Town Meeting Round-Up: Voters Approve Capital Expenses

During Monday night's annual Town Meeting, voters cast ballots impacting proposed capital projects, transfers of town funds and zoning changes. According to Finance Director Bruce Alexander, after the meeting, Seekonk has $676 in the free cash fund $1,197,591 in the Municipal Capital Stabilization Fund.

Below is a rundown of warrant article results.

Approved

• Article 1: The town will receive the reports of Town Officers, or Committees, and place them on file with the Town Clerk.
• Article 2: To see what sums of money the town will vote to raise and appropriate or transfer from available funds or borrow from operating expenses and the Sanitation Fund for the fiscal year commencing July 2011.
• Article 3: The Town authorized the revolving fund accounts.
• Article 4: The town transfered $12,000 from dog license receipts reserve account to the appropriated account to be expended by the Animal Control Department.
• Article 6: The town appropriated $57,252 from the municipal capitalization stabilization fund to the sixth year of a seven-year lease to purchase fire apparatus. The town appropriated a transfer of $69,122.66 from the free cash fund to pay for a five-year telecommunications lease to be expended under the school committee.
• Article 7: To spend $65,000 for the first year leasing a new ambulance, $60,775 to purchase a new dump truck for the Department of Public Works, spend $28,900 to repair lots in the Seekonk High School, Hurley Middle School and Aitken Elementary School. A $66,500 project included in the article to expoxy the high school's pool ceiling was tabled.
• Article 12: The Board of Selectmen will dispose of surplus property, buildings, land and material that is no use to the town.
• Article 14: The town transfer approxmiately $177,000 from the free cash fund to the fiscal year 2011 snow and ice expenses.
• Article 16: A timeline to use funds to renovate the Banna Fire Station was extended until June 30 2012.
• Article 17: The Board of Health may charge fees for health inspections outside their normal business hours. The fee rates are set by the Board of Selectmen.
• Article 18: The town will fine $200 for illegal soliciting.
• Article 19: The town paid former Seekonk fire fighter Mark Joseph $1,185.80 for prior year wages.
• Article 21: The town fixed the salary and compensation for the Town Clerk and members of the Board of Selectmen, Seekonk School Committee, Board of Assessors.
• Article 22: To approve the definition of signs in the zoning bylaws.

Postponed

• Article 8: To spend $84,700 on the repaving of school parking lots.
• Article 9: To paint the Seekonk High School pool ceiling.

Denied

• Article 23: A temporary signs zoning bylaw.
• Article 24: To approve of the zoning bylaws to include assisted living facilities by special permit.
• Article 26: Toof Seekonk Assessor's Plat 7, Lot 27 and also a portion of Seekonk Assesor's Plat 7, Lot 75, from R-1 to Local Business Zone.

Editor's note: Articles were updated to reflect additional reporting; the article to institute a zoning bylaw to include assisted living facilities by special permit was not approved by voters.