Mark your calendar now for the Annual Town Meeting on Wednesday, May 3, at 7 p.m. at the Ashland High School (AHS) Auditorium, 65 East Union St. If town meeting extends to a second night, it will be held on Monday, May 8.
Town Meeting is an opportunity for every resident to directly participate in town government. Residents may ask questions and share concerns before voting on the operating budget and other matters that directly affect the community over the next 12 months and beyond.
“This budget [FY2018 operating budget] continues our ‘Smart, Safe, and Sustainable’ approach to financial management, which includes investing in services and critical community service projects like the Quiet Zone, while addressing many of our long-term liabilities,” Town Manager Michael Herbert said.
Warrant articles include connecting to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA), increasing the senior tax exemption and extending the temporary moratorium bylaw on recreational marijuana. To review the warrant, which should be posted by April 2, visit www.ashlandmass.com.
Prior to town meeting, the town manager will hold several community forums where residents can learn more about the proposed articles. For an up-to-date listing of these public forms, check www.ashlandmass.com or contact the town manager’s office at 508-881-0100.
Assistant Town Manager Jennifer Ball noted there could be as many as 19 articles for consideration at this spring’s town meeting. Articles to be voted on include:
Review and approval of the Town’s Fiscal Year 2018 operating budget
Update on the proposed supplementation of the Town’s public water supply with a connection to the MWRA
Review of the Town’s revamped five-year capital plan, including two projects town officials seek to launch July 1, 2017: the Riverwalk (an open space walkway starting at the MBTA station and traversing eight-tenths of a mile to Ashland’s Downtown District) and establishment of Quiet Zones at two at-grade railroad crossings (Cross St. and Main St.)
Expand hours of operation at the Ashland Public Library to 50 hours weekly (to include Monday afternoons)
Increase Fire Department staff by two additional firefighters to allow the department to respond simultaneously to multiple calls
Increase the senior tax exemption by 25 percent, resulting in an additional $125 per eligible senior (combined household income of $57,000)
Extend the temporary moratorium bylaw on recreational marijuana by six months to align with the Commonwealth’s newly-adopted regulations for 2018
Adopt the new Municipal Modernization Act, which would give the Town’s Board of Selectmen the flexibility to revise speed limits either street-by-street or town-wide.
Issue Date:
April, 2017
Article Body: