Requests for spending on a fire truck and a police cruiser, a series of zoning and personnel bylaws and a lean town operating budget await Chilmark voters at the annual town meeting Monday night.
Longtime moderator Everett Poole will preside over the 37-article warrant; the meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Chilmark Community Center.
Voters will be asked to approve a $7 million dollar budget, up only $238,000 over last year, due to an increased cost of living adjustment for town employees and a hefty ambulance service budget.
Town executive secretary Timothy Carroll said the budget has step increases for employees and this year’s increase of 2.6 per cent for town employees was welcomed after it was left out of last year’s budget, but otherwise, he said it is “pretty much a level funded budget.”
Due to state requirements that require full-time paramedics for the service, the Tri-Town Ambulance Service is requesting a 41 per cent increase for its operating budget. Voters will be asked to approve the town’s share of the budget, which will go up from $104,269 to $160,279. West Tisbury voters approved their portion of the bill at their annual town meeting last week.
The town’s education assessments are up for the regional high school from $487,580 to $518,000, but down in the up-Island regional school district due to enrollment numbers, dropping from $1.89 million to $1.88 million
Library expenses are also up slightly for adding an extra hour on Wednesdays to accommodate school pickup times, with operating expenses increasing by $3,000 and salaries increasing a little over $15,000.
In addition to the town operating budget, voters will act on a series of articles, the largest being a request to spend $220,000 from the fire department stabilization fund for a new tank truck. Mr. Carroll said because the money has already been set aside, it will not affect the tax rate. Voters will also be asked to approve $32,165 for a new police cruiser and $17,500 to buy a portable computer and three stair-chair stretchers for the ambulance service.
A series of town maintenance articles are also up for a vote, including $10,000 for a metal staircase at Squibnocket Beach and $30,000 to rebuild the town dock at Hariph’s Creek. The community preservation committee is requesting $20,000 from the historic resources reserve to restore stone walls along the public roadsides.
A request for $150,000 for the Tea Lane Farm restoration project is expected to be postponed on the town meeting floor, Mr. Carroll said yesterday afternoon. Following a community preservation committee meeting on Wednesday night, members decided to withdraw the article until they had a concrete plan to show to voters, most likely at a fall special town meeting. Voters previously approved spending $30,000 on initial design plans at a special town meeting in September.
The town and the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank own the farmhouse and surrounding land.
Voters will consider a zoning bylaw amendment for private swimming pools. The new language allows for heated pools, but only if the heat is supplied by solar or alternative systems, and new swimming pools must be in direct line of sight from the house, for safety reasons.
Voters will also consider a series of personnel board bylaws, including changing the name of the board to the human resources board. The bylaw creates a procedures manual that allows the board to change rules more frequently without having to go to town meeting and puts in place a rollover system of accrued vacation days.
The annual town election is Wednesday at the Chilmark Community Center; there are no contested races. Polling hours are noon to 8 p.m.
Comments
Comment policy »