By Beth David, Editor
Fairhaven Town Meeting members will face only 17 articles, with several of those slated to be passed over at the remote town meeting scheduled for this Saturday, 7/25. The Town Moderator, Selectboard Chair, Finance Committee Chair, Town Clerk, Town Administrator, Town Counsel, Technology Department personnel and Cable Access Committee members will be in the room at Hastings Middle School during the meeting. Town Meeting members will access the meeting through their electronic devices, such as cell phones or computers.
The public can view the meeting live on Channel 18 or on FairhavenTV.com. The town will use Zoom technology to hold the meeting. The format allows for people to be recognized to speak and to vote.
Fairhaven has a representative town meeting, which means that TM members are elected. Only TM members can vote on articles.
New rules due to the COVID-19 crisis allowed the town to lower the quorum to 10% of its usual number. That would be only 10 in Fairhaven, but Town Moderator Mark Sylvia lowered the quorum to 40, saying at a Selectboard meeting that 10 was too low a number.
The new rules also require that the town try to avoid any controversial articles if the quorum was lowered, resulting in the shortened warrant of 16 articles.
Also, due to the pandemic, state aid is an unknown, so the town will not approve a full year budget. The town already approved a 1/12th budget to get through July. The town meeting budget articles, if passed, will fund operations through October.
Town Administrator Mark Rees said in a phone interview and in a video presentation previewing TM articles that the town will hold a special town meeting in the fall after the state aid numbers are announced. The town will also have a better estimate on meals and hotel taxes, and possible federal aid to replace lost revenues.
Routine articles for Saturday include Article 1: Measurer of Wood and Bark, which instructs the Selectboard to appoint someone to the position; and article 2, the annual report of town officers.
Article 3, report of committees will be passed over.
Article 4, which would amend the flood insurance rate map to be in compliance with FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), will also be passed over. FEMA initially required the adoption of the article by July 8, but changed its deadline due to the COVID-19 crisis, and has not set a new one yet.
Spending articles include setting salaries of town officers: Selectboard (three members), $20,060; Town Clerk, $63,011; Town Moderator, $800; Tree Warden, $7,321; Board of Health (three members), $5,932. The salaries of the Selectboard members and moderator are the same as last year. The others represent a 2% increase, the same as other town employees.
Article 7, funding the general operation budget, has four columns: one for the FY20 total for each department, one for the amount originally proposed for July–October (1/3 budget, or four months); one for the amount that the Selectboard appropriated to fund operations through July, and one for the amount that TM is being asked to approve to fund operations through October (three months).
The total operating budget for FY20 was approximately $51.5 million. For FY21 the board appropriated $20,956,010 for July to October, with $8,838,829 appropriated for July. Town Meeting will be asked to approved $12,117,181 to fund the town through the end of October.
Most departments have an increase in the salary and wages line, due to a 2% increase. Operating expenses for all town departments, including public safety and public works are pretty much level funded.
The Fairhaven School Department’s appropriation last fiscal year was $23,210,832. The board appropriated $8,296,468 for July–October, with $2,623,518 for July; and TM will be asked to approve $5,672,950 to fund the department through October.
The FY20 total for the Selectboard/Town Administrator department was $341,190. The board appropriated $116,257 for July–October, with $29,159 expended for July. TM will be asked to approve $87,098 to fund the department through October.
The police department budget in FY20 was $4,034,200. The board approved $1,434,970 to fund the department through October, with $399,529 expended in July. TM will be asked to approved $1,035,441 to fund the department through October.
Town Meeting will also vote to appropriate money from the enterprise funds, which are accounts reserved for specific purposes, such as the sewer enterprise fund which can only be use for the sewer department as it is funded by user fees.
Enterprise funds include Water, Sewer, Cable TV, and School TV.
The water department’s FY20 budget was $1,277,368. The board appropriated $425,789 for July– October, with $106,447 expended in July. TM will be asked to approve $319,342 from the enterprise fund to fund the department through October.
The sewer department’s FY20 budget was $3,129,903. The board approved $1,237,767 for July– October, with $388,936 expended in July. TM will be asked to appropriate $748,831 to fund the department through October.
Town Meeting members will also be asked to approve Chapter 90 state funds for roads, $516,473.
Article 10 asks for $2,000,000 to be borrowed for nitrogen treatment improvements at the Sewer Treatment Plant to comply with government regulations on discharging nitrogen into the harbor. The money will be used for the design of the upgrade and associated upgrades, which is one of the milestones laid out in an agreement the town made with the Environmental Protection Agency to upgrade the plan. Article 10 also asks for $35,000 for UV Building Bank Rehabilitation and $25,000 to replace the Causeway Road Station Pump.
TM will also be asked to authorize the various revolving funds; fund the Social Day Program up to $175,000 from the grant account reserved for Social Day; and authorize the memorandum of understanding so the school department can receive reimbursement from various state departments for foster care transportation.
One article may get some discussion. Article 15 would change the zoning of Crow’s Island from Single Residence District (RA) to the Mixed Use District (MU).
The island sits in the middle of the New Bedford/Fairhaven harbor within the Fairhaven boundary. The new owners have presented to the planning board to change the zoning so they can have functions, such as weddings, at the site. The Planning Board approved the project after a public hearing; the selectboard will make its recommendation at town meeting. The article was submitted by a private party.
Article 16 asks TM to approve paving of Robert Street from Castle Avenue to the bottom of Robert, approximately 144. The article will be passed over and presented at the STM in the fall.
For a preview of the articles with explanations by the Town Moderator, Town Administrator, and input from Town Meeting members in preparation for TM on Saturday, visit FairhavenTV.com and click on “Town Meeting Preview.”
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