Canton’s annual town meeting kicks off Monday, May 13

Funding for a new senior center, a temporary ban on medical pot shops, and a cash-for-affordable-housing swap are among the many intriguing items that will be up for discussion at Canton’s annual town meeting, which gets underway at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 13, in the Canton High School auditorium.

Traditionally held on the last Monday in April, town meeting was pushed back by two weeks beginning this year in order to give the Finance Committee more time to collect and analyze budget information.

In past years, uncertainty surrounding the amount of state aid the town was expected to receive made it difficult to set spending levels; however, this year the budget picture seems rather clear — and promising — thanks in part to an increase in local receipts as well as “new growth” to the tax base.

The end result, according to the FinCom in its report to voters, is a recommended FY14 budget of $76.4 million that enhances current town and school services while limiting the property tax increase to 2.4 percent, which is slightly less than the maximum allowed under Proposition 2 ½.

The proposed budget calls for a 4.2 percent increase on the municipal side to $16.67 million and a 4.4 percent increase for the schools, up from $31.92 million to $33.32 million. The budget as constituted would cover all contractual increases to town employees while also restoring services and adding some new positions, including more school resource officers and teachers at all three levels.

Meanwhile, town meeting voters will also be asked to approve several big-ticket capital items, headlined by a $1.36 million transfer from the town’s free cash reserve for the purpose of “designing, permitting, constructing and equipping a Canton senior center” at the former Knights of Columbus hall on Pleasant Street.

The recommended transfer would be in addition to the $650,000 appropriated at last year’s town meeting. Since then, the estimated cost to bring the building up to code has skyrocketed to $1.76 million. However, proponents of the project, including the Board of Selectmen and the Council on Aging, still see it as a major upgrade over the existing center — with more space and parking — at a fraction of the cost of constructing a new building.

The proposal also has the unanimous backing of FinCom members, who noted in their report that the project could be paid for without threatening the town’s current AAA bond rating. However, they expressed concern with the affordability of the project and its “moving target budget,” while also warning that “anything higher will not be viewed as fiscally prudent for the town and its taxpayers.”

As municipal leaders seek additional funding for the senior center project, the school department will do the same with a pair of high-priced window replacements at both the Hansen and Galvin schools. Voters at last year’s town meeting had appropriated $754,000 for the project, but the total cost skyrocketed to $2.35 million following the recent discovery of PCBs and asbestos in the caulking around the windows at both schools.

The School Committee has since been approved for a grant from the Mass. School Building Authority that would reimburse the town for 45 percent of the project’s costs. The FinCom supports the additional appropriation, arguing that the MSBA reimbursement will “save the town considerable money” while helping to make the building “more energy efficient and comfortable.”

Other capital projects up for consideration at town meeting include $810,000 for a new ladder truck at the Ponkapoag fire station; $631,000 for replacement of 7,500 water meters and related items designed to improve efficiency and eliminate the need for estimated billing; and $245,000 for the replacement of a chiller system at Metropolis Rink. Both the municipal and school departments will also seek $443,000 each worth of cash capital items, ranging from replacement vehicles to textbooks to technology upgrades, including $23,000 for the redesign of the town website.

In addition to appropriating and borrowing money, Canton voters will also be asked to consider various zoning proposals, including a temporary moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries.

The idea behind the moratorium is to allow the town more time to study the impacts and plan for the zoning of such facilities, which were approved in the November state election. The Department of Public Health has not yet issued final regulations governing medical marijuana; however the attorney general’s office has already rejected a bid by one town to ban dispensaries outright.

The original proposal submitted on the warrant (Article 12) called for a three-year moratorium, but both the FinCom and the Planning Board have since inserted amended versions — one recommending a two-year ban and the other a one-year ban.

Another major zoning proposal, submitted by attorney Richard Staiti on behalf of Baltimore-based Brightview Senior Living, would create a new Senior Housing Overlay District (SHOD) at the site of the AA Will Sand & Gravel pit on Turnpike Street.

The proposal, as detailed in articles 16-18, would allow for the construction of 175-200 housing units for residents 62 and older, including 75-90 independent units, 30-50 assisted living units, and 30-50 memory care (Alzheimer’s) units. Staiti described it as a “special kind of housing” that is rich in services, including meals, recreation and transportation.

Claiming that it would not be economically feasible for his client to offer any type of affordable housing, Staiti has instead included a provision that would allow a developer in a SHOD district to provide a cash payment that would be earmarked to the newly formed Community Preservation Committee for the purpose of promoting affordable housing. Brightview in particular has offered to contribute $300,000, which is based on a working number of 10-12 units.

The Planning Board voted 4-0 to send a favorable recommendation to town meeting, and the Finance Committee, which had previously opposed the project 7-0, has since reversed course and voted unanimously the other way.

Other zoning amendments up for consideration at town meeting include Article 15, which would expand the authority of the Canton Center Design Review Board to include all downtown properties other than single family residences; Article 23, which would allow light manufacturing uses in a business district by way of a special permit; and Article 24, which would expand the definition of a trade shop from 5,000 square feet of work and storage area to 10,000 square feet.

Articles 19 and 20, pertaining to the Plymouth Rubber property, have been withdrawn by the developer and will be reconsidered, perhaps in a modified form, at a future special town meeting.

Other proposals of note to be discussed next week include:

* Article 7, which would transfer $6,000 from two existing accounts to the Historical Commission to support its ongoing gravestone restoration project at Canton Corner Cemetery.

* Article 27, which would extend the Community Preservation Act surcharge exemption (the first $100,000 of property value) to commercial property owners, subject to ballot approval.

* Article 31, which would end the town’s landmark restrictions on pit bull ownership (2007) in light of a new state law prohibiting breed-specific legislation.

* Article 34, which would designate 465 Turnpike Street as a priority development site under Chapter 43D (expedited permitting), giving Canton 12 such sites overall, the highest figure in the state.

* Article 37, which would restore the town’s funding of the annual July 4 celebration via a $35,000 transfer from free cash.

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Posted by Jay Turner on May 9 2013. Filed under Uncategorized. Both comments and pings are currently closed.