautification projects.
Library Board of Fees received for processing Payment of bills and charges for $40,000
Revolving Fund Library passport applications, loss, processing passport annually
Trustees damage or late return of applications, purchasing books
borrowed materials, replacement and other library materials for
of borrower cards, or any other public loan.
11
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 Conservation Fees received for permits and Payment of bills and charges to $30,000
and Sediment Commission certificates of compliance under process permits and certificates annually
12 Control Fund Article XX (20) of the Town of compliance under Article XX
General By-Laws. (20) of the Town General By-
Laws.
Youth Youth Donations. Payment of scholarships and $10,000
13 Commission Commission other expenses related to youth annually
Fund activities.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 7-0-0
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ARTICLE 12
INCLUSIONARY ZONING ARTICLE
Article 12 To see if the town will vote to amend the Town‘s Zoning By-Law as most
recently amended by inserting a new Section 7.7 as follows, or to take any other
action related thereto.
7.7 Inclusionary Zoning:
7.7.1 Purpose and Intent:
The purpose of this Section 7.7 is to encourage development of new housing that is
affordable to low and moderate-income households. At minimum, affordable
housing produced through this Section 7.7. should be in compliance with the
applicable requirements set forth in G.L. c. 40B sect. 20-24 and other affordable
housing programs developed by state, county and local governments. It is intended
that the affordable housing units that result from this Section 7.7 be considered as
Local Initiative Units, in compliance with the requirements for the same as specified
by the Department of Housing and Community Development.
7.7.2 Applicability
1. In all zoning districts, the inclusionary zoning provisions of this Section 7.7 shall
apply to the following uses:
(a) Any project that results in a net increase of four (4) or more residential dwelling
units, whether by new construction or by the alteration, expansion, reconstruction, or
change of existing residential or non-residential space; and
(c) Any life care facility development that includes ten (10) or more assisted living
units and accompanying services. The term ―life care development‖ shall be defined
as a residential development designed to provide varying levels of community or
private dining, housekeeping support and medical and nursing care for senior
citizens.
7.7.3 Special Permit:
The development of any project set forth in Section 7.7.2 above shall require the
grant of a Special Permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals (or in the case of a
subdivision the Planning Board) as designated Special Permit Granting Authority
(SPGA). A Special Permit shall be granted if the proposal meets the applicable
requirements of this Zoning By-law, including without limitation the requirements of
this Section 7.7 and of Section 10.4.2. The application procedure for the Special
permit shall be as defined in Section 10.4 of the Town‘s Zoning By-law.
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7.7.4 Mandatory Provision of Affordable Units:
1. As a condition of approval for a Special Permit, the applicant shall provide
affordable housing units in accordance with the following requirements:
(a) At least ten (10) percent of the units in a division of land or multiple unit
development subject to this bylaw shall be established as affordable housing units in
any one or combination of methods provided for below:
(1) constructed or rehabilitated on the locus subject to the Special Permit (see
Section 7.7.5); or
(2) constructed or rehabilitated on a locus different than the one subject to the
Special Permit (see Section 7.7.6); or
(3) an equivalent fees-in-lieu of payment may be made (see Section 7.7.7); or
(4) An applicant may provide a donation of land in fee simple, on or off-site, that the
SPGA in its sole discretion determines is suitable for the construction of affordable
housing units. The value of donated land shall be equal to or greater than the value of
the construction or set-aside of the affordable units. The SPGA may require that the
applicant submit appraisals of the land in question, as well as other data relevant to
the determination of equivalent value.
(b) The applicant may provide any combination of the Section 7.7.4.1(a)(1)-(4)
requirements provided that in no event shall the total number of units or land area
provided be less than the equivalent number or value of affordable units required by
this Section 7.7.
(c) As a condition for the granting of a Special Permit, all affordable housing units
shall be subject to an affordable housing restriction and a regulatory agreement in a
form acceptable to the SPGA. The regulatory agreement shall be consistent with any
applicable guidelines issued by the Department of Housing and Community
Development and shall ensure that affordable units are counted toward the Town‘s
Subsidized Housing Inventory. The regulatory agreement shall also address all
applicable restrictions listed in Section 7.7.9 of this By-law. The Special Permit shall
not take effect until the restriction, the regulatory agreement and the special permit
are recorded at the Registry of Deeds and copies of these documents as recorded are
provided to the SPGA and the Inspector of Buildings.
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2. To facilitate the objectives of this Section 7.7, the SPGA may modify the
dimensional requirements in any zoning district for any project granted a special
permit under this Section 7.7, subject to the conditions below:
(a) Density Bonus. The SPGA may allow the addition of two market rate units for
each affordable unit provided pursuant to the Special Permit. The minimum lot area
per dwelling unit normally required in the applicable zoning district may be reduced
by that amount necessary to permit up to two (2) additional market rate units on the
lot for each one affordable unit required in Section 7.7.4.1 (above).
(b) Voluntary Inclusionary Housing Bonus.
New housing development that is not subject to Section 7.7.2 and exceeds the
requirements specified in Section 7.7.4.1(a) may receive as a waiver of dimensional
requirements through issuance of a Special Permit by the SPGA. The net increase in
housing units shall not exceed [20%] of the original property yield before any
density bonuses were applied.
7.7.5 Provisions Applicable to Affordable Housing Units On- and Off-Site:
1. Siting of affordable housing units.
All affordable housing units constructed or rehabilitated under this Section 7.7 shall
be situated within the development so as not to be in less desirable locations than
market-rate units in the development and shall, on average, be no less accessible to
public amenities, such as open space, as the market-rate units.
2. Minimum design and construction standards for affordable housing units.
Affordable housing units shall be integrated with the rest of the development and
shall be compatible in design, appearance, construction, and quality of materials with
other units. Interior features and mechanical systems of affordable units shall
conform to the same specifications as apply to market-rate units.
3. Timing of construction or provision of affordable units or lots.
Where feasible, affordable housing units shall be provided coincident to the
development of market-rate units, but in no event shall the development of
affordable units be delayed beyond the schedule noted below.
Market Rate Unit Affordable Housing Unit
(% Complete (% Required
<30% -
30% plus 1 unit 10%
Up to 50% 30%
Up to 75% 50%
75% plus 1 unit 70%
Up to 90% 100%
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Fractions of units shall not be counted.
4. Marketing Plan for Affordable Units.
Applicants under this Section 7.7 shall submit a marketing plan or other method to
the SPGA for its approval, which describes how the affordable units will be
marketed to potential home buyers or tenants. This plan shall include a description of
the lottery or other process to be used for selecting buyers or tenants
7.7.6 Provision of Affordable Housing Units Off-Site:
1. As an alternative to the requirements of Section 7.7.5, an applicant may develop,
construct or otherwise provide affordable units equivalent to those required by
Section 7.7.4 off-site. All requirements of this Section 7.7 that apply to on-site
provision of affordable units, shall apply to provision of off-site affordable units. In
addition, the location of the off-site units to be provided must be approved by the
SPGA as an integral element of the Special Permit review and approval process.
7.7.7 Fees-in-Lieu-of Affordable Housing Unit Provision:
1. As an alternative to the requirements of Section 7.7.5 or Section 7.7.6, an
applicant may contribute to a local housing trust fund approved by the SPGA to be
used for the development of affordable housing in lieu of providing affordable units
within the locus of the proposed development or at an off-site locus.
(a) Calculation of fee-in-lieu-of units. The applicant may pay fees-in-lieu of the
construction of affordable units. For the purposes of this Section 7.7 the fee-in-lieu
of the construction or provision of affordable units will be determined as a per-unit
cost as calculated from regional construction and sales reports. The SPGA will make
the final determination of acceptable value.
(b) Schedule of fees-in-lieu-of-units payments. Fees-in-lieu-of-units payments shall
be made according to the schedule set forth in Section 7.7.5.3, above.
(c) Creation of Affordable Units. Cash contributions and donations of land and/or
buildings made to a local housing trust fund in accordance with Section 7.7.7.1 shall
be used only for purposes of providing affordable housing for low or moderate
income households. Using these contributions and donations, affordable housing
may be provided through a variety of means, including but not limited to the
provision of favorable financing terms, subsidized prices for purchase of sites, or
affordable units within larger developments
7.7.8 Maximum Incomes and Selling Prices: Initial Sale:
1. To ensure that only eligible households purchase affordable housing units, the
purchaser of a affordable unit shall be required to submit copies of the last three
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years‘ federal and state income tax returns and certify, in writing and prior to transfer
of title, to the developer of the housing units or his/her agent, and within thirty (30)
days following transfer of title, to the local housing trust fund as approved by the
SPGA that his/her or their family‘s annual income level does not exceed the
maximum level as established by the Commonwealth‘s Department of Housing and
Community Development, and as may be revised from time to time.
2. The maximum housing cost for affordable units created under this bylaw is as
established by the Commonwealth‘s Department of Housing and Community
Development, Local Initiative Program or as revised by the Town.
7.7.9. Preservation of Affordability; Restrictions on Resale:
1. Each affordable unit created in accordance with this bylaw shall have limitations
governing its resale through the use of a regulatory agreement (Section 7.7..4.1(c)).
The purpose of these limitations is to preserve the long-term affordability of the unit
and to ensure its continued availability for affordable income households. The resale
controls shall be established through a restriction on the property and shall be in
force in perpetuity.
(a) Resale price.
Sales beyond the initial sale to a qualified affordable income purchaser shall include
the initial discount rate between the sale price and the unit‘s appraised value at the
time of resale. This percentage shall be recorded as part of the restriction on the
property noted in Section 7.7.9.1, above.
(b) Right of first refusal to purchase. The purchaser of an affordable housing unit
developed as a result of this Section 7.7 shall execute a deed rider approved by the
SPGA, consistent with model riders prepared by Department of Housing and
Community Development, granting, among other things, the Town‘s right of first
refusal to purchase the property in the event that a subsequent qualified purchaser
cannot be located.
(c) The SPGA shall require, as a condition for Special Permit under this Section 7.7,
that the applicant comply with the mandatory set-asides and accompanying
restrictions on affordability, including the execution of the deed rider noted in
Section 7.7.9.1(b), above. The Building Commissioner/Inspector shall not issue an
occupancy permit for any affordable unit until the deed restriction is recorded.
7.7.9 Conflict with Other Bylaws/Ordinances:
The provisions of this Section 7.7 shall be considered supplemental of the Zoning
By-law. To the extent that a conflict exists between this and Section 7.7 another
section of the Zoning By-law, the more restrictive provisions shall apply.
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7.7.10 Severability:
If any provision of this Section 7.7 is held invalid by a court of competent
jurisdiction, the remainder of Section 7.7 shall not be affected thereby. The invalidity
of any section or sections or parts of any section or sections of this Section 7.7 shall
not affect the validity of the remainder of the Zoning By-law.
Planning Board
FINANCE COMMITTEE MOTION:
MOVED: That the Finance Committee recommends that the motion
presented by the Planning Board to Town Meeting for Article 12 as written in
the warrant be adopted.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 8-0-0
PLANNING BOARD MOTION:
MOVED: That the Article be withdrawn by the proponents without
consideration, without prejudice and without unfavorable action thereon
pursuant to M.G.L. c.40A, Section 5.
PLANNING BOARD VOTE: 3-0-0
ARTICLE 16
AMEND ZONING MAP BY REVISING BOUNDARIES OF THE OVERLAY
DISTRICT ENTITLED “CANTON CENTER ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY
DISTRICT (CCEOD)”
Article 16 To see if the Town will vote to amend the Zoning Map of the Town, as
most recently amended, by revising the boundaries of the overlay district entitled
―Canton Center Economic Opportunity District (CCEOD) as adopted at ATM 2000
under article 54 and re-codified at ATM 2009 by removing from the CCEOD land
located along Wall Street and Plymouth Street, Canton MA as described on
Assessors Map 26, Lots A, B, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34,
35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 50, 52, 53, 73, 75, 76, 77, 78,
79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 220, 222, substantially as shown on
a map attached hereto, copies of which have been placed on file in the Office of the
Planning Board, Office of the Selectman, and Office of the Town Clerk at Memorial
Hall and at the Research desk of the Canton Public Library, or to take any action
related thereto.
Planning Board
FINANCE COMMITTEE MOTION:
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MOVED: That the Finance Committee recommends that the motion
presented by the Planning Board to Town Meeting for Article 16 as written in
the warrant be adopted.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 8-0-0
PLANNING BOARD MOTION:
MOVED: That the Article be withdrawn by the proponents without
consideration, without prejudice and without unfavorable action thereon
pursuant to M.G.L. c.40A, Section 5.
PLANNING BOARD VOTE: 3-0-0
ARTICLE 19
STREET OPENING BY-LAW AMENDMENT
Article 19. To see if the Town will vote to amend Section 12 of Article XVI of the
General By-Laws of the Town regarding street openings by amending the definitions
in Subsection 2 and temporary patch provisions in Subsection 11.3 as follows; or to
take any action related thereto.
In Subsection 2 of Section 12 of Article XVI of the General By-Laws after the
definition of ―Temporary Patch,‖ insert a new paragraph and definition for ―Winter
Preparation Patch‖ as follows:
Winter Preparation Patch – The application of (a) a leveling course of hot mix
asphalt applied by a paving machine not less than 2 feet on each side and ends of any
Street Opening Work, or 8 feet wide, whichever is greater in width, along the entire
length of the Street Opening Work, including but not limited to any trenches parallel
to the street and any lateral trenches that cross the street as part of that project in
preparation of a Spring curb-to-curb cold planing and paving job; (b) any of the
patch styles listed in the second paragraph of Subsection 11.4 - Permanent Patches
along all sides and each end of the Street Opening Work for the entire length of the
of the Street Opening Work, including but not limited to any trenches parallel to the
street and any and all lateral trenches that cross the street as part of that project; or
(c) a combination of (a) and (b) above, as may be approved in advance by the
Awarding Authority Representative.
In Subsection 11.3 of Section 12 of Article XVI of the General By-Laws after
paragraph (b.), insert a new paragraph (c.) regarding Temporary Patches as follows:
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(c.) If any Street Opening Work, including but not limited to any trench that runs
parallel to the roadway, that exceeds 30 feet in length cannot be fully completed with
a Permanent Patch or curb-to-curb cold planing and paving before December 1st of
that year because of scheduling or any other reason, including but not limited to a
determination by the Awarding Authority or Awarding Authority Representative,
then the Applicant/Permit Holder shall cause a Winter Preparation Patch, as defined
by this ByLaw, to be completed on such Street Opening Work prior to December 1st
of that year. Any failure to so complete such Permanent Patch before December 1st
of that year shall be a Default.
If said Winter Preparation Patch remains in good condition, and curb-to-curb cold
planing and paving is not required as part of the project as determined by the
Awarding Authority Representative, then the Applicant or Contractor may request
the Awarding Authority Representative in writing that the Winter Patch be inspected
and approved as the Permanent Patch and for a refund of the Refundable Deposit for
the Street Opening Work. If the Street Opening Work does not pass Permanent
Patch inspection, which the Awarding Authority Representative may inspect and
may determine in such Awarding Authority Representative‘s sole discretion, then the
Permit Holder/Applicant must cause a Permanent Patch to be installed pursuant to
Subsection 11 of this By-Law. If the Awarding Authority Representative, in the
Awarding Authority Representative‘s sole discretion, determines that the Street
Opening Work passes the Awarding Authority Representative‘s inspection of the
Permanent Patch, then the Permit Holder/Applicant or Contractor may submit to the
Awarding Authority Representative a written request for the return of the Refundable
Deposit, which may be returned to the Applicant on the Finance Department‘s
regular schedule, provided that the Applicant/Permit Holder and Contractor are not
in Default.
Board of Selectmen for the Department of Public Works
MOVED: That Section 12 of Article XVI of the General By-Laws of
the Town regarding street openings be amended by amending the definitions in
Subsection 2 and temporary patch provisions in Subsection 11.3 as follows:
In Subsection 2 of Section 12 of Article XVI of the General By-Laws after the
definition of “Temporary Patch,” insert a new paragraph and definition for
“Winter Preparation Patch” as follows:
Winter Preparation Patch – The application of (a) a leveling course of hot mix
asphalt applied by a paving machine not less than 2 feet on each side and ends
of any Street Opening Work, or 8 feet wide, whichever is greater in width, along
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the entire length of the Street Opening Work, including but not limited to any
trenches parallel to the street and any lateral trenches that cross the street as
part of that project in preparation of a Spring curb-to-curb cold planing and
paving job; (b) any of the patch styles listed in the second paragraph of
Subsection 11.4 - Permanent Patches along all sides and each end of the Street
Opening Work for the entire length of the of the Street Opening Work,
including but not limited to any trenches parallel to the street and any and all
lateral trenches that cross the street as part of that project; or (c) a combination
of (a) and (b) above, as may be approved in advance by the Awarding Authority
Representative.
In Subsection 11.3 of Section 12 of Article XVI of the General By-Laws after
paragraph (b.), insert a new paragraph (c.) regarding Temporary Patches as
follows:
(c.) If any Street Opening Work, including but not limited to any trench that
runs parallel to the roadway, that exceeds 30 feet in length cannot be fully
completed with a Permanent Patch or curb-to-curb cold planing and paving
before December 1st of that year because of scheduling or any other reason,
including but not limited to a determination by the Awarding Authority or
Awarding Authority Representative, then the Applicant/Permit Holder shall
cause a Winter Preparation Patch, as defined by this By-Law, to be completed
on such Street Opening Work prior to December 1st of that year. Any failure
to so complete such Permanent Patch before December 1st of that year shall be
a Default.
If said Winter Preparation Patch remains in good condition, and curb-to-curb
cold planing and paving is not required as part of the project as determined by
the Awarding Authority Representative, then the Applicant or Contractor may
request the Awarding Authority Representative in writing that the Winter
Patch be inspected and approved as the Permanent Patch and for a refund of
the Refundable Deposit for the Street Opening Work. If the Street Opening
Work does not pass Permanent Patch inspection, which the Awarding
Authority Representative may inspect and may determine in such Awarding
Authority Representative’s sole discretion, then the Permit Holder/Applicant
must cause a Permanent Patch to be installed pursuant to Subsection 11 of this
By-Law. If the Awarding Authority Representative, in the Awarding Authority
Representative’s sole discretion, determines that the Street Opening Work
passes the Awarding Authority Representative’s inspection of the Permanent
Patch, then the Permit Holder/Applicant or Contractor may submit to the
Awarding Authority Representative a written request for the return of the
Refundable Deposit, which may be returned to the Applicant on the Finance
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Department’s regular schedule, provided that the Applicant/Permit Holder and
Contractor are not in Default.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 6-0-0
ARTICLE 20
CHAPMAN STREET CURB IMPROVEMENTS
Article 20 We, the undersigned residents of the town of Canton, request that town
meeting raise and appropriate necessary funding for the upgrade of the sidewalk
curbing located on Chapman Street, beginning at the intersection with Washington
Street, running to, at, or before the intersection with Beaumont Street. Such curb
safety improvements shall be done in accordance with curbing improvement
specifications as determined by and subject to the approval of the Department of
Public Works.
Bruce Beckham and 13 others
MOVED: That the subject matter of Article 20 be indefinitely
postponed.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 6-0-0
ARTICLE 22
ESTABLISH A CANTON HOUSING TRUST FUND
Article 22 To see if the Town will vote to accept the provisions of Massachusetts
General Laws Chapter 44, Section 55C, to amend Article XVI of the General By-
laws by adding a new Section 24 as follows to establish a trust to be known as the
Canton Housing Trust Fund, whose purpose shall be to provide for the creation and
preservation of affordable housing in the Town of Canton for the benefit of low and
moderate income households; or to take any action related thereto.
SECTION 24 AFFORDABLE HOUSING TRUST
SUBSECTION 1. (a) There shall be in the Town of Canton a Canton Housing Trust
Fund, (hereinafter referred to as ―the trust‖). The purpose of the trust is to provide for
the creation and preservation of affordable housing in the Town of Canton for low-
and moderate-income households.
(b) There shall be a board of trustees which shall be composed of five (5) trustees.
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(c) The trustees shall be appointed by the Board of Selectmen and shall include
members as so designated by the following:
One member designated by the Board of Selectmen
One member designated by the Housing Authority
One member designated by the Planning Board
One member designated by the Economic Development Commission
One member designated by the from Canton Community Preservation Committee
Said members of the trust are designated as public agents for purposes of the
constitution of the Commonwealth. The initial terms of the trustees shall be
staggered as one (1) or two (2) year terms. All terms thereafter shall be for two (2)
years.
SUBSECTION 2. (a) The powers of the board of trustees shall include the following:
(1) to accept and receive real property, personal property or money, by gift, grant,
contribution, devise or transfer from any person, firm, corporation or other public or
private entity, including but not limited to money, grants of funds or other property
tendered to the trust in connection with the provisions of the Canton Zoning By-Law
or other by-law, or any general or special law or any other source, or money from the
Community Preservation Fund pursuant to G.L. Chapter 44B.
(2) to accept and receive municipal, school or other public property, subject to
Section 15A of the General Laws and other applicable law;
(3) to purchase and retain real or personal property for the purposes of the trust,
including without restriction investments that yield a high rate of income or no
income, and to hold all or part of the trust property uninvested for such purposes and
for such time as the board may deem appropriate;
(4) to manage or improve real property;
(5) to sell, lease, exchange, transfer or convey any real property for such
consideration and on such terms as to credit or otherwise, and to make such contracts
and enter into such undertakings relative to trust property as the board deems
advisable, notwithstanding the length of any such lease or contract;
(6) to execute, acknowledge and deliver deeds, assignments, transfers, pledges,
leases, covenants, contracts, promissory notes, releases and other instruments sealed
or unsealed, necessary, proper or incident to any transaction in which the board
engages for the accomplishment of the purposes of the trust;
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(7) to employ and pay reasonable compensation to advisors and agents, such as
accountants, appraisers and lawyers as the board deems necessary;
(8) to apportion receipts and charges between income and principal as the board
deems advisable, to amortize premiums and establish sinking funds for such purpose,
and to create reserves for depreciation, depletion or otherwise;
(9) to carry property for accounting purposes at other than acquisition date values;
(10) to borrow money on such terms and conditions and from such sources as the
trustees deem advisable, and to mortgage and pledge trust assets as collateral, subject
to review by the Town Finance Director and approval by a majority vote by the
Board of Selectmen; provided that any debt issued by the trust shall not be deemed to
constitute a debt or liability of the Town of Canton or a pledge of the faith and credit
of the Town, but shall be payable solely from the revenues, funds and/or assets of the
trust; provided further that any debt instrument executed by the trust shall contain on
the face thereof a statement to the effect that the Town of Canton is not obligated to
pay the same or the interest thereon except from revenues, funds and/or assets of the
trust and that neither the faith and credit nor the taxing power of the Town of Canton
is pledged to the payment of the principal of or the interest on such debt; and the
issuance of debt by the trust shall not directly or indirectly or contingently obligate
the Town of Canton to levy or to pledge any form of taxation whatever therefor or to
make any appropriation for their payment;
(11) to make distributions or divisions of principal in kind;
(12) to comprise, attribute, defend, enforce, release, settle or otherwise adjust claims
in favor or against the trust, including claims for taxes, and to accept any property,
either in total or partial satisfaction of any indebtedness or other obligation, and
subject to the provisions of any vote by Town Meeting, to continue to hold the same
for such period of time as the board may deem appropriate;
(13) to extend the time for payment of any obligation to the trust;
(14) to provide grants or loans to assist low- or moderate-income households to
purchase or rehabilitate a dwelling unit in the Town of Canton; and
(15) to convey, through sale, lease or transfer, real property purchased under this act,
to any for-profit or non-profit developer or any public agency to provide low- or
moderate-income housing, subject to an affordable housing restriction under
Sections 31-33 of Chapter 184 of the General Laws or otherwise.
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SUBSECTION 3 Each year the trust shall provide to Annual Town Meeting a
transparent and detailed financial report on the year‘s activities, as well as a
cumulative report on all the activities of the trust since inception, reflecting how the
trust has used its funds. The report shall include, but not be limited to:
(a) sources of funds,
(b) a description of projects undertaken and the status of those projects,
(c) a schedule of all amounts spent, including for preservation of affordable housing,
for creation of affordable housing, for grants or loans to other entities for
preservation or creation of affordable housing, for administrative support, and for
any other purposes permitted under this by-law, and
(d) a prospective view of the trust‘s expected operations for the next year, to the
greatest extent possible.
In addition, the trust shall provide a narrative report of proposed activities to the
Board of Selectmen and the Advisory Committee in the fall of each year.
SUBSECTION 4 Expenditures for the acquisition or disposition of real property
shall be subject to approval by a majority vote of the Board of Selectmen.
SUBSECTION 5. (a) As a means of providing available assets for the trust, all
moneys received by the Town through the following means shall be paid directly
into the trust and need not be appropriated or accepted and approved into the trust:
(1) cash payments made by developers to the Town for purposes of creating or
preserving affordable housing, under any development agreements or development
approvals pursuant to the Canton Zoning By-Law; and
(2) gifts, grants, donations, contributions or other cash payments to the trust for the
purpose of providing low- or moderate-income housing.
(b) General revenues appropriated into the trust become trust property, and to be
expended these funds need not be further appropriated.
(c) All moneys remaining in the trust at the end of any fiscal year, whether or not
expended by the board of trustees within one year of the date they were appropriated
into the trust, shall remain trust property.
(d) The trust is exempt from Chapters 59 and 62 of the General Laws, and from any
other provisions concerning payment of taxes based upon or measured by property or
income imposed by the commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof.
(e) The books and records of the trust shall be reviewed annually by an independent
auditor in accordance with accepted accounting practices.
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SUBSECTION 6. As used in this act, the term ―low or moderate income housing‖
shall mean ―low income housing‖ or ―moderate income housing‖ as defined in
Section 2 of Chapter 44B of the General Laws.
SUBSECTION 7. The Town Treasurer shall be the custodian of the fund. Any
income or proceeds received from the investment of funds shall be credited to and
become part of the fund.
SUBSECTION 8. (a) The trust is a public body for purposes of Sections 18-25 of
Chapter 30A of the General Laws.
(b) The trust is a board of the Town for purposes of G.L. Chapter 30B and Section
15A of Chapter 40; but agreements and conveyances between the trust and agencies,
boards, commissions, authorities, department and public instrumentalities of the
Town shall be exempt from G.L. Chapter 30B.
(c) The trust is a public employer and the members of the board are public
employees for purposes of G.L. Chapter 258.
(d) The trust shall be deemed a municipal agency and trustees as special municipal
employees for purposes of G.L. Chapter 268A.
Planning Board
FINANCE COMMITTEE MOTION:
MOVED: That the Finance Committee recommends that the motion
presented by the Planning Board to Town Meeting for Article 22 as written in
the warrant be adopted.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 8-0-0
PLANNING BOARD MOTION:
MOVED: That the Article be withdrawn by the proponents without
consideration, without prejudice and without unfavorable action thereon.
PLANNING BOARD VOTE: 3-0-0
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ARTICLE 27
AMEND ADDITIONAL 43D PRIORITY DEVELOPMENT SITE
Article 27 To see if the Town will vote to accept the provisions of c.43D, Sections
1 through 16, of the General Laws and to designate the following parcel of land as a
"Priority Development Site" in the Town of Canton for expedited municipal
permitting within the meaning of G.L. Chapter 43D, and to approve the filing of an
application with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Interagency Permitting Board
for designation of such parcel as a Priority Development Site:
20 Dan Road, known as Canton Assessor‘s Map 76, Lot 16
and that the Board of Selectmen be hereby authorized to implement the following
within 120 days of the acceptance of Chapter 43D with respect to the above
mentioned Priority Development Site, or to take any other action related thereto:
(a) appoint a single point of contact to serve as the primary municipal liaison for all
issues relating to Chapter 43D in connection with said Priority Development Site;
(b) amend rules and regulations, with the assistance of various permitting boards, on
permit issuance to conform with Chapter 43D with respect to the foregoing Priority
Development Site;
(c) along with the Town's permitting boards, collect and ensure the availability of all
governing statutes, local bylaws, regulations, procedures and protocols pertaining to
each permit;
(d) establish a procedure whereby the Board of Selectmen shall determine all
permits, reviews and pre-development review required for a Priority Development
Site project, all required scoping sessions, public comment periods and public
hearings and all additional specific applications and supplemental information
required for review, including when applicable, the identification of potential
conflicts of jurisdiction or substantive standards with abutting municipalities and a
procedure for notifying the applicant; and
(e) establish a procedure, following notification of the required submissions for
review as set forth in clause (d) above, for determining if all the materials required
for the review of the Priority Development project have been completed.
Board of Selectmen for Economic Development Committee
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MOVED: That the provisions of Chapter 43D, Sections 1 through 16,
of the General Laws be accepted and that the following parcel of land identified
as 20 Dan Road, Assessor’s Map 76, Lot 16, be designated as a "Priority
Development Site" in the Town of Canton for expedited municipal permitting
within the meaning of G.L. Chapter 43D, and that the filing of an application
with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Interagency Permitting Board for
designation of such parcel as a Priority Development Site be approved and that
the Board of Selectmen be authorized to implement the following within 120
days of the acceptance of Chapter 43D with respect to the above mentioned
Priority Development Site:
(a) appoint a single point of contact to serve as the primary municipal liaison
for all issues relating to Chapter 43D in connection with said Priority
Development Site;
(b) amend rules and regulations, with the assistance of various permitting
boards, on permit issuance to conform with Chapter 43D with respect to the
foregoing Priority Development Site;
(c) along with the Town's permitting boards, collect and ensure the availability
of all governing statutes, local bylaws, regulations, procedures and protocols
pertaining to each permit;
(d) establish a procedure whereby the Board of Selectmen shall determine all
permits, reviews and pre-development review required for a Priority
Development Site project, all required scoping sessions, public comment periods
and public hearings and all additional specific applications and supplemental
information required for review, including when applicable, the identification of
potential conflicts of jurisdiction or substantive standards with abutting
municipalities and a procedure for notifying the applicant; and
(e) establish a procedure, following notification of the required submissions for
review as set forth in clause (d) above, for determining if all the materials
required for the review of the Priority Development project have been
completed.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 7-0-0
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ARTICLE 30
INSURANCE PROCEEDS
Article 30 To see whether the Town will vote to appropriate all sums over $20,000
recovered under the terms of any insurance policy and any other insurance proceeds
paid to the Town in connection with any losses suffered by the Town, or to take any
other action related thereto.
Board of Selectmen
MOVED: That the subject matter of Article 30 be indefinitely
postponed.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 7-0-0
ARTICLE 9
AUTHORIZE CONTRACTS OF MORE THAN THREE YEARS DURATION
Article 9 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
establish standing authority going forward 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 specified
and 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 in accordance with the provisions of section twelve (b)
of chapter thirty B, of the General Laws of the Commonwealth, the Finance
Director (in his capacity as Chief Procurement Officer) is hereby authorized to
solicit and award contracts for terms of more than three years and that such
authority hereby established be not limited to this year but instead be standing
authority going forward; provided that in each such instance the longer term is
specified and determined to be in the best interest of the Town by a vote of the
Board of Selectmen prior to the solicitation.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 7-0-0
Mark Porter, Chairperson of the Finance Committee, moved Article 9 as printed in
the warrant.
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Mr. Porter explained that this article authorizes 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. In the past this article
has been included as part of the consent agenda, however, this year, the language of
Article 9 in the motion has been changed to make this a standing authorization under
G.L. Chapter 30B; therefore it will no longer need to be voted at Town Meeting
annually.
VOTED: Article 9 adopted as printed.
ADOPTED UNANIMOUS VOICE VOTE
ARTICLE 8
TRANSFER UNEXPENDED PRIOR YEAR APPROPRIATIONS
Article 8 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
MOVED: That Fifty Nine Thousand Eight Hundred Dollars ($59,800)
be appropriated to be spent by the Finance Director (in his capacity as Chief
Procurement Officer) with the approval of the Police Chief and the Board of
Selectmen for the purpose of painting and mold remediation at the Police
Station and to meet this appropriation the sum of Fifty Nine Thousand Eight
Hundred Dollars ($59,800.) be transferred from the appropriation voted
pursuant to Article 16 Motion 10 of the 2002 Annual Town Meeting with the
intent that these funds be available in fiscal year 2014.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 6-0-0
Mark Porter, Chairperson of the Finance Committee, moved Article 8 as printed in
the warrant.
Mr. Porter explained that the Canton Police Station requires repairs and work to
include new gutters, painting and mold remediation. This will be funded from an
unspent capital project from a previous year along with mitigation funds released by
the Selectmen.
Allan Keith inquired as to how much more in unexpended funds is available and why
is it not being put back in the Town‘s general fund.
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Mr. Porter responded that to his understanding this would bring the amount down to
zero. ―This is also something that the Finance Committee is planning on looking
more into after this year‘s Town Meeting. It was something that became more
apparent to us this year because there are a number of different projects out there that
may be five dollars is left here, ten dollars is left there but there‘s a big difference as
to whether it‘s a debt project or a cash project, whether the money had been
borrowed or not borrowed. So, with all of those different things, there‘s many
different permutations about how this works. The Finance Director often, under one
of the later articles, recommends that we rescind unused borrowing capacity. So,
this is something I would expect that will be brought up, and we‘ll hear more in
future years but my understanding is the lion share of these items will be taken care
of and one of the things we‘ll be paying more attention to more closely moving
forward, is being able to say, yes the project‘s done, now that the project‘s done let‘s
clear the rest of that appropriation off the books.‖
VOTED: Article 8 adopted as printed.
ADOPTED UNANIMOUS VOICE VOTE
ARTICLE 5
SET SALARIES OF ELECTED OFFICERS
Article 5 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 $78,420.00 for the 2015 fiscal year beginning July 1, 2014 through June
30, 2015.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 7-1-0
Mark Porter, Chairperson of the Finance Committee, moved Article 5, Motion 1 as
printed in the warrant.
Mr. Porter stated, ―The Town Clerk is the only full-time elected position whose
salary is set by Town Meeting. In the past the Clerk has brought us information
showing neighboring towns, towns that we often compare ourselves, and showing
that the position is underpaid in comparison with those towns. It‘s something that
we‘ve worked to adjust to the middle of that road over the course of the last few
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years. This is just another step in that direction. There‘s always some discussion on
these things though because, certainly, depending on the list of towns you choose
that number can look higher or lower but, of course, if every single town looks at
that same list and tries to get to the middle or the bottom raised to the middle it
eventually can lead to more substantial increases so some members of the committee
were concerned that the Clerk‘s increase was slightly, very slightly, larger than the
two percent that some of the other employees got this past year. But, I believe we‘re
talking about two point something, not anything more significant than that.‖
VOTED: Article 5, Motion 1 adopted as printed.
ADOPTED MAJORITY VOICE VOTE
MOTION 2
MOVED: That the salary and compensation for all part-time elected
officials of the Town be fixed for the 2015 fiscal year beginning July 1, 2014
through June 30, 2015, 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
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 7-0-0
Mark Porter, Chairperson of the Finance Committee, moved Article 5, Motion 2 as
printed in the warrant.
Mr. Porter stated, ―The Finance Committee is always concerned about potential
perceived inequity between various volunteer and elected positions in Town and
we‘re always aware of the healthcare costs that are associated with various paid
Town officials. However, last year that health insurance cost was only thirty-two
thousand dollars. It is the type of plan where it is only a single plan, it does not
cover and individuals whole family and they do pay a specific portion of that as well.
Just as importantly, and this is a change from previous years, this change happened,
maybe, about a decade ago. These salaries paid to these elected officials is not
pensionable. It does not go into a pension, it does count toward service time, it
doesn‘t count towards having a health insurance plan in retirement. This is just
simply, that salary, and then, additionally, any health insurance for that one
individual while they are there. In past we have had some spirited debates on this
topic on Town Meeting floor. I would just offer that this is a complex enough issue
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that sometimes is best to take these things up ahead of time rather than try to work it
out on three or four substitute motions.‖
ADOPTED MAJORITY VOICE VOTE
ARTICLE 18
LOCAL FUNDING MATCH – CHAPTER 90 ROADS PROGRAM
Article 18 To see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate, transfer from
available funds or borrow pursuant to any applicable statute, a sum of money in an
amount not to exceed $850,000 to be spent by the Board of Selectmen acting as the
Board of Public Works to supplement the amount received from the Chapter 90
Roads Program with improvements done in accordance with improvement
specifications as determined by and subject to, the approval of the Department of
Public Works and consistent with locations identified in the Town‘s Pavement
Management System, or to take any other action related thereto.
Board of Selectmen
MOVED: That One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000) be
appropriated to be spent by the Board of Selectmen acting as the Board of
Public Works to supplement the amount received from the Chapter 90 Roads
Program with improvements done in accordance with improvement
specifications as determined by and subject to, the approval of the Department
of Public Works and consistent with locations identified in the Town’s
Pavement Management System and to meet said appropriation One Hundred
Thousand Dollars ($100,000) be transferred from Free Cash in the Treasury of
the Town.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 7-1-0
Mark Porter, Chairperson of the Finance Committee, moved Article 18 with the
amount of the appropriation amended from one hundred thousand dollars to five
hundred thousand dollars.
Mr. Porter stated, ―Traditionally, the Town of Canton, as you would have read in
your warrant, funds our roads simply through a state appropriation, it‘s called
Chapter 90. Chapter 90 is the money given to us by the state each year to fund our
roads and typically that number runs between eight hundred thousand and one point
two million. However, for those of you that drove here, it‘s become increasingly
clear that eight hundred thousand to one point two million is not enough to keep our
roads up to the condition where they should be at. The DPW in conjunction with the
Board of Selectmen has a comprehensive pavement management plan. They do their
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best with the amount of money that we give them to try and keep the roads at a good
condition, however, that pavement management plan when last calculated indicated
that we needed twenty-four million dollars in order to get all of the roads up to what
we consider an acceptable level. Everyone over here acknowledges that this is a
drop in the bucket but it‘s something where we have the extra money this year, we‘re
able to draw our reserves and we‘re able to really take care of this and start to put
some money towards this goal. The reason that the number increased from one
hundred thousand dollars to five hundred thousand dollars is because when the
Finance Committee looked at the numbers and voted the one hundred thousand
dollar number, between then and now, our excise tax revenue was actually about six
hundred thousand dollars higher. So, since we understood that we had another six
hundred thousand dollars more than we were expecting, and those that know that you
pay excise tax on your vehicle, we saw the logical connection between the vehicles
and the roads. For those of you that watched our meetings you know that there has
been a substantial amount of discussion on this and that in the long term this needs to
be part of our capital plan. This is a band aid, it‘s an important band aid, but we as a
town need to find a more comprehensive way in the future to address this. The
increase moving from one hundred thousand to five hundred thousand was supported
by four out of the seven members of the FinCom here tonight. The majority of the
reason for the dissenting votes would be, one, the lateness that we received this
change. I felt that this was unfortunate but acceptable because we didn‘t know about
this extra revenue until later in the game and then, additionally, theoretically,
mitigation funds could also be used to cover some of this difference. As you folks
are aware, the Selectmen do have control over those funds. I felt that in this
particular case, as did a majority of the Finance Committee, that using our additional
revenue for twenty fourteen was the way to go.‖
VOTED: That Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000) be appropriated to be
spent by the Board of Selectmen acting as the Board of Public Works to supplement
the amount received from the Chapter 90 Roads Program with improvements done
in accordance with improvement specifications as determined by and subject to, the
approval of the Department of Public Works and consistent with locations identified
in the Town‘s Pavement Management System and to meet said appropriation Five
Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000) be transferred from Free Cash in the Treasury
of the Town.
ADOPTED MAJORITY VOICE VOTE
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ARTICLE 29
APPROVAL OF FUNDING FOR THE ANNUAL 4TH OF JULY COMMUNITY
CELEBRATION
Article 29 To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, borrow pursuant to
any applicable statute or transfer from available funds the sum of Thirty-Five
Thousand Dollars ($35,000) to be expended by the Canton Recreation Director for
the purpose of funding the annual July 4 th community celebration in 2014, or to take
any other action related thereto.
Board of Selectmen for the Canton Recreation Commission
MOVED: That the sum of Thirty Five Thousand Dollars ($35,000) be
transferred from Free Cash in the Treasury of the Town to be expended by the
Finance Director (in his capacity as Chief Procurement Officer) with the
approval of the Canton Recreation Director and the Board of Selectmen for the
July 4th, 2014 community celebration.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 6-0-0
Mark Porter, Chairperson of the Finance Committee, moved a substitute motion for
Article 29, as follows:
MOVED: That the sum of Thirty Five Thousand Dollars ($35,000) be transferred
from Free Cash in the Treasury of the Town to be expended by the Finance Director
(in his capacity as Chief Procurement Officer) with the approval of the Canton
Recreation Director and the Board of Selectmen for the July 4 th, 2014 community
celebration. It is the intent that these funds shall be available in Fiscal 2014.
Mr. Porter explained that in the past there has been some issue with the fact that the
4th of July celebration falls just after the start of the fiscal year and should the costs
be paid out of the current or prior fiscal year. The additional line was added because
there is money is available in fiscal year 2014 to cover the cost of the July 4 th, 2014
celebration.
VOTED: That the sum of Thirty Five Thousand Dollars ($35,000) be transferred
from Free Cash in the Treasury of the Town to be expended by the Finance Director
(in his capacity as Chief Procurement Officer) with the approval of the Canton
Recreation Director and the Board of Selectmen for the July 4 th, 2014 community
celebration. It is the intent that these funds shall be available in Fiscal 2014.
ADOPTED UNANIMOUS VOICE VOTE
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ARTICLE 28
ACCEPT GENERAL OR SESSION LAWS ENACTED BY THE GENERAL
COURT
Article 28 To see if the town will vote to accept any general or session laws
enacted by the General Court for the benefit of cities or towns or of benefit to the
Town of Canton, or to take any other action related thereto.
Board of Selectmen
MOVED: That the subject matter of Article 28 be indefinitely
postponed.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 6-0-0
Mark Porter, Chairperson of the Finance Committee, moved a substitute motion for
Article 28, as follows:
MOVED: That Section 5N of Chapter 59 of the General Laws be accepted, that the
Board of Selectmen be hereby authorized to establish, pursuant to such statute a
veteran tax abatement work off program, and further that the statutory local option to
establish the program's limit as $1,000 annually and the statutory option to designate
a representative be also accepted.
Mr. Porter stated, ―Canton currently has a program to assist our elderly citizens in
reducing their property taxes by working for the town for a minimum wage rate
allowing them to offset as much as one thousand dollars of their property tax bill
annually. This is a relative new program that‘s been offered by the state as a local
option, meaning it‘s available for us to accept or not to accept, not to add into our by-
laws. But this would allow our veterans to have the same option, the same ability to
work at minimum wage to work off one thousand dollars per year off their property
tax bill. My understanding is, that this is something done, specifically looking at
some of our younger veterans who have come back recently, giving them an
opportunity to defray some of the cost of their property tax bills.‖
Allen Karon asked when Section 5N of Chapter 59 of the General Laws enacted.
Mr. Porter responded that it was enacted May 16, 2013.
VOTED: That Section 5N of Chapter 59 of the General Laws be accepted, that the
Board of Selectmen be hereby authorized to establish, pursuant to such statute a
veteran tax abatement work off program, and further that the statutory local option to
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establish the program's limit as $1,000 annually and the statutory option to designate
a representative be also accepted.
ADOPTED UNANIMOUS VOICE VOTE
ARTICLE 26
TAX INCREMENT FINANCING PLAN – 130 ROYALL STREET
Article 26 To request the Town to vote to: (a) designate as an Economic
Opportunity Area, pursuant to MGL chapter 23A, Sections 3A through 3H, for an
extended term of an additional ten years, the land at 130 Royall Street, Canton, MA
containing approximately 11.2 acres, shown on Assessor Map 69, Lot 29; and (b)
designate said Economic Opportunity Area as a Tax Increment Financing Zone
(―TIF Zone‖) and adopt, for the purpose of protecting and growing the tax base and
job base of Canton, a Tax Increment Financing Plan entitled ―Dunkin‘ Brands
Headquarters Plan‖ dated April 25, 2005, as amended (―TIF Plan‖), on file with the
Board of Selectmen and Town Clerk, or to take any other action related thereto.
To request the Town to vote to: (a) approve the form of ten-year extension to the
Tax Increment Financing Agreement between Dunkin‘ Brands and the Town of
Canton on file with the Board of Selectmen (―TIF Extension‖); (b) to authorize the
Board of Selectmen to execute the TIF Extension, and any documents relating
thereto, and to take such other actions as are necessary or appropriate to implement
those documents; and (c) authorize the Board of Selectmen to approve and certify
proposed projects as provided in the TIF Plan and to apply to the Economic
Assistance Coordinating Council of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts under the
Economic Development Incentive Program for approval and designation of the
Economic Opportunity Area, TIF Zone, TIF Plan, and the Dunkin‘ Brands certified
project, and take such other and further action as may be necessary or appropriate to
carry out the purposes of this article; or take any other action related thereto.
Board of Selectmen for Economic Development Committee
MOVED: That the land at 130 Royall Street, Canton, MA containing
approximately 11.2 acres, shown on Assessor Map 69, Lot 29 be hereby
designated as an Economic Opportunity Area, pursuant to MGL chapter 23A,
Sections 3A through 3H, for an extended term of an additional ten years;
that said Economic Opportunity Area be designated as a Tax Increment
Financing Zone (“TIF Zone”);
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that for the purpose of protecting and growing the tax base and job base of
Canton, a Tax Increment Financing Plan entitled “Dunkin’ Brands
Headquarters Plan” dated April 25, 2005, as amended (“TIF Plan”), on file with
the Board of Selectmen and Town Clerk, be hereby adopted by the Town;
that the Board of Selectmen be authorized to execute the TIF Extension, and
any documents relating thereto, and to take such other actions as are necessary
or appropriate to implement those documents;
and that the Board of Selectmen be authorized to approve and certify proposed
projects as provided in the TIF Plan and to apply to the Economic Assistance
Coordinating Council of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts under the
Economic Development Incentive Program for approval and designation of the
Economic Opportunity Area, TIF Zone, TIF Plan, and the Dunkin’ Brands
certified project.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 7-0-0
Mark Porter, Chairperson of the Finance Committee, moved Article 26 as printed in
the warrant.
Gene Manning, Chairperson of the Economic Development Committee, stated that
Dunkin Brands approached the Town of Canton in December 2012 to advise that
they were looking for a new corporate headquarters in multiple locations. The Town
put together a team to work with Dunkin Brands which included John Connolly from
the Board of Selectman, William Galvin from the Board of Assessors and Mr.
Manning. They worked directly with Jason Maceda, Senior Vice-President of
Finance from Dunkin Brands and Kristin Gibson, representing the property
management company, H. N. Gorin. This team met with Dunkin Brands and H. N.
Gorin on eight occasions between January and September of 2013 to discuss Dunkin
Brands remaining in Canton. There was a compelling offer from the Town of
Westwood. In July 2013 we presented a letter from the Board of Selectmen to CEO
Nigel Travis and Dunkin Brands Board of Directors presenting the merits of our
community and asking them to stay in Canton. In addition, Canton Association of
Business and Industry business leaders from Computershare, Boston Mutual,
Meditech, Bank of Canton, Harbar and Organogenesis all placed calls to Dunkin
leadership asking them to stay in Canton. Also, OneBeacon offer the opportunity for
them to place a sign on Royall Street, adjacent to Route 128/93. In June 2013 the
Canton team met with the Massachusetts Office of Economic Development to
discuss incentives that the town could offer to Dunkin Brands. Unfortunately, there
were none. Their only recommendation was to extend the existing TIF agreement.
In September 2013 the Board of Assessors and Board of Selectmen unanimously
voted to approve a ten year extension of the existing TIF from 2015 to 2025. In
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November 2013 Dunkin Brands announced their intention to remain in Canton
through 2025 and is requesting that Town Meeting support the ten year extension on
the TIF, which will remain at twenty percent.
Mr. Manning presented a slide (Exhibit 1) Local Incentive Valuation. In the left
column are the years the TIF would run that will be voted on tonight. The municipal
tax rate that you see is increasing due to Proposition 2 ½. The current assessment of
the building is $16,364,000. The projected property taxes are listed, $434,137 with
the TIF. Dunkin Brands would receive a twenty percent discount which is $86,827.
They are also exempt from personal property taxes. The total yearly evaluation
which is the exempted real estate property taxes plus personal would be $94,787.
The taxes payable to the Town, with the TIF, is $347,310. The total benefit to
Dunkin Brands is $1,121,975. The total incremental taxes to the Town of Canton is
$4,127,065. These are approximate numbers based on the building evaluation and
assessment.
Mr. Manning further stated that the team did work on a mitigation package to the
Town. Dunkin Brands donated $25,000 to the new Canton Senior Center.
Beginning in 2015 they will also fund an annual $5,000 scholarship to a student in
the senior class at Canton High School. An annual internship was established for a
Canton High School student in sales and marketing at Dunkin Brands. A donation of
$10,000 was given to the Canton Police DARE program. Approximately six
hundred jobs will remain in Canton and grow to approximately six hundred and fifty
by 2020 with preference hiring for Canton residents. Dunkin Brands is a high
visibility company and when their name appears in an article the Town of Canton
features in the byline.
Mr. Manning continued that Dunkin Brands has asked for new signage on the
hillside adjacent to Route 128/93, which was recently approved by the Zoning Board
of Appeals. This land is subleased from OneBeacon Insurance. They will be
creating additional parking for fifty cars on the south side of the property and the
entrance to 130 Royall Street will be renamed Dunkin Brands Way.
Mr. Manning concluded that Dunkin Brands has been a great supporter of the
community and the Town boards have been supportive of them and, therefore,
requests that Town Meeting support this article. Mr. Manning then introduced Jason
Maceda, Vice President of Dunkin Brands.
Mr. Maceda stated he would like to express his appreciation for the support of the
members of the Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee, Mr. Galvin, Mr. Manning
and all of the individuals and neighboring businesses who have offered their support
in making it possible for Dunkin Brands to remain in Canton. We are happy to say
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that we are staying in Canton for another fifteen years. It could not have happened
with the support of the Town, our neighbors at OneBeacon, John Ferrari; Boston
Mutual, Howard Neff; Computershare, Reebok and our landlord H. N. Gorin. It took
all the parties involved to make this happen. We are proud to call Canton our home,
proud to have our world headquarters here in Canton and I thank you for your
support. I am happy to answer any questions that anyone may have.
Nichola Gallagher stated that supports Dunkin Brands. She inquired how long the
$5,000 scholarship would run.
Mr. Maceda responded that it has not been determined, definitely for a ten year
period but probably indefinite.
Moderator Richard Staiti asked when the scholarship would begin.
Mr. Maceda responded that it begins this year.
Allan Keith stated that he intended to vote against the article. He stated that has no
problem with Dunkin Brands but, since Dunkin Brands is a publicly owned
company, he reviewed their financial statements and after review he wonders ―why a
company with total revenue of seven hundred and thirteen million dollars, adjusted
net profits of one hundred and sixty-five million dollars is nickel and diming the
Town of Canton for a savings of $100,000 a year‖.
Mr. Keith further stated, ―To put this in perspective you divide all those numbers by
ten thousand, consider someone with an income of seventy thousand dollars that at
the end of the year has saved sixteen thousand. This is equivalent to giving them
about ten dollars. I don‘t know what impact it has on all the other businesses and all
the other residents of Town, I suspect it‘s very small. The one hundred thousand
dollars a year is somehow being divided up and paid by other people. I don‘t know
why Dunkin should not be paying standard property taxes. Thank you.‖
Bill Galvin, a member of the Board of Assessors, stated, ―For a business this size a
twenty year TIFF is not unreasonable. We did it with Reebok, we gave them a
twenty year TIFF. It‘s pretty common through the Commonwealth. The Board of
Assessors unanimously support this and I would hope that everybody in the hall
would vote for this.‖
John Connolly, a member of the Board of Selectmen, and part of the negotiating
team, stated that ―Dunkin Brands did not nickel and dime us. We went to Dunkin
Brands when we first found out, to be proactive, not reactive. With six hundred plus
jobs, that building is filled. They would have moved to Westwood, which had a deal
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on the table. They were out the door. Make it perfectly clear. Same scenario twenty
years ago when Reebok had a deal from the Town of Dedham. We came in and
negotiated the deal.‖ Mr. Connolly further stated that, ―It comes down to, in my
opinion, spend a little money to make a lot of money. It‘s a full building, six
hundred and fifty plus and I believe it‘s seven hundred and ninety-two thousand
dollars in taxes. That‘s what it‘s all about. Thank you.‖
Mr. Manning stated , ―I just wanted to point out that the TIFF program is a state
initiative sponsored by the DOR, the Department of Revenue. One of the things in
past administrations, at the state level, approved by multiple governors and
legislatures and senates, was an incentive. As a matter of fact, this particular
governor, now, a big part of his initiative is to promote business development in all
the communities, not just Canton. And he encourages this program, because, I think,
as mentioned, it provides a level, balanced opportunity for the citizens who are here
to, hopefully, pay a little bit less. That‘s why we‘re here and there‘s a series of
checks and balances. I think, as you‘ve heard from Representative Galvin and
Selectman Connolly, we don‘t take this lightly. We get asked all the time for TIFFs
and we‘re very, very selective on what we do and what we try to bring, and we try to
bring a very favorable package to all of you. And I just wanted to mention that the
offer from the other community was actually higher and, I believe, that also Dunkin,
for what it would cost them to build a new building and move, would be cheaper for
them to stay. They really want to stay in Canton, I can‘t emphasize that enough. So,
all of this is a series of checks and balances with the Town Boards, with the FinCom,
with DOR, so, we really feel that this is the right decision for the Town and we ask
for your support. Thank you.‖
VOTED: Article 26 adopted as printed.
ADOPTED MAJORITY VOICE VOTE
ARTICLE 25
APPROVE DEBT AUTHORIZATION FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO SHEPARD
POND DAM
Article 25 To see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate, transfer from
available funds or borrow pursuant to any applicable statute the sum of Three
Hundred Thirty Five Thousand Dollars ($335,000) to supplement a grant received
($665,000) to be spent by the Board of Selectmen for reconstruction or repair of
Shepard Pond Dam or to take any other action related thereto.
Board of Selectmen for the Department of Public Works
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MOTION 1
MOVED: That One Million Dollars ($1,000,000) be appropriated to be
spent by the Finance Director (in his capacity as Chief Procurement Officer)
with the approval of the Superintendent of Public Works and the Board of
Selectmen for the purpose of reconstruction or repair of Shepard Pond Dam
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 Three Hundred Thirty
Five Thousand Dollars ($335,000) to supplement a grant received from the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Executive Office of Energy and
Environmental Affairs for Six Hundred Sixty Five Thousand Dollars
($665,000). It is the intent that these funds shall be available in fiscal 2014.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 8-0-0
Mark Porter, Chairperson of the Finance Committee, moved Article 25, Motion 1 as
printed in the warrant.
Mr. Porter stated that these repairs are required by the state and that failure to
complete the repairs would result in substantial fines to the Town. The Finance
Committee supports the completion of this project. The funding requires three
motions due to three sources of funding. The Town obtained $665,000 through a
state grant, the remaining $335,000 will be borrowed.
Peter Pineo inquired if the Town had considered this as a possible site for generating
hydro power.
Mr. Porter stated that, regretfully, it was not something that anyone on the Finance
Committee had thought to ask.
Gerald Salvatori, Chairperson of the Board of Selectmen, stated that they would
more happy to look into it and see if it is something that might be viable at this time.
Michael Trotta, Superintendent of Public Works, stated that the possibility of using
hydro power was investigated with an engineer, however, given the design and
change in grade it was felt that it would not be an economical pursuit.
VOTED: Article 25, Motion 1 adopted as printed.
ADOPTED UNANIMOUS VOICE VOTE
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MOTION 2
MOVED: That Two Hundred and Four Thousand, Eight Hundred
Ninety Eight Dollars and Sixteen cents ($204,898.16) be appropriated to be
spent by the Finance Director (in his capacity as Chief Procurement Officer)
with the approval of the Superintendent of Public Works and the Board of
Selectmen for the purpose of reconstruction or repair of Shepard Pond Dam
and to meet said appropriations the following amounts be transferred from
prior Town Meeting authorizations:
TRANSFER FROM ORIGINAL PURPOSE AMOUNT
ATM 2011 #13-5 Pine Street Culvert $65,765.37
ATM 2006 #12-4 Dedham Street Drainage $43,511.09
ATM 2011 #13-5 Bolivar Street Culvert $30,172.03
ATM 2010 #13-11 Performance Contracting $29,773.00
ATM 2007 #15-4 Dedham Street Drainage $11,423.00
ATM 2006 #12-4 Landfill Gas Venting $8,447.87
ATM 2005 #13-7 Bolivar Street Dam $8,019.63
ATM 2008 #13-4 Station 2 Roof Repairs $7,786.17
$204,898.16
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 7-1-0
Mark Porter, Chairperson of the Finance Committee, moved Article 25, Motion 2 as
printed in the warrant.
Mr. Porter explained that this motion authorizes the transfer of $204,898.16 that was
borrowed for projects previously authorized by Town Meeting. These projects have
been completed, allowing the Town Meeting to transfer the excess funds to the
Shepard‘s Dam project.
VOTED: Article 25, Motion 2 adopted as printed.
ADOPTED UNANIMOUS VOICE VOTE
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MOTION 3
MOVED: That the sum of Eight Hundred Ninety Five Thousand One
Hundred Two Dollars ($895,102) be transferred from Free Cash in the
Treasury of the Town to be spent by the Finance Director (in his capacity as
Chief Procurement Officer) with the approval of the Superintendent of Public
Works and the Board of Selectmen for the purpose of reconstruction or repair
of Shepard Pond Dam.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 8-0-0
Mark Porter, Chairperson of the Finance Committee, moved Article 25, Motion 3 as
printed in the warrant.
Mr. Porter stated that Motion 3 transfers $895,102 from free cash for the remainder
of the funding for the Shepard‘s Dam project.
VOTED: Article 25, Motion 3 adopted as printed.
ADOPTED UNANIMOUS VOICE VOTE
ARTICLE 13
MEDICAL MARIJUANA FACILITIES
Article 13 To see if the Town will vote to amend the Zoning By-Law by inserting
the following new Section 7.7, Special Requirements for Registered Marijuana
Dispensaries, or to take any other action related thereto:
7.7 Special Requirements for Registered Marijuana Dispensaries
7.7.1 Purposes
1. To provide for the establishment of Registered Marijuana Dispensaries (―RMDs‖
in appropriate places and under strict conditions in accordance with Chapter 369 of
the Acts of 2012, An Act For The Humanitarian Medical Use Of Marijuana (the
―Act‖) and 105 CMR 725.00 et seq. (the ―Regulations‖).
2. To minimize the adverse impacts of RMDs on adjacent properties, residential
neighborhoods, schools and other places where children congregate, local historic
districts, and other land uses potentially incompatible with said Facilities.
3. To regulate the siting, design, placement, security, safety, monitoring,
modification, and removal of RMDs.
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