Raynham Selectmen Approve 37-Article Town Meeting Warrant
Annual Town Meeting set for May 19 with school override, MBTA zoning among key issues
RAYNHAM - May 6 - The Raynham Board of Selectmen has approved a 37-article warrant for the Annual Town Meeting scheduled for Monday, May 19, at 7 p.m. at the Raynham Middle School. The warrant includes several significant items including the town's operating budget, a potential school override, and a controversial MBTA Communities Act zoning article.
Town Administrator Gregory Barnes presented an overview of the warrant at Tuesday's selectmen's meeting, highlighting key articles that will come before voters.
"The first four are procedural. Five is the operating budget. Six is for an override for the schools," Barnes said during his presentation.
The school override article would raise additional funds for the school district contingent upon voter approval at a special town election. This follows ongoing discussions between Raynham and Bridgewater officials regarding school funding.
Chairman Pat Riley reported that Bridgewater's Town Council voted 6-2 to schedule a Proposition 2½ override vote for Saturday, June 21.
"That ballot will contain one question for an $8 million dollar override to cover the increased assessment for the school district as well as other town considerations in Bridgewater," Riley said.
Article 7 addresses the sewer enterprise budget, which includes funding for the newly approved sewer union contract. The board unanimously approved the three-year contract with a 2 percent increase each year.
Barnes noted there are "placeholders for highway and police" contracts in case agreements are reached with those unions, though negotiations are still ongoing.
Several financial articles appear on the warrant, including debt articles, an interim adjustment for assessors, and an expansion of the property tax exemption for disabled veterans to include annual cost-of-living adjustments.
Article 19 involves capital funding for schools. Barnes explained the town's approach to school funding in the warrant.
"The schools had asked for an added amount for capital. What we did is we took the amount that we typically budget them minus the amount they said they needed in any case and threw the difference in the operating budget," Barnes said.
He added that if the override passes, the schools would not need the additional operating funds, and that money could be transferred to capital in November.
"If it turns out they need that money for their operating, it will be in the operating budget to supplement the 3 percent. So total we are giving them I believe it's like 5.4 percent," Barnes said.
Other notable articles include:
- Article 23, which would officially change "Board of Selectmen" to "Select Board"
- Article 24, updating the definition of capital expenses from $10,000 to $25,000
- Article 25, reducing Finance Committee membership from seven to five members
- Article 26, allowing the town to lease the South School for up to 99 years to a nonprofit
Articles 27 through 35 deal with land transfers related to the Board and Colony legislation that allows the town to use land for a public safety building and shared-use path.
Perhaps the most controversial item is Article 36, which addresses the MBTA Communities Act (Section 3A). This would create overlay districts in two areas where Walmart stores are currently located to allow for high-density multifamily housing.
"This is a state mandate. We had to pick an area. We picked an area we felt there was a high barrier to entry," Barnes said. "It's the kind of thing where either the town does this or the state will do it for us."
Barnes noted that the Planning Board unanimously supported this zoning change. During public comment, resident Dr. Lee Kozak asked about the consequences of non-compliance with the MBTA Communities Act.
Vice-Chair Joseph Pacheco responded that the town is "still fully understanding the repercussions" but confirmed that state grant funding would be at risk.
"We're going to be releasing in the next day or two a web portal that's going to have information, including the grants we've received over the past two fiscal years that we believe would be in jeopardy if we were in non-compliance," Pacheco said.
The final article on the warrant is a citizen petition requesting a new alcohol license for a business at 11348 New State Highway.
Town Moderator John Donahue will attend next week's selectmen's meeting to provide a more detailed overview of the warrant articles. The town is also planning a Town Meeting Q&A session with Donahue at the Raynham Library on Thursday from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Riley reminded residents that the deadline to register to vote for the Annual Town Meeting is Friday, with registration available at Town Hall from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The board expects higher than usual participation at this year's town meeting due to the school override question and the MBTA Communities Act zoning article.
Watch the entire meeting courtesy of The Raynham Channel.
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