At Saturday’s Annual Town Meeting, voters will be asked to decide on 37 articles put forward by the Select Board and various other town committees. Some ask for money, others propose changes to the town’s bylaws, or, in two cases, create new positions. On the following pages we explain each in everyday English, including the amount of money involved, its source, who oversees its use, whether the article impacts your taxes and—when less than obvious—the consequences of voting yes or no.
At Town Election May 7, voters will decide on four ballot questions: whether to adopt a means-tested property tax cap for qualified seniors; whether to borrow $300,000 to pay for a design and engineering study of Ayer Road from Route 2 to the Ayer rotary; whether to borrow $195,000 to purchase a new heavy-duty truck for the DPW; and whether to borrow $480,000 to repair or replace the slate roof of the old library.
If you’re looking for legalese, you’ll find it in the Town Meeting booklet, which all residents should have received by mail this week. The booklet contains the exact wording of all 37 articles, their cost, and whether they’ve been recommended by the Finance Committee and, when capital expenditures are involved, by the Capital Planning and Investment Committee. At their April 23 meeting the Select Board members recommended every article except Articles 32 and 33, two citizen petitions related to the sale of marijuana in Harvard. Readers should be aware, however, that the final wording and exact dollar amounts of some articles won’t be known until motions for their adoption are read on the floor of Town Meeting. Motions can be amended, so you’ll need to stay on your toes.
For help with specialized terms such as “General Fund” or “levy,” see our “Glossary of Town Meeting Lingo.” Finally, for details on how to speak and legislate at Town Meeting, see the “Town Meeting Procedures,” prepared by the League of Women Voters of Harvard, on pages 28 and 29 of the warrant.
ARTICLE 1: ANNUAL REPORTS
- Inserted by Select Board
- No financial impact
- Requires majority vote
This article, an annual formality, asks voters to hear reports from the Select Board, School Committee, and any other boards that wish to present. Its passage opens the door for any board or committee to step forward and tell the town of its activities and accomplishments over the past year.
Harvard’s charter, passed just last May, asks the Select Board to report on the state of the town and to evaluate its progress against the goals it set in June 2018. Most town boards choose not to speak, but details of their work can be found in three reports distributed at Town Meeting. The 2019 Town Meeting booklet includes reports from the Finance, Capital, and Community Preservation committees on the state of town finances. The 2018 Annual Town Report includes year-end reports submitted by every town department and volunteer committee, as well as the minutes of the 2018 Annual and Special Town Meetings. The annual report is packed with statistics that will be of interest to citizens in an analytical mood. The School Committee typically provides a separate financial report of its own. All three reports will be available at Town Meeting.
ARTICLE 2: PAY BILLS OF PRIOR FISCAL YEAR
- Inserted by Select Board
- Amount: $6,407
- Money source: Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund
- Requires a four-fifths vote
- Recommended by Select Board and Finance Committee
A 2017 DPW invoice from Covanta, a waste-management vendor, remained unpaid at the end of fiscal 2018. Passage of this article authorizes the town to pay it.
ARTICLE 3: EXTEND SUNSET DATES: RESTORATION OF FIRE PONDS
- Inserted by Select Board
- Amount: $100,000
- Money source: Excluded debt
- Board or official authorized to expend funds: Fire chief, in coordination with the Department of Public Works director and with the approval of the Select Board.
- Tax impact: Yes. When the money is borrowed, taxpayers pay principal and interest for the life of the loan.
- Requires a majority vote
- Recommended by Select Board and Finance Committee
At the 2017 Annual Town Meeting and Town Election, voters authorized the town to borrow $100,000 to restore selected fire ponds in Harvard. But as of May 2019, no money had been spent and none borrowed. The authorization is set to expire June 30, 2019. This article, however, gives the fire chief another year to do the work and for the town to borrow what it needs to cover the cost. The five-year capital plan anticipates that the Fire Department will need additional appropriations of $50,000 per year through fiscal 2023 to complete the work.
ARTICLE 4: OTHER POST-EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS (OPEB) ACTUARIAL AUDIT
- Inserted by Select Board
- Amount: $8,000
- Money source: Stabilization Fund
- Tax impact: None
- Requires a two-thirds vote
- Recommended by Finance Committee
Each year the town sets aside money to cover future health care costs for retired town employees. When the town’s workforce changes, as it has in the past year, these future retirement needs change, too. So this year, the auditors are requiring an actuarial audit to see how the money being set aside for OPEB compares with the town’s future liability.
ARTICLE 5: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY UPGRADE
- Inserted by Select Board
- Amount: $67,209
- Money source: Free cash
- Tax impact: None
- Requires a majority vote
- Finance Committee deferred its decision on whether to recommend this article.
This article would allow the town to replace its 25 oldest computers, while also bringing all town computers up to the Windows 10 operating system and extending the town’s fiber loop to the Department of Public Works. The goal is for town departments to be able to communicate, read the same files, and exchange files, eliminating the data re-entry that is now often required when information is transferred from one department to another. The funds would also cover setting up a new server for the Police Department, replacing one that dates back to 2005, and installing related upgrades.
ARTICLE 6: STABILIZATION FUND FUNDING
- Inserted by Finance Committee
- Amount: $14,407
- Money source: 2018 free cash.
- Tax impact: None
- Requires a majority vote
- Recommended by Finance Committee
Harvard’s stabilization fund is its “rainy day” fund, money set aside to cover unforeseen expenses. Harvard’s bylaw, Chapter 17-4, requires the fund maintain a balance equal to 5% of the prior year’s omnibus budget. When it falls below that amount, the town must top it off with a transfer from free cash, which must be voted before free cash is transferred to the Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund.
The Finance Department has determined that a transfer of $14,407 is needed this year to replenish the fund. As of June 30, 2017, the end of fiscal 2017, the fund balance was approximately $1.2 million. The fiscal 2018 number will be published in this year’s town report.
ARTICLE 7: AMEND ARTICLE 3 HAPGOOD LIBRARY
- Inserted by Select Board and Capital Planning and Investment Committee
- No financial impact
- Requires a majority vote
- Recommended by Finance Committee
This article simply fixes a wording error of an article passed at Special Town Meeting last fall. Article 3 of that warrant related to funding for the old library accessibility project, and it said, “$191,000 was transferred from the Capital Fund.” The funds had not yet been transferred, so this article changes the wording to “$191,000 shall be transferred from the Capital Fund.” The change in wording is required so the funds can be transferred; a no vote would mean funds would have to be borrowed to pay for the project, which is near completion.
ARTICLE 8: RESCIND BORROWING AUTHORITY
- Inserted by Select Board
- No financial impact
- Requires a majority vote
- Recommended by Finance Committee
After 2017 Special Town Meeting voted to authorize the town to borrow $383,000 for the old library accessibility project, a grant was received for $192,000, and the Capital Planning and Investment Committee voted to use $191,000 from the Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund for the project. This article simply rescinds the initial 2017 borrowing request. (A supplemental appropriation of $200,000 was needed last year after bids for the project came in higher than expected. 2018 Special Town Meeting voted to approve borrowing that $200,000.)
ARTICLE 9: TRANSFER OF BORROWING PROCEEDS
- Inserted by Select Board
- No financial impact
- Requires a majority vote
- Recommended by Finance Committee
When Phase 1 of the Hildreth House renovation project was completed in 2017, after all bills were paid, $59,371.79 remained unspent. Assistant Town Administrator Marie Sobalvarro explained that money was in the budget to address possible changes to driveway site drawings and sitework because of ongoing differences of opinion between the fire chief and the Planning Board regarding curbing and demarcation. Those changes never materialized, but, legally, the money allocated for that work could be spent only on items in the original scope of work.
By law, the “stranded” funds cannot be used to pay down the debt of the Hildreth House Phase 1 project because the amount is greater than $50,000. The funds can be used only to pay down the debt of another borrowing obligation, and this article requests the funds be used to help reduce the amount the town will need to borrow for the old library accessibility project, which is nearing completion. If it passes, this article would reduce the amount of excluded debt residents will owe on the old library project from $200,000 to $140,628.
ARTICLE 10: SEWER ENTERPRISE RETAINED EARNINGS
- Inserted by Water and Sewer Commission
- No financial impact
- Requires a majority vote
- Recommended by Finance Committee
Sewer usage and connection fees are added to a fund that is used to pay for maintenance and repairs to the system. Unspent money from prior years, basically free cash, must be moved into the expense fund for the current fiscal year.
ARTICLE 11: OMNIBUS BUDGET
- Inserted by Finance Committee
- Amount: $27,300,395
- Money source: General Fund
- Tax impact: Yes
- Requires a majority vote
- Recommended by Select Board and Finance Committee
Although it takes months to prepare, the town’s omnibus budget is typically approved in a matter of minutes, often without a single question asked or comment made. In its nine pages (see pages 34-40 in this year’s Town Meeting booklet), the budget lays out the amount the Select Board recommends be spent by each department in the coming year. The document also shows how much each department spent in fiscal years 2016 through 2018, as well as the amount authorized for fiscal 2019 (actual spending won’t be known until the fiscal year ends).
The budget for fiscal 2020 totals $27,300,395 (see the line titled “Grand Total Omnibus Budget” on page 40), a 6% increase over this year’s budgeted amount.
As always, the operating budget for Harvard’s schools (line 32, page 37) accounts for the biggest chunk of town spending, totaling $13,783,060, a 2.93% increase over fiscal 2019. Additional detail can be found on pages 5-8 in the Town Meeting booklet. Look for the School Committee’s own budget book, available at Town Meeting. It’s lime green this year.
Benefits for town and school employees (line 59, page 39) will rise less dramatically to $5.3 million next year, following an 18.2 percent jump in fiscal 2019 that was driven by a spike in health insurance costs.
Excluded debt will jump dramatically as interest on borrowing for the start of new school construction comes due. The total is expected to rise by 54%, from $1.3 million this year to $1.9 million in fiscal 2020.
Other big budget categories include the following:
General government, which includes salaries for the town administrator and assistant town administrator, finance director, and town clerk and pays for the operation of town buildings: $1.5 million, a nearly 10% increase over this year (see Total General Govt. on page 35).
Public safety, including spending for police, fire, ambulance, and inspectional services: $2.1 million, a 2% increase (see Total Public Safety on page 36).
Physical environment, most of which is for the Department of Public Works (see lines 34, 35, and 36), but includes the Transfer Station, water department, and cemeteries as well: $1.5 million, a 3% increase (see Total Physical Environment on page 38).
Before a penny of this money can be spent next fiscal year, Town Meeting must give its assent.
The Finance Committee and Board of Selectmen recommend that Town Meeting pass the article in its entirety.
ARTICLE 12: RESERVE FUND – FISCAL YEAR 2020
- Inserted by Finance Committee
- Amount: $350,000
- Money source: General Fund
- Tax impact: Yes
- Requires a majority vote
- Recommended by Select Board and Finance Committee
Not all the money spent by the town is included in the omnibus budget. There are always unforeseen expenses. The Finance Committee typically recommends that $350,000 be appropriated for the town’s Reserve Fund, half for traditional emergencies such as extra plowing and treatment of roads in an especially snowy winter, and half to cover unforeseen special education and other costs.
The Reserve Fund is under the control of the Finance Committee and saves the town from having to hold numerous special town meetings to authorize expenditures of small, unforeseen sums. Whatever is left at the end of this year will be swept and added to the calculation of free cash.
ARTICLE 13: OPERATING EXPENSES FOR SENIOR TRANSPORTATION
- Inserted by Select Board
- Amount: $25,552
- Money source: General Fund
- Tax impact: Yes, in fiscal 2020. If this article passes, the amount would be added to the COA budget in the future.
- Requires a majority vote
- Recommended by Finance Committee
The Council on Aging (COA) has requested this money to pay the operating expenses of a second wheelchair-accessible van. The amount would cover maintenance, insurance, fuel (based on DPW gas prices), an additional five hours a week for dispatch, and salary for a driver for seven hours a day, three days a week.
The Friends of the COA is planning to purchase the second van with its own funds and donations. It now has about $45,000 designated for the van. Last year the COA provided nearly 3,000 rides to seniors and disabled residents; Harvard Help volunteers had to cover 320 of those rides because the van was fully scheduled. An additional van will allow the COA to schedule trips in two different directions at the same time or to transport more people to regular shopping trips.
ARTICLE 14: PURCHASE PRECINCT SCANNER AND BALLOT BOX
- Inserted by Select Board
- Amount: $5,000
- Money source: General Fund
- Tax impact: Yes
- Requires a majority vote
- Recommended by Finance Committee
Owning a second voting machine will make town elections more expedient. Early voting means the process is slower and tends to hold up the line at the polls. All votes must be counted only on the day of election; with two machines, one person could be counting early ballots and another counting votes at the polls. With an unusually high number of voters expected for the upcoming presidential election in 2020, it will be necessary to have two machines to keep up with the volume of votes. Rental of a machine is $2,000.
ARTICLE 15: DPW – ROADSIDE TREE MAINTENANCE
- Inserted by Select Board
- Amount: $20,000
- Money source: General Fund
- Tax impact: Yes
- Requires a majority vote
- Recommended by Finance Committee
This is a recurring annual expense. Each year, the town contracts with a professional company to remove dead or hazardous trees and to trim trees and large brush along the town’s roadsides. Department of Public Works Director Tim Kilhart said he has a list of trees that need to be trimmed or removed, and he and the tree warden will likely add more trees to the list later this spring after the trees leaf out. Residents also report hazardous trees that they would like trimmed or removed, and Kilhart said the town will likely “never catch up at $20,000 a year.”
ARTICLE 16: PERFORMANCE-BASED WAGE ADJUSTMENTS
- Inserted by Select Board
- Amount: $23,456
- Money source: General fund
- Tax impact: Yes
- Requires a majority vote
- Recommended by Finance Committee
Last year the town switched from a step-and-grade pay scale to a merit pay system for its nonschool employees. But the 2020 level-service omnibus budget covers only cost-of-living increases for those employees. So last January, the Personnel Board voted to ask Town Meeting for a sum that would allow a maximum 1.5% merit raise for the town’s 38 employees whose pay is not set by a union contract, individual contract, or stipend. These employees work mainly in the library, Town Hall, and the Council on Aging, with a few in other departments. If a department head does not give out the full amount allotted for merit raises, the surplus would return to free cash at the end of fiscal 2020.
ARTICLE 17: FACILITIES MANAGER/BUILDING INSPECTOR and ZONING ENFORCEMENT OFFICER
- Inserted by Select Board
- Amount: $26,757
- Money source: General Fund
- Tax impact: Yes, in fiscal 2020. If this article passes, the amount would be added to the town budget in the future.
- Requires a majority vote
- Recommended by Finance Committee
Section 5-6 of the town charter calls for the town administrator to appoint a facilities manager. The duties specified include preparing and implementing repair and maintenance programs for all town buildings, possibly including the schools, and inspecting all town buildings (except the schools) annually, and reporting any recommended repairs or servicing to the Select Board. Requests for large repairs would be passed on to the Capital Planning and Investment Committee for evaluation and funding.
The town charter also states that the duties of the facilities manager could be assigned to the building inspector, allowing the town to combine the two positions into one. The new position requested in this article would include the duties of the facilities manager, building inspector, and zoning enforcement officer. The amount requested would supplement the $50,000 allocated for the building inspector and zoning enforcement officer on line 26 of this year’s budget.
ARTICLE 18: DPW POSITION
- Inserted by Select Board
- Amount: $41,944
- Money source: General Fund
- Tax impact: Yes, in fiscal 2020. This amount would be added to the DPW budget in the future.
- Requires a majority vote
- Recommended by Finance Committee
For the past few years, the town has hired a part-time seasonal worker for mowing public areas in the summer, and the schools have contracted out plowing of the parking lots and driveways around Bromfield and the elementary school. This vote would allow the DPW to add a full-time position for a worker to do plowing for the schools, summer mowing, and other work for the DPW. The new position would eliminate the need for the annual request for $15,000 for seasonal mowing (see Article 19) and would save money on plowing.
ARTICLE 19: SEASONAL MOWING
- Inserted by Select Board
- Amount: $15,000
- Money source: General Fund
- Tax impact: Yes
- Requires a majority vote
- Recommended by Finance Committee
NOTE: If Article 18 passes, it will provide for the annual seasonal mowing of public areas in town, and the Finance Committee will recommend taking no action on Article 19.
This is the amount of money the DPW needs annually to pay for a part-time seasonal worker to mow the Common, areas around town buildings, the cemeteries, Parks and Recreation fields, and other public areas. The amount does not cover the yearly mowing of meadows and fields under the jurisdiction of the Conservation Commission; that work is contracted out.
ARTICLE 20:
CAPITAL STABILIZATION AND INVESTMENT FUND FUNDING
- Inserted by Finance Committee
- Amount: $40,000
- Money source: General Fund
- Tax impact: Yes
- Requires a majority vote
- Recommended by Finance Committee
This $40,000 will be used for small capital requests submitted by the DPW. The funds will be deposited into the Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund, and Article 22-8 earmarks the $40,000 for DPW small capital items. The amount is consistent with prior years.
ARTICLE 21: TRANSFER FROM CERTIFIED FREE CASH TO THE CAPITAL STABILIZATION AND INVESTMENT FUND
- Inserted by Finance Committee
- Amount: Not known at Press time
- Money source: Free cash
- No financial impact
- Requires a majority vote
- Recommended by Select Board and Finance Committee
As required by Harvard’s bylaw, this article transfers what is left of fiscal 2018 free cash to the town’s Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund. The balance of free cash that is available depends on how much of the original $1.15 million certified by the state remains after other actions taken by Town Meeting voters.
ARTICLE 22: CAPITAL PLANNING AND INVESTMENT COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED EXPENDITURES: Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund
- Inserted by Capital Planning and Investment Committee
- Money source: Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund (CSIF)
- Tax impact: None in fiscal 2020. The money will come from the CSIF
- Requires a two-thirds vote. A vote for this article is a vote for all 12 capital projects and expenditures. If an item requires additional debate or amendment, the moderator will set it aside for separate consideration.
The Select Board and the Finance and Capital Planning and Investment committees recommend that Article 22 and all 12 of its separate expenditures be passed in its entirety and paid for with money from the Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund.
Article 22-1: Replace Bromfield gym bleachers
- Amount: $75,000
- Board or official authorized to expend funds: Superintendent of schools, with School Committee approval.
- Expiration date: June 30, 2020
The current bleachers in the Bromfield gymnasium are more than 45 years old and do not meet current safety standards. The wood has split in areas, the safety railings are inadequate, and the wall attachments have weakened. Replacement bleachers to seat the same number of people will cost $75,000.
Article 22-2: Upgrades to Cronin Auditorium
- Amount: $100,000
- Board or official authorized to expend funds: Superintendent of schools, with School Committee approval.
- Expiration date: June 30, 2021
The Cronin Auditorium is the largest assembly space in town and is in continual use. Last year the capital committee approved $100,000 for the first phase of a three-year upgrade of the auditorium, which included upgrades to house and stage lighting, control boards, and the stage area. This article seeks money for the second phase, which will include repairs to the control room, new carpeting, repair or replacement of broken seating, and air conditioning for the auditorium.
Article 22-3: Addition of air conditioning units for the Bromfield science wing
- Amount: $65,000
- Board or official authorized to expend funds: Superintendent of schools, with School Committee approval.
- Expiration date: June 30, 2021
The science wing faces south, and temperatures in its rooms often exceed 80 degrees on hot days in spring and fall. Inefficient window air conditioners are currently used to cool the rooms. The plumbing and structural work for chillers is already in place, having been done when new air handler units were installed in 2016. Adding two chiller units to the current air handlers will provide cooler, conditioned air to about 25% of the school (10 or more classrooms and common areas).
Article 22-4: Willard Lane Conservation Land
- Amount: $100,000
- Board or official authorized to expend funds: Conservation Commission
- Expiration date: June 30, 2020
The Conservation Commission and the Harvard Conservation Trust propose to buy 23.3 acres of land on Willard Lane that abuts several other conservation areas and serves as a trail linkage from Bare Hill Pond to Still River. Their plan is to divide the land into two parcels and sell the smaller one as a single house lot. The larger parcel (about 22 acres) would be placed in conservation. Funds for the whole purchase would come from the sale of the house lot, the Conservation Trust, the Community Preservation Committee, and the capital committee, all of which have approved the project. The Bare Hill Pond Watershed Management Committee has also endorsed the land purchase.
Article 22-5: Replacement of fire hoses and nozzles
- Amount: $23,500
- Board or official authorized to expend funds: Fire chief with Select Board approval
- Expiration date: June 30, 2020
The Fire Department is looking to replace the remainder of its old fire hose, as it has been failing pressure tests. This project began two years ago and the department wants to complete it this year. In addition, the department would like to replace its nozzles, which are even older than the hose. Only one person is needed to manage a hose due to lower pressure. Lower pressure from the truck reduces wear on the pump. The new nozzles can be serviced in-house whereas the old ones had to be sent away to be calibrated, and the new nozzles have a longer reach and put out more water than the old nozzles.
Article 22-6: Town Center Fire Station parking
- Amount: $21,500
- Board or official authorized to expend funds: Fire chief with Select Board approval
- Expiration date: June 30, 2021
When the recent Hildreth House improvements were completed, the Fire Department lost the ability to park several vehicles close to the station due to regrading and paving at the site. Volunteer firefighters now must park at the Hildreth House or Town Hall parking areas, slowing their response time. The proposed project includes leveling a portion of the slope in front and to the side of the fire station, paving and striping, resulting in the addition of 10-12 parking spaces. A portion of the work will be completed by the DPW, reducing the cost to the town.
Article 22-7: Replace light-duty dump truck
- Amount: $76,500
- Board or official authorized to expend funds: Department of Public Works director with Select Board approval
- Expiration date: June 30, 2020
This is a scheduled replacement of a 10-year-old Ford F-550 with a new Ford F-550 with plow. The town owns four of these vehicles. They are used every day for work around town and are replaced every 10 years.
Article 22-8: Recurring DPW small capital items
- Amount: $40,000
- Board or official authorized to expend funds: Department of Public Works director with Select Board approval
- Expiration date: June 30, 2020
This $40,000 is earmarked for small capital requests submitted by the DPW. In the past, this amount was part of the line item budget of the DPW and available to the DPW director for discretionary capital purchases during the year. DPW Director Tim Kilhart has proposed using all of this amount toward refurbishing the street sweeper; see Article 22-9, below.
Article 22-9: Refurbish street sweeper
- Amount: $20,000
- Board or official authorized to expend funds: Department of Public Works director with Select Board approval
- Expiration date: June 30, 2020
Harvard owns a 20-year-old Elgin Pelican street sweeper that has aged to the point of needing frequent, costly repairs. The DPW is currently replacing parts piecemeal, but DPW Director Tim Kilhart said it would be more cost-effective to get it refurbished. He reported that a similar sweeper in Hubbardston was refurbished, and it is now a much more dependable machine. He added that the street sweeper would be very expensive to replace. The annual spring road sweeping is contracted out (primarily due to the poor condition of our sweeper), but a reliable sweeper is needed frequently for cleaning the Common, town and school parking lots, and spot clean-ups during road construction or accidents. Kilhart proposes using all $40,000 of the DPW’s annual budget for small capital items (see Article 22-8) toward the estimated $60,000 refurbishing cost. The Capital Planning and Investment Committee recommends an additional $20,000 be funded from the Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund.
Article 22-10: Replace mobile radios for the Ambulance Service
- Amount: $45,000
- Board or official authorized to expend funds: Ambulance director with Select Board approval
- Expiration date: June 30, 2020
The Ambulance Service would like to replace its current handheld VHF radios with UHF radios. The current radios are about 15 years old and are no longer supported by the company that made them. Replacement parts are not available, and the radios are considered “business class” instead of “mission critical class.” In addition, they do not work on the same frequency as the Fire Department and surrounding ambulance services’ radios, which can cause delays and communication problems. The police and fire departments have recommended this replacement as well.
Article 22-11: Repair ambulance building
- Amount: $20,300
- Board or official authorized to expend funds: Town administrator with Select Board approval
- Expiration date: June 30, 2021
The 1922 fire station (later used as ambulance quarters), just west of Town Hall, is in need of exterior repairs and painting to preserve it. The building houses the town vault, where the town’s records and other irreplaceable documents are kept. In 1995 the vault was moved out of Town Hall and, in the recent restoration, no room was made to return the vault to the building. There is no other place to house this large vault, and the building it is in needs to be protected from deterioration. Town Meeting 2018 voted $30,000 for new shelving in the vault. That work will be done this summer.
Article 22-12: Debt payment
- Amount: $73,420
- Board or official authorized to expend funds: Town treasurer with approval of Select Board
- Expiration date: June 30, 2020
This article authorizes the town treasurer to use $73,420 from the Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund to pay the principal and interest due this year on two capital committee loans, one for the 2010 purchase of fire and DPW vehicles and a second for a town water system upgrade. See page 19 of the Town Meeting warrant booklet, “Town of Harvard 5-Year Capital Plan Summary,” for details.
ARTICLE 23: CAPITAL PLANNING AND INVESTMENT COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED EXPENDITURES: EXCLUDED DEBT
- Inserted by the Capital Planning and Investment Committee
- Money source: Proposition 2½ excluded debt
- Impact on fiscal 2020 taxes: Yes. Money will be borrowed as excluded debt. Principal and interest will be paid by taxpayers over the life of the loan.
- Vote required: Article requires a two-thirds vote at town meeting and each individual item must pass by majority vote at Town Election May 7. A vote for this article is a vote for all three capital projects and expenditures. If an item requires additional debate or amendment, the moderator will set it aside for separate consideration and a vote.
Finance Committee recommends Items 1 and 2, but at press time did not recommend Item 3. The Capital Planning and Investment Committee recommends all three items.
Article 23-1: Ayer Road design and engineering study
- Amount: $300,000
- Board or official authorized to expend funds: Department of Public Works director with Select Board approval
- Vote required: This item must pass by two-thirds vote at Town Meeting, either as part of this article or individually, and by majority vote at Town Election.
Ayer Road from Route 2 to the Ayer town line, last paved in 1992, needs a complete repair and upgrade including sidewalks, bicycle lanes, and an improved drainage system. DPW Director Tim Kilhart has successfully gotten this project listed on the Federal Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) so that federal funds would cover all of the estimated $5.5 million construction cost. Based on his experience with similar projects in other towns, he is convinced funding the design and engineering study (which would need to be completed in any scenario moving forward) would substantially increase Harvard’s ability to secure these federal funds.
Article 23-2: Replace heavy-duty dump truck
- Amount: $195,000
- Board or official authorized to expend funds: Department of Public Works director with Select Board approval
- Vote required: This item must pass by two-thirds vote at Town Meeting, either as part of this article or individually, and by majority vote at Town Election.
This is a scheduled replacement of the town’s 1996 Mack six-wheel heavy-duty dump truck. The town owns six of these vehicles, and each is on a roughly 20-year replacement cycle. They are used for construction projects and hauling materials year-round and for plowing and sanding roads during the winter.
Article 23-3: Old library roof
- Amount: $480,000
- Board or official authorized to expend funds: Permanent Building Committee with Select Board approval
- Vote required: This item must pass by two-thirds vote at Town Meeting, either as part of this article or individually, and by majority vote at Town Election.
The old library is in need of having its original 132-year-old slate roof, underlayment, copper flashings, valleys, gutters, and downspouts replaced. Despite previous repairs, the roof continues to leak, causing ongoing damage to interior walls. A full inspection and estimates were obtained from two companies that specialize in slate roofs in order to scope the project and estimate the cost. Some of the slates may be able to be recycled; however, as a precaution the estimated project cost includes complete replacement with new slate. The town’s Permanent Building Committee will oversee the project, which is planned to begin in 2019.
The Capital Planning and Investment Committee recommends this request of $480,000; the Finance Committee does not. The Community Preservation Committee has recommended that supplemental funding of $100,000 be provided from its Historical Preservation Reserves to pay for the hiring or an engineer or architect to write a specification to defray the cost of the repairs.
ARTICLE 24: HEAR REPORT AND UPDATE ON AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE TOWN OF HARVARD TO ESTABLISH A CAP ON PROPERTY TAXES FOR MEANS-TESTED SENIOR CITIZENS
- Inserted by Select Board
- Financial impact: The money to pay for the program would be limited to 0.5% of the annual levy, or between $100,000 and $150,000, in its first year, but could be raised by the selectmen to between 0.5 and 1% in its second and third years.
- Money Source: The money needed to pay for the program would be raised by a slight increase in the tax bills of non-qualifying property owners.
- Requires a majority vote
- Recommended by the Finance Committee and the Select Board
A vote for this article is a vote to hear a report on this home-rule bylaw. The bylaw was approved at 2018 Annual Town Meeting and subsequently by the state Legislature. To enact it, a majority must vote in favor at Town Election May 7.
If enacted, this bylaw would allow seniors who qualify in any given year to reduce their property taxes by up to 50%. Applicants must have incomes below the limits set by the state senior circuit breaker: for tax year 2018, those limits were $56,000 if single; $86,000 if married. At least one owner must have lived in town for 10 consecutive years. The assessed value of the primary residence cannot exceed $720,000, and an applicant must have lived there for at least six months and one day that year. There is no asset test. Applications will be reviewed and approved by the Elderly and Disabled Tax Aid Committee. Proponents estimate that between 50 and 100 seniors might qualify in the first year.
ARTICLE 25: COMMUNITY PRESERVATION COMMITTEE REPORT
- Inserted by Community Preservation Committee
- No financial impact
- Requires a majority vote
This article invites the Community Preservation Committee to report on its fiscal 2020 Community Preservation budget, which is also printed on pages 26 and 27 of the warrant booklet.
ARTICLE 26: COMMUNITY PRESERVATION COMMITTEE-Community Preservation Fund
- Inserted by the Community Preservation Committee
- Money source: Community Preservation Fund
- Tax impact: None
- Requires a majority vote. A vote for this article is a vote for all eight Community Preservation Committee grants. If an item requires additional debate or amendment, the moderator will set it aside for separate consideration and a vote.
- Capital Planning and Investment Committee and Finance Committee do not comment on CPC articles.
Article 26-1: Replace slate roof at old library
- Amount: $100,000
- Board or official authorized to expend funds: Permanent Building Committee
- Expiration date: June 30, 2021
At its most recent meeting, CPC voted to expand the scope of this grant to include not only the cost of repairing the old library roof, but also the hiring of an architect or engineer to write a specification for the work. Any money that remained could be used to defray the cost of repair.
Article 26-2: Purchase boat rental kiosk
- Amount: $15,000
- Board or official authorized to expend funds: Parks and Recreation Commission
- Expiration date: June 30, 2020
This grant will be used to purchase a kiosk that will allow residents to rent kayaks and canoes for use on Bare Hill Pond. If the program is successful, the commission hopes to expand the number of rental boats available and to reduce the number of kayak and canoe storage racks at the beach.
Article 26-3: Preserve historic town documents
- Amount: $25,635
- Board or official authorized to expend funds: Town Clerk
- Expiration date: June 30, 2020
This is part of an ongoing process to have an outside company clean and preserve town documents. When the vault is cleared out this summer to allow for the new shelving, the town clerk will be able to sort through records and determine how many historical documents are still in need of preservation. Preservation of certain original documents is a state law.
Article 26-4: Affordable housing funds
- Amount: $46,368
- Board or official authorized to expend funds: Municipal Affordable Housing Trust
- Expiration date: None
The Community Preservation Committee is legally required to spend at least 10% of its annual income on affordable housing. This measure (and the measure below) moves that money from a more general pool of funds into an account specifically delineated for housing purpose, to make sure the law is followed. In this case the money will come from the CPC’s Affordable Housing Reserves.
Article 26-5: Affordable housing funds
- Amount: $27,321
- Board or official authorized to expend funds: Municipal Affordable Housing Trust
- Expiration date: None
The Community Preservation Committee is legally required to spend at least 10% of its annual income on affordable housing. This measure (and the measure above) moves that money from a more general pool of funds into an account specifically delineated for that purpose. In this case, the money will come from the CPC’s unspecified reserves.
Article 26-6: Conservation Commission fund
- Amount: $125,000
- Board or official authorized to expend funds: Conservation Commission
- Expiration date: None
If approved, some or all of this money would be used to help purchase the 23.3 acres of conservation land on Willard Lane described in Article 22-4. If the full amount is not needed for that project, the remainder could be kept in reserve for later land purchases or applied to other Conservation Commission initiatives, such as controlling invasive plants on conservation land.
Article 26-7: Town Hall renovation debt service
- Amount: $50,000
- Board or official authorized to expend funds: Select Board
- Expiration date: June 30, 2021
The Community Preservation Committee has an obligation to pay down a million dollar bond on the restoration of Town Hall. This is the fourth year of Town Hall debt payment by CPC.
Article 26-8: Community Preservation Committee expenses
- Amount: $2,500
- Board or official authorized to expend funds: Community Preservation Committee
- Expiration date: June 30, 2021
The Community Preservation Committee requires a small amount of money for administrative expenses, including Community Preservation Coalition dues and necessary legal fees.
ARTICLE 27: LOCAL OPTION ROOM TAX
- Inserted by Select Board
- Amount: None
- Money source: None
- Tax impact: Possible revenue source
- Requires a majority vote
- Recommended by Finance Committee
In 2016 Town Meeting adopted a local option meals tax of 0.75%, to be collected by restaurants in town along with the 6.25% state meals tax. The full 7% is sent in to the state, which returns the local portion to Harvard each quarter. This tax generates about $25,000 a year for the town.
Last December the state offered towns the option of a local tax on short-term room rentals that would work the same way. But the rate is much higher—6% on top of an existing state tax of 5.7% for this area. If passed, the Friendly Crossways Retreat Center on Littleton County Road, which rents mostly to nonprofit groups and budget travelers, would be the only business immediately affected. A search of some websites (Airbnb, Vrbo, etc.) turned up only one other short-term rental property in town, the former Fanny Farmer house on Old Littleton Road, which might have enough business (15 days per year) to fall under the tax. Town Administrator Tim Bragan said he had no idea how much revenue the passage of this article might generate for the town.
ARTICLE 28: CHARTER CHANGES
- Inserted by Select Board and Finance Committee
- No financial impact
- Requires a majority vote of Town Meeting and approval by the state Legislature.
- Finance Committee has not voted to recommend or not recommend.
This article proposes four changes to the Charter, spelled out in six sections (see story on page 28). Sections 2, 5, and 6 return preparation of the annual budget to the Finance Committee and move details of the process, including dates, to a new budget process bylaw. The bylaw appears as Article 29 on page 47 of the warrant booklet.
Section 1 gives elected boards more leeway in deciding when to fill a vacant seat. They may either appoint a member to fill the position until Town Election, or, if the vacancy occurs within 60 days of the election, they can leave it unfilled until then.
Section 3 makes clear that the decision to appoint a director of community and economic development was an option available to the Select Board, not a requirement. And Section 4 clarifies that if the town’s finance director is certified as a school business manager, that person may serve as the school business manager as well, but only at the will of the superintendent and School Committee.
ARTICLE 29: AMEND THE CODE OF THE TOWN OF HARVARD – BUDGET BYLAW
- Inserted by Select Board and Finance Committee
- No financial impact
- Requires a majority vote
- Recommended by Finance Committee
This article establishes a new budget process, specifying the steps the Select Board and Finance Committee must follow and establishing deadlines relative to the next Town Meeting. As a non-protective bylaw, it can be amended by a vote of town meeting without the approval of the state Legislature. See our story on pages 28 and 29.
ARTICLE 30: AMEND THE PROTECTIVE BYLAW: Groundwater Protection
- Inserted by: Planning Board
- No financial impact
- Requires a two-thirds vote
This measure would amend the groundwater protection bylaw passed at the 2018 Annual Town Meeting. If it passes, properties that fall partially within the groundwater protection overlay district will have to comply with groundwater protection regulations only for the parts of the property within the district. If it fails, properties that fall partially within the district will continue to have to comply with groundwater protection regulations on all areas of the property, even those outside the district.
ARTICLE 31: AMEND PROTECTIVE BYLAW – EROSION CONTROL
- Inserted by: Planning Board
- No financial impact
- Requires a two-thirds vote
This measure would add a new erosion control section to the town’s protective bylaw. If it passes, a homeowner who wants to clear 1 acre of flat land, or 5,000 square feet on a 25% slope, would have to apply for a permit to do so and would be required to comply with erosion control best practices (such as putting up hay bales during the project). If it fails, this additional permitting process would not be required.
ARTICLE 32: CITIZEN PETITION – MARIJUANA
- Inserted by: Select Board at request of citizen petition
- No financial impact
- Requires a majority vote
This measure would ban all commercial marijuana activity from Harvard. After submitting this petition, the citizens championing it changed their goal to the passage of a different petition (Article 33), but it was too late to withdraw this proposal. If it passes, it may cause the town legal trouble due to a recent court ruling on the resolution of conflicts between general bylaws (like this one) and zoning bylaws (like the town’s existing marijuana bylaw).
ARTICLE 33: CITIZEN PETITION – AMEND CHAPTER 125
- Inserted by: Planning Board at request of citizen petition
- No financial impact
- Requires a two-thirds vote
This measure would modify the town’s existing marijuana bylaw by removing “marijuana retailer” from the list of allowed uses in Harvard’s commercial district and adding it to the list of banned uses. If it passes, it would prevent the opening of “pot shops” within Harvard, but would not affect nonretail marijuana businesses. Coil Brothers, LLC, a marijuana manufacturing company that has received a permit to operate in Harvard, would not be affected by this bylaw.
ARTICLE 34: AMEND THE CODE OF HARVARD, CHAPTER 21, REVOLVING FUNDS
- Inserted by Select Board
- No financial impact
- Requires a majority vote
- Recommended by Finance Committee
The first part of this article is to amend the Code of Harvard to specify that funds for the Fire Department S.A.F.E. Program will be coming from burn permit fees in fiscal 2020. The second part of the article creates a new Parks and Recreation revolving fund to be used specifically for running the beach. The new fund would allow the commission to maintain a balance from one fiscal year to the next, with the hope that this new fund will allow the beach to become self-sufficient.
ARTICLE 35: REVOLVING FUNDS
- Inserted by Finance Committee
- No financial impact
- Requires a majority vote
- Recommended by Finance Committee
This article re-authorizes the following revolving funds and maximum amounts for fiscal 2020: Council on Aging ($35,000), Fourth of July Committee ($40,000), Harvard Ambulance Service ($277,500), the Fire Department’s S.A.F.E. Program ($15,000), Harvard Community Cable Access Committee ($25,000), Parks and Recreation beach ($65,000), and a town account for fees and spending associated with the review of permit applications (not to exceed a balance of $1,000).
No money is appropriated by this article, but it does provide necessary authorization for owners of the accounts to collect and disburse funds through these accounts.
ARTICLE 36: ACCEPTANCE
OF GIFTS OF PROPERTY
- Inserted by Select Board
- No financial impact
- Requires a majority vote
This year the town received no gifts of land, but a vote is needed to authorize the Select Board to acquire by eminent domain a 12-acre parcel of land known as the Smith Land. The land has already been purchased by the town, but this action clears the title. The land is located off Littleton County Road and is part of a larger conservation area lying partly in Littleton that will be managed by the Sudbury Valley Trustees.
ARTICLE 37: ACCEPTANCE OF HIGHWAY FUNDS
- Inserted by Select Board
- No financial impact
- Requires a majority vote
This vote is required by state law to accept so-called Chapter 90 funds that the state Department of Transportation provides each year for the repair and improvement of the town’s 64 miles of roads. Harvard received $349,551 for use in fiscal 2019, only $2,000 more than the amount apportioned by the state the previous year. The fiscal 2020 apportionment has not yet been set.
