September 22, 2006
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Joseph Gillis Jr.
You can do something!
At Tuesday's Bridgewater Selectmen Meeting, a one Article Special Town Meeting was called for on Thursday October 5th, 7:30 pm, at B-R High School. The wording is as follows:
To see whether or not the Town will vote to approve the $1,965,000.00 borrowing authorized by vote of the Bridgewater-Raynham Regional School District on September 13, 2006, for the purpose of paying additional costs of constructing, originally equipping and furnishing a new District High School, which approval shall be contingent upon both the approval of these additional expenditures, as reimbursable, by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) and a vote of the Town to exclude the amounts required to repay the Town’s share of any such debt from the limitations of Chapter 59, Section 21C of the General Laws, or to take any other action relative thereto.
From my perspective, there appears to be four outcomes from this STM (Special Town Meeting).
(1) Town at STM amends article removing wording of Prop 2 1/2 (MGL Chapter 59, Section 21C = Limitations on total taxes assessed; determination by voters) from Article and then passes it. Therefore, no need for ballot on Prop 2 1/2 ballot question. Out of operations, this would be a one-time payment of about $420k or 20 yrs of about $32k.
(2) Article is voted down at STM. It is therefore done and defeated.
(3) Town approves Article at STM. BOS then decides to call for ballot.
(4) Town approves Article at STM. BOS does nothing. Without ballot to follow-up on the Article, approval is not granted to spend.
The option #1 listed above is interesting. Some may say that the Article cannot be amended. However, Articles are amended all the time at Town Meeting. Often, an Article is amended prior to its formal reading before the Town Meeting by the sponsor. At other times, changes are motioned and approved from the floor.
For an Article of this importance, all I can do is urge all citizens of the Town to come out, have your opinions heard, and vote on the Article.
