At Town Meeting last night, all twelve articles before the body were approved. The warrant can be found here. The Town Meeting voted to put $1,955,000 into the Stabilization Fund. Included in that amount is $225,000 for a down payment on full day kindergarten operating costs and $630,000 for state budget cuts. This is an important hedge against the near certainty of state aid cuts for this fiscal year, FY2010.
Other items approved include $225,000 for improvements to Quinn and Cushman schools in order to implement full day kindergarten. The school department received $1.1 million dollars for capital improvements. Included in the list are ...
... video monitoring for the school buildings, improvements at the Middle school, and funds for computers and technology. Additionally, the Town Meeting provided $148,000 for school fee reduction, eliminating bus fees and cutting activity fees in half.
Other town capital improvement expenditures were approved including improvements to our streets, Town Hall, Southworth library, and the old Town Hall building next to the police station. The old Town Hall will house the DCTV Channel 18 operation soon. Funds were approved for police vehicles, public works trucks, and other town rolling stock. A request for a warehouse building to house town equipment was approved. The Sprung building will be sited behind the police station.
Community Preservation funds were appropriated for the Audubon stone barn property and for improvements of Rogers Street boat access.
Two streets, Blossom Court and Masthead Lane, and an article requiring only US made flags be purchased by the town were accepted by Town Meeting.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Town Meeting passes all articles
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37 comments:
Miller's "select board wanna be" comment directed at the finance committee was just too sad. There were a few hot topics discussed, but an entire auditorium refrained from making personal digs...except Miller. So glad he is in the audience and not on the stage!
Bob Carney, not Bob Miller
Why doesnt the FIN COMM meeting in the SB meeting room so it can be on TV
That would be a big help. That way residents could see how FinCom members came to the decisions they did.
That should eliminate speculation and unfounded comments and innuendos about anyone's motives.
Ya like. "Mr. Medeiros, Why didn't you ask The republican committee to co sponsor." Smooth. we need a new moderator so we can have new committee members
Ya like. "Mr. Medeiros, Why didn't you ask The republican committee to co sponsor." Smooth. we need a new moderator so we can have new committee members
If it had been televised, you'd get that wording right.
Does the FinCom want to be televised??? Someone should ask. I think you'll find out they like not being televised.
Alright, OK, town department heads saved budgetary monies through frugal spending. Everyone did a nice job. Congratulations to Dartmouth select board and fincom members. Now that we have a few extra million dollars, why are we intended on spending? The new K school program is going to take us down the same old road to spending more and producing less.
The financial woe's are not over...not by a long shot. Greg Lynam, fincom member, is one smart guy. Mr. Lynam understands that the states financial train is stopping in Dartmouth, he also knows that the train is empty. It's been robbed of all it's money, by the more influential Northern cities/towns.
This extra money, in the town's general fund, came as the result of good management.
I know, some of you folks feel I'm apposed to spending more money on new educational programs, but this is not the case. I'm happy, that the town has a good reserve fund, but now is not the time to be adding new school programs, cutting back on fee's, or throwing more money at police vehicles.
The whistle blower.
hey whistle blower, dod you sleep through the town meeting?
Is the whistle blower a town meeting member or just a blow hard?
Im sure blowing is in there somewhere
The Finance Committee and Select Board made a deliberate, reasoned series of fiscal recommendations to Town Meeting and the vast majority of members agreed with those recommendations. There was no wild spending. If the state cuts are bad this year, the Town has already set aside funds to deal with that. In addition, the Town will slow down on the implementation of full-day kindergarten. There are no surprises here. It was all stated by Mr. Friedman and Mr. Lynam and Mr. Iacaponi. Would the previous writer prefer to give all of the extra money to town employees in the form of pay raises?
I'm not the previous writer, but, how about giving some of the money back to all the people, and not just some. How about lower PAYT fees instead of reduced beach stickers?
Anyone take a poll and see what residents want: reduced beach stickers or reduced PAYT?
I doubt it; reduced beach stickers just sound good, a "treat" to us.
Finance committee should be elected
If the Finance Committee was elected, they might make popular, but fiscally unwise, decisions. As an appointed group, they can just recommend what they see as correct for the Town.
The question is still out there - did whistler sleep through the town meeting and miss the well reasoned positions put forth by the FinCom? Or does whislter just like to hear himself talk?
4:53 if they are appointed ,could they make descions under the influence of the moderator,who appoints them
As it relates to additional school spending, now is not the time for new programs. The cash flow increase didn't just appear from the state, or fall from the “so called “ money tree; this money developed as a result of less spending, along with increasing town fee's. The school committee has removed all school related fee's, including, but not limited to school bus transportation, sports, and music programs.
The money didn't come from our state, federal government, or Mr. “O”stimulus program. It's the result of town tax payers demanding more accountability from our town manager, and department heads. This is not the time to be spending money on opening old schools.
To anonymous, who made a reference to my some type of blowing, why not meet with me and explain what you meant. I'm not a town meeting member. My hobby is taxidermist, and mortician. If you want to see some of my life like recreations, I'd be happy to accommodate you. }: {
Well Whistle blower you blew it.
The SC didnt remove all fees, only HALF of activity fees. The Select board takes credit for the removal of the busing fees. ALL of that of course was approved at Town Meeting almost unanimously. So the SC your so quick to blame actually had very little to do with it. Im sure you can say the same thing about the disabled since the new handicapped committee got 150k last year. Now's not the time to make dartmouth accessibile right? A question whistle blowhard, what have you done to improve life in Dartmouth except post here? because according to your logic all the boards in town and all of town meeting are wrong and you are right. I certainly feel blessed to live in your presence your swell headedness. And yes im taking my perogative to post anonymously
Anonymous 8:14
Whistle blower has it right. Your of a different opinion and guilty of lack of balls. Whistle blower gave you the opportunity to be a stand up guy, or are you ??
Looking thru the dartmouth phone book I dont see a listing for a mr blower. Therefore he has also posted anonymously. And after some research on his statements he is also wrong. Anon 8:14 is correct regarding the fees.
Ralph is correct. "Mr Blower's" "opinion" is indeed wrong. Misinformation at its finest. Im surprised no one else checked on this but quickly jumped on 8:14.
To Ed,
Whistle blower's facts are wrong. The only thing the SC voted to reduce was 1/2 of student fees. They had Zero to do with reducing bus fees that was the select board and since I doubt whistle blower is his actual name he is a guilty of the dreaded anon posting there fore also suffering from "a lack of balls"
Ray's Flag by-law just shows his ignorance. America fights for freedom and the freedom to buy the American flag where ever it's made.
Him and the rest of the liberals are what is wrong with this country. Thank you Mr. Freidman and the rest of the Finance committee who stood up to HIS utter nonsense
I'm with you anonymous, Quinn must go.
Ray's running for office in town? where did you here that.
We made it up here first!
October 25 858PM, I have not seen any evidence that the Finance Committee is influenced by the present moderator. It seems he appoints good people and lets them do their jobs. The moderator doesn't even vote at town meeting.
Hi, just call me Sally Turner or Bob Furber or Sam Davis. Doesn't really matter which name I use, I am still Ray and Saul.
or you could call anon. Joe Michaud, Barry Walker, Marianne Walker, Dianne Gilbert, James Demello, Peter Freidman, Greg Lynam...I mean the whole "crew" is in here under anonymous pretty much talking to themselves
if you wish to post anonymously do so. Don't make up names.
finally to the whistle blower...how could anyone meet you when you won't identify who you are? Someone identify as the whistle blower and then we can meet.
I was very proud to watch the town meeting process except for Bob Carney's nasty comment. I wish the town moderator would say something when comments like those are made. At the beginning of the meeting, the moderator gives a little speech about not making personal attacks, so he should have told Carney to refrain. I heard the town meeting members sigh when Carney spoke.
I believe that Bob's comment was simply another example of the old regime "railing against the dying of the light" These are new times in Dartmouth. In the span of two years we will have replaced an EX ADM, Fin Dir, Police Chief, Deputy Chief, Library director and most of the Selectboard if not all.
We will have gone from a budget deficeit to budget surpluses and a hopeful future including lowered fees, full day K and transparent government. And unlike the Obama stimulus money, these funds are not borrowed.
I am excited about the changes and our future. How many communities are giving ANYTHING back?
As Mr. Trimble's hero so aptly put it "The times they are a changing" and all I can say is thank god!
I agree with the last poster and with the exception of certain town officials who abuse their authority when dealing with the general public, I am satisfied and happy with the way things have been going in our town government. Hence the reason I seldom post here, seldom attend meetings and seldom make my opinions known.
The person who posted here as "Watching" is correct. I should have said something about the former Select Board member's comment. Because it came at the very end of his remarks, I was caught off guard and did not respond. At upcoming Town Meetings, I will try to do better.
under your name that is, barry...anonymous is a different animal
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