Merrimack Valley

Andover Town Meeting starts Wednesday

By Courtney Paquette
Staff Writer
Published: April 27, 2008

Voters will be asked to decide on 55 warrant items when Town Meeting starts Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Andover High School Collins Fieldhouse. Items 1 and 2 were taken up at town election.

3. Establish salaries of elected officials at $1,500 for each selectman and School Committee member; $1,800 for the chairman and $250 for the moderator for Town Meeting; and $60 for each special Town Meeting. Selectmen and Finance Committee recommend.

4. Spend $129.7 million to run the town and schools. Selectmen and Finance Committee recommend

5. Exempt senior citizens from a Proposition 21/2 override. Selectmen and Finance Committee do not recommend.

6. Approve a $2.5 million Proposition 21/2 override. Committees will provide a report at Town Meeting.

7. Approve a $5 million Proposition 21/2 override. Will likely be withdrawn at Town Meeting.

8. Spend $2 million to pay for capital projects. Selectmen and Finance Committee recommend.

9. Transfer money from town budget. Will be withdrawn at Town Meeting.

10. To see if the town will transfer money to a supplemental appropriations fund. Recommendation will be made at Town Meeting.

11. Transfer $580,000 into free cash account to reduce the tax rate. Selectmen and Finance Committee recommend.

12. Vote on what the town will do with unexpended money. Committees will provide a report at Town Meeting.

13. Place $1 million in stabilization fund for a rainy day. Selectmen and Finance Committee recommend.

14. Transfer $656,000 from the Phillips Academy fund for the school budget. Selectmen, Finance Committee and School Board do not recommend.

15. Transfer $1.3 million from stabilization fund for the school budget. Selectmen and Finance Committee do not recommend.

16. Accept grants from the state and federal government, to allow the town manager to enter into contracts with the state and federal government for road work, approve the town report, property tax exemptions and contracts lasting more than three years. Selectmen and Finance Committee recommend.

16G. Allow selectmen to accept easements and rescind unissued bond authorizations. Will be withdrawn at Town Meeting.

17. Allow selectmen and the School Committee to grant easements. Selectmen and Finance Committee recommend.

18. Use available sums of money to take care of unpaid bills. Will be withdrawn at Town Meeting.

19. Allow town to acquire easements by gift, purchase or eminent domain for highway construction or any other federal or state aid program for road of sidewalk improvements.

20. Approve revolving accounts for several town departments. Selectmen and Finance Committee recommend.

21. Spend $12,000 for providing transportation subsidy program for elderly and people with disabilities. Selectmen and Finance Committee recommend.

22. Spend $10,000 on a Fourth of July fireworks program. Selectmen and Finance Committee recommend.

23. Allow town to accept changes in revenue options made by the state Legislature. Recommendation will be made at Town Meeting.

24. Spend $300,000 to study replacing the Bancroft Elementary School. Selectmen and Finance Committee recommend.

25. Create a trust fund for school facility maintenance. Selectmen and Finance Committee recommend.

26. Allow the Town Manager to issue permits to create trenches. Selectmen recommend.

27. Spend $1.8 million on school maintenance. Selectmen and Finance Committee recommend.

28. Spend $290,000 to pay for maintenance and renovation to town buildings. Selectmen and Finance Committee recommend.

29. Spend $240,000 on improvements to Lovely Field. Selectmen and Finance Committee recommend.

30. Change the zoning bylaw for home occupation. Selectmen recommend.

31. Spend $7.4 million to close the Ledge Road landfill. Selectmen and Finance Committee recommend.

32. Spend $600,000 to repair bridges in town. Selectmen and Finance Committee recommend.

33. Spend $4 million to repair the Shawsheen River sewer pipe. Selectmen and Finance Committee recommend.

34. Establish priority development sites. Selectmen recommend.

35. Allow restaurants to have outdoor dining. Selectmen recommend.

36. Spend $973,000 to buy a new fire rescue truck and public works vehicles. Selectmen and Finance Committee recommend.

37. Spend $200,000 to buy a new sewer maintenance vehicle. Selectmen do not recommend. Finance Committee recommends.

38. Change the stormwater management bylaw. Selectmen recommend.

39A. Spend $900,000 to buy open space. Selectmen and Finance Committee recommend.

39B. Spend $900,000 to buy open space. Selectmen recommend.

40. Put $350,000 in the accumulated employee benefit account. Selectmen and Finance Committee recommend.

41. Adopt an anti-blight bylaw. Selectmen do not recommend.

42. Post town report online, rather than mail it to residents. Selectmen and Finance Committee recommend

43. Require retirees enrolled in Medicare to enroll in a supplemental plan offered by the town. Recommendation will be made at Town Meeting.

44. Spend $165,000 from the C.A. Wood Trust Fund to construct a memorial at William M. Wood Memorial Park. Selectmen and Finance Committee recommend.

45. Spend $285,000 on improvements to the William M. Wood Memorial Park. Selectmen and Finance Committee recommend.

46. Spend $373,000 on sidewalk reconstruction. Selectmen and Finance Committee do not recommend.

47. Swap land with Phillips Academy. Article will be withdrawn at Town Meeting.

48. Spend $100,000 for lighting on the Recreation Park Ballfield. Selectmen and Finance Committee do not recommend.

49. Transfer $276,691 for improvements to the Parks and Ground building. Finance Committee recommend. Selectmen will provide a report at Town Meeting.

50. Spend $380,000 for storm drainage construction and improvements. Selectmen and Finance Committee recommend.

51. Spend $500,000 on sewer main construction and reconstruction. Selectmen and Finance Committee recommend.

52. Allow a dog park to be built in town. Selectmen recommend.

53. Change the sign regulations in town. Selectmen will provide report at Town Meeting.

54. Allow a banner on Main Street. Selectmen recommend.

55. Restrict newspaper boxes to certain areas along Main Street. Selectmen recommend.

56. Lease the old Town Hall to a private entity. Selectmen and Finance Committee recommend.

57. Discontinue part of Paulornette Circle as a public way. Selectmen recommend.