By Ed Hannan
Lowell Sun
LITTLETON, Mass. — Now that the annual Town Meeting warrant has closed, review of the articles has begun.
Voters will do it in the comfort of their own homes. Last night, the Finance Committee took a crack at the warrants for the May 2 Annual and Special Town meetings.
While the committee recommended approval for every article it took a position on, members spent time discussing their feelings about some of them.
Article 3 of the Special Town Meeting asks voters to rescind their 2006 Special Town Meeting vote, which established an Ambulance Enterprise Fund. If approved, the fund would be eliminated.
Bonnie Holston, assistant town administrator for finance and budget, said last night the original intent of the fund was to corral revenue generated through use of the town’s Advanced Life Support service and use that money to purchase an ambulance. However, the costs of that service have increased to the point where the town breaks even at best.
The town used to pay Emerson Hospital $250 per call, but when Emerson no longer offered ALS service, the town had to go with a different carrier that charges $1,000 per call, Holston said.
“If the intended purpose is to save money and that is gone, the fund has no purpose,” she said.
Committee members also voiced frustration with the School Department for increasing its proposed fiscal 2012 budget in its March 28 presentation after it had met with the Finance Committee as part of the review process.
“It just keeps getting bigger and bigger,” said Finance Committee member Allen McRae.
Finance Committee Chairman Tyler Gray said the schools’ proposed budget, part of Article 4 on the annual Town Meeting warrant that asks voters to adopt a $33 million town budget for the upcoming fiscal year, grew thanks to increased special-education costs.
Article 8 of the annual Town Meeting warrant asks voters to spend more than $900,000 on a variety of capital projects and purchases. Included in the article is a request to spend $30,000 on a joint municipal-school facility-assessment study. This particular request pleased Finance Committee members.
“We’ve never even been able to get selectmen and the schools in the same room to talk about this,” Gray said. “Now they’re on board.”
Article 12 on the annual Town Meeting warrant asks voters to amend the personnel bylaw to, among other things, require an annual performance appraisal by July 1 in order to receive a step increase in pay.
“This will make life a lot easier,” McRae said.
Annual Town Meeting begins May 2 at 7 p.m. at Littleton Middle School. Special Town Meeting will begin once annual Town Meeting has concluded.
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