by John Osborn
Following a persuasive presentation by one of its members, the Finance Committee voted Wednesday evening to recommend that the town fund the next phase of a plan by the Municipal Building Committee to renovate Town Hall at an estimated cost of $3.9 million.
The vote of the six members who were present was unanimous. George McKenna, who has frequently criticized the plan for failing, in his view, to evaluate less expensive alternatives, was absent. At the same meeting, members also unanimously approved an increase in the surcharge that funds the work of the Community Preservation Committee.
The money needed to complete detailed designs and renovate the building will be raised by the sale of a municipal bond and repaid with interest over 20 years. To reduce the amount of new taxes that the town would otherwise need to levy on residents, the Community Preservation Committee has already voted to use a portion of the revenue it receives every year through the Community Preservation Act surcharge to pay for the principal and interest on $1 million of the total borrowed amount. That decision leaves the taxpayers on the hook for $2.9 million, a number that the Board of Selectmen and building committee hope to reduce through grants and private fund raising.
In a presentation that reportedly erased what doubts remained among some committee members, Finance Committee member Rudy Minar, a financial analyst by profession, reviewed what he called the “years of neglect” that had followed when a 1983 Board of Selectman committee failed to come up with a plan to repair Town Hall. He noted that short-term lending rate for municipalities today are below 1 percent, but that the index for 20-year bonds had jumped from a low of 3.6 to nearly 4 percent since January. The cost of deferring maintenance, according to his analysis, would likely exceed the cost of the current project, while a “band aid” restoration of the exterior would not produce substantial savings.
Other committees in town were also busy this week. On Thursday evening, the Capital Preservation Committee recommended in a 3-2-1 vote that the surcharge on property taxes that funds its activities be raised from 1.1 to 3 percent, an increase which would take effect July 1, 2013. Passage of this measure would provide additional revenue to the Capital Preservation Committee and the town to help pay for work on Hildreth House and other municipal renovation projects.
Rhonda Sprague, the Historical Commission representative, and John Lee, the Parks and Recreation Commission representative, opposed the surcharge increase; elected member Deborah Ricci abstained. Planning Committee representative Michelle Catalina and elected members Deborah Thompson and Steve Rowse voted in favor.
As the Community Preservation Committee debated the merits of an increased CPA surcharge, the Municipal Building Committee was also meeting to discuss how to better inform residents of its plans for Town Hall. But members who were present said that there was disagreement as to how far the committee should go in advocating the schematic designs it has presented to Selectmen and the finance, capital, and community preservation committees. At the urging of co-chair Wade Holtzman and member Lou Russo, the committee decided not to take a formal position.
As of Friday afternoon, then, here’s where matters stood: The Finance Committee had endorsed both the Municipal Building Committee plan for Town Hall and an increase in the Community Preservation surcharge. Selectmen had voted to include both articles in the Town Meeting warrant for this year, but had not yet taken a formal vote to support either one. That poll will be taken in April.
Once Selectmen have spoken, the next steps will be up to Harvard residents. First, Town Meeting attendees must approve both articles on April 28. And then, at town elections the following Tuesday, all registered voters must once again vote for the two actions.