Good news and bad news

First, the good news. The Select Board was advised last night that the town's ambulance contractor, STAT Ambulance, was willing to renegotiate the final year of the contract and reduce the payment due by some $60,000. In addition, they offered to continue service to the town at no cost to the town. The company will also contribute $40,000 toward dispatch services. All together the savings and payment mean a cost reduction in excess of $360,000 over the next five years.
Now the bad news. Local receipts from motor vehicle excise and meals taxes are going to fall well short of the estimates used to determine our FY2010 budget which is drawing ...

... to a close at the end of the month. Budget Director Greg Barnes pegs the shortfall in the vicinity of $250,000. This link is a memo to the Finance Committee from the Budget Director detailing the deficit and how he believes it will impact the town's finances.
Click here to read on!

How do we get people back to work?

The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (Mass Budget) has a report on steps state and local governments can take to stimulate job growth. Follow this link to the report. The paper covers the economic theory behind stimulus, ...

... what the federal and state government can do to create jobs, constraints on state measures, and specific proposals for Massachusetts.
Unemployment is not abating and is affecting many families. What would you like to see done to get people back to work? Click here to read on!

California reforms primaries. Is this a good idea for Massachusetts?

Bob Neer at Blue Mass Group has a post here about California's move to change the primary election system for state elections.
Could this be good for our Commonwealth? It might add some competitive races.
I have not made up my mind ...

... if the change would be good or bad. What do you think?
Click here to read on!

Bylaw change yields results

Changing the parking requirements for businesses in the Padanaram Village business district seems to have had immediate results. The Select Board will hold a public hearing on June 7th on an application for a restaurant/alcohol license for the Boatyard Pub and Grille to be established at 250 Elm Street.
Residents who wish to comment on the application ...

... should attend the Select Board meeting. Parking requirements are often an impediment to reopening businesses in older, more densely built areas. Relaxing the requirements seems to have worked. What do you think?
Click here to read on!

Faunce Corner-Rooute 6 congestion hearing Monday

The Select Board will have a public hearing this Monday to get input on the suggestion from the Southeastern Planning and Economic Development District. I wrote about the proposal in this post previously.

If you would like to give input, please attend on Monday. Click here to read on!

Termpest in a teapot or category 5?

The Chief of Police has decided to add police patrols on the harbor. He has written a couple letters to the Select Board explaining the rationale and the effect on the police budget and manning. You can find them here and here.
For some reason, the Waterways Management Commission is concerned about the Chief's plan. Their letter to the Select Board is here. My reply to their letter can be found here.
My take is that the police are tasked with patrolling and preventing crime in the entire town. The Chief has said ...
What do you think?

... that there are crimes occurring in and around the waterfront. He believes he can accommodate these patrols within his available budget and manpower. I am reluctant to have the Select Board or anyone else, except the police department, make decisions on how to effectively police the town. While the Select Board are the police commissioners, it is the Chief of Police and his staff that should be making operational choices. It is my belief that injecting politics into police operations is not a wise course. Click here to read on!

Representative Frank in New Bedford on June 12

Campaign to Fund Our Communities
Reduce Military Spending by 25%

Featured Speaker: Congressman Barney Frank

12 noon, Saturday, June 12th

Carney Academy, 247 Elm St., N.B. (corner Elm & Cottage)

"Join the 25% Solution"

Sponsored by Coalition for Social Justice & Coalition Against Poverty
Congressman Frank has introduced a bill to cut our nation's defense spending by 25%
A cut of this size would free up ...

... over $190 BILLION dollars every year.
Follow this link to a dated but eye opening presentation by Ben Cohen of Ben and Jerry ice cream

Click here to read on!

Annual Town Meeting report

These are unofficial results. The Town Clerk will have the official results.
The warrant for the Town Meeting can be found at this link.
http://www.town.dartmouth.ma.us/Pages/DartmouthMA_Clerk/TMDocs/ATMwarrant060110.pdf
There was a quorum of 204 Town Meeting members to open the meeting. This number is a shame. There are over 360 elected representatives to the Town Meeting.

Article 1 was withdrawn
Article 2 CPC budget passed unanimously.
Article 3 CPC article $688K for Audobon Stone Barn project passed with 6 opposed.
Article 4 CPC article $75K to preserve town records passed unanimously.
Article 5 CPC article $46K to by land at Russel's Mill's Road northwest of the Paskamansett bridge passed with 5 opposed.

The regular Town Meeting was suspended and a Special Town Meeting commenced

The warrant for the Special Town Meeting can be found here.
http://www.town.dartmouth.ma.us/Pages/DartmouthMA_Clerk/TMDocs/STMwarrant060110.pdf
The first four articles were financial housekeeping and passed unanimously.
Article 5 transfered and designated the land between Southworth Libraray and Cushman school as a public park. It passed with 12 opposed.
Article 6 removed term limits for Waterways Commissioners and passed with two against.
Article 7 was amended to increase the printed amount and number of police radios to include 3 for the Emergency Response department. The total number of radios increased to 67 and the cost to $127K. It was accepted with 1 against.
Article 8 established a full day kindergarten stabilization fund and appropriated $50K to it from the school budget. It passed with 2 opposed.
The Special Town Meeting dissolved having completed all business and the annual Town Meeting resumed

Article 6 of the Annual Town Meeting CPC article $143K for Dartmouth Community Park created by article 5 of the Specila Town Meeting passed with 5 opposed
Atricle 7 CPC article for $30K agricultural restriction on the Dominican Sisters farm was withdrawn
Article 8 CPC article $300K for restoration work at the Dartmouth YMCA passed 180-24.
Article 9 funding the Town Clerk's salary passed with 3 opposed
Article 10 the FY2011 budget was passed over for the moment
Article 11 funding the Water Enterprise passed without opposition
Article 12 funding the Sewer Enterprise paseed unanimously
Article 13 funding the Waterways Enterprise passed unanimously
Article 14 Senoir Social Dat program funding passed with none opposed
Article 15 Solid Waste Enterprise passed. One in opposition
Article 10 approving the town FY2011 operating budget passed without opposition.
The Town meeting then adjourned for lunch
more after the jump

Article 16 transferred $272K to the school department for full day kindergarten startup costs.Two opposed
Article 17 provided $260K for an elevator and handicapped access to Cushman School passed, 4 opposed.
Article 18 allows parking lot resurfacing without Planning Board action. Passed with 1 against
Article 19 changing the parking requirements in the Waterways Overlay District passed without opposition
Article 20 allwoing 3 story buildings on Faunce Corner Road north 195 passed 141-36.
Article 21 creating a Municipal Wind turbine bylaw was passed over for the moment
Article 22 creating the position of Director of Development passed unanimously
Article 23 authorizing expenditure of funds previously appropriated for water supply exploration passed unaopposed
Article 24 on funding the Disabilities Commission was withdrawn.
Article 21 Municipal Wind Turbine bylaw passed 134-42 with the amendment that the turbines must be on town owned land, not leased land.
Article 25 petitioning the General Court for a Special Act creating the Lincoln Park Improvement district passed.
The Town Meeting having no other business adjourned and dissolved.

What do you think about the results?
There seemed to be little disgreement among the Town Meetin members in attendance. Do you have an complaints with the results.
Click here to read on!