Ashburnham's Town Meeting is Tuesday: Here are the most important proposals coming up
Ashburnham's annual Town Meeting warrant includes more than $1 million of proposed free cash spending as well as the usual budgetary articles.
The meeting will be held in the Oakmont Regional High School Auditorium on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 p.m.
This year’s registered voters will consider 24 articles, including the town budget, eight articles that request funds from the town’s free cash account, a bylaw change, and two citizens' petition articles.
Article 10 in the warrant is the proposed fiscal 2025 operating budget totaling $19,997,709, an increase of $684,994 over the FY24 budget of $19,312,715. The budget includes $1.935 million for police, $1.1 million for fire and $8.27 million for the Ashburnham Westminster Regional School District.
Proposed free cashspending
The town has $1,427,296 in free cash, and eight articles request a total of $1,057,001. If all eight free cash articles are passed on Tuesday, the town will have $370,295 left.
Town Administrator Brian Doheny submitted Article 15 requesting $110,501 be transferred into the Ashburnham Westminster Regional School District's capital account. The money requested will pay for four projects that Oakmont, Overlook, and other district schools in Ashburnham proposed in the FY25 school budget.
Articles 16 to 18 together request $650,000 to pay for Highway Repairs and Maintenance. Article 16 requests $150,000 to pay for additional expenses in FY24. Article 17 requests $400,000 to pay for repairs of Sherbert Road after Winchendon town officials finish the major replacement of the Winchendon Water Line. Doheny said that last year's Town Meeting allocated $450,000 to this project, and if Article 17 is passed on Tuesday, there will be $850,000 to pay for the estimated $1 million project.
Article 18 requests a $100,000 transfer for roadwork on Route 101 South. Doheny said this road project is a $9 million collaboration with the state. He said the money transferred will pay for the Ashburnham section of the Route 101 South repair project and the state will pay for the rest.
In Article 19, the town requests $49,000 to be transferred into its Capital Account to pay for expenses related to the Whitney Pond Dam Removal project.
In Article 12, the town requests an additional $120,000 be transferred into the Snow and Ice Removal account because officials exceeded the budgeted amount of $230,000 in FY24.
A transfer of $42,500 is requested in Article 14 into the Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) account to reduce future liability. Town Administrator Brian Doheny said the town always tries to allocate money each year to the OPEB account in case they need it.
Article 13 requests $85,000 to be transferred into the town’s Stabilization Account, which municipalities use to save money to prepare for unexpected capital projects or other urgent needs. The account is currently at $597,364, and if the article is approved, the total amount would be $682,364.
Three non-spending articles worthy of attention
Article 22 would affect all Ashburnham residents who are dog owners, if approved. The article proposes that the town's current dog policies should match Massachusetts state laws. If the changes are passed, the nuisance dog violation fees will increase. The first offense fee will increase from $25 to $50; the second offense will increase from $50 to $100; the third offense will increase from $75 to $300; and the fourth offense will stay the same. Impound fees will increase – for the first reclaim it will increase from $10 to $25 and an additional $15 will be added if the dog is impounded overnight.
Other changes include the time dogs are permitted to be chained or tethered outside and restrictions on tether length. The article proposes that dogs are only allowed to be tethered for up to five hours in a 24-hour period, and no dogs are allowed to be tethered outside between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. The tether or chain must be made for dogs and less than one-eighth of the dog's body weight. The length of the tether or chain must be within the keeper’s, owner’s, or guardian’s property. No dogs under 6 months can be tethered outside for any time.
Articles 23 and 24 are two citizens' petition articles. Article 23 seeks validation of the town's plan for the installation of tribute benches and trees on town-owned land. Article 24 seeks validation from the town of the “Reimagining of Winchester Park and River Street Park Landscape Plan." Doheny declined to provide comment on these articles.
This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Ashburnham Town Meeting: dog rules, spending on schools, police, fire
