The 2008 Annual Town Meeting begins Monday, April 28th at 7:30 p.m. in the Middle School Auditorium. This page contains pointers to general information pertaining to this Town Meeting, as well as a table showing details for each of the 47 articles on the warrant. This page will be updated over the course of the Town Meeting to reflect the results as each article is acted upon.
• Warrant for the 4/28/08 Annual Town Meeting
• Scheduled Town Meeting dates are: Monday, April 28; Wednesday, April 30; Monday, May 5; Monday, May 12; Wednesday, May 14; Monday, May 19; Wednesday, May 21; and Wednesday, May 28.
• The Finance Committee’s Report for Spring 2008 Town Meeting
• The Joint Capital Planning Committee’s Report for Spring 2008 Town Meeting.
• The Town Manager’s FY2009 Budget.
• The Amherst Elementary Schools’ FY2009 Budget.
• The Regional School System’s FY2009 Budget.
• The Library’s FY2009 Budget.
• Town Meeting section of the Town web site, with additional information related to selected articles, lists of current Town Meeting members, past Town Meeting information and more.
• Stephanie O’Keeffe’s Town Meeting blog.
• ACTV Town Meeting rebroadcast schedule.
• Town Meeting Tally Vote Database, with five years of voting history for all Town Meeting members.
• Full results from the Spring 2007 Annual Town Meeting and the Fall 2007 Special Town Meeting.
Below is a summary of the recommendation process and current status of each article on the warrant for the Spring 2008 Annual Town Meeting. For each article on the warrant, the Select Board and the Finance Committee vote on what to recommend to Town Meeting with respect to the article; the Planning Board and School Committee do the same for zoning-related and school-related articles, respectively. The results of each board's decision with respect to each article is shown in the table below.
Mouse over the votes for more info; Finance Committee votes link to the Finance Committee report to Town Meeting.
| Art. | Description | SB | FC | PB | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reports of Boards and Committees (Select Board) | recommend 5-0-0 | recommend 5-0 | N/A | 4/28/08 | passed |
| 2 | Transfer of Funds - Unpaid Bills (Select Board) | dismiss 5-0-0 | deferred until Town Meeting | N/A | 4/28/08 | dismissed |
| 3 | Optional Tax Exemptions (Select Board) | recommend 5-0-0 | recommend 5-0 | N/A | 4/28/08 | passed |
| 4 | Personal Property Exemptions (Select Board) | recommend 4-0-1 | recommend 5-0 | N/A | 4/28/08 | passed |
| 5 | Authorization for Compensating Balances (Select Board) | recommend 5-0-0 | recommend 5-0 | N/A | 4/28/08 | passed |
| 6 | Retirement Assessment (Select Board) | recommend 5-0 | N/A | 4/28/08 | passed | |
| 7 | Regional Lockup Assessment (Select Board) | recommend 5-0 | N/A | 4/28/08 | passed | |
| 8 | FY08 Budget Amendments (Finance Committee) | defer | deferred until Town Meeting | N/A | postponed | |
| 9 | Jones Library Revolving Fund (Jones Library Trustees) | dismiss 5-0-0 | dismiss 5-0 | N/A | 4/28/08 | dismissed |
| 10 | Amherst-Pelham Regional School District Assessment Method (Regional School Committee) | recommend 5-0-0 | recommend 5-0 | N/A | 4/28/08 | passed |
| 11 | Amherst-Pelham Regional School District Agreement Amendments (Regional School Committee) | recommend 5-0-0 | recommend 5-0 | N/A | 4/28/08 | passed |
| 12A | FY09 Operating Budget - Public Safety - $8,160,644 (Finance Committee) | recommend 5-0-0 | recommend 4-0-1 | N/A | 4/28/08 | Amend 1 failed Main Motion passed |
| 12B | FY09 Operating Budget - Public Works - $1,726,974 (Finance Committee) | recommend 5-0-0 | recommend 5-0 | N/A | ||
| 12C | FY09 Operating Budget - Planning, Conservation, and Inspections - $851,853 (Finance Committee) | recommend 5-0-0 | recommend 5-0 | N/A | ||
| 12D | FY09 Operating Budget - Community Services - $1,699,567 (Finance Committee) | recommend 5-0-0 | recommend 5-0 | N/A | ||
| 12E | FY09 Operating Budget - General Government - $6,152,525 (Finance Committee) | recommend 5-0-0 | recommend 5-0 | N/A | ||
| 12F | FY09 Operating Budget - General Fund Indebtedness - $1,446,361 (Finance Committee) | recommend 5-0-0 | recommend 5-0 | N/A | ||
| 12G | FY09 Operating Budget - Library Services - $2,128,147 (Finance Committee) | recommend 5-0-0 | recommend 4-0 | N/A | ||
| 12H | FY09 Operating Budget - Elementary Schools - $20,689,430 (Finance Committee) | recommend 5-0-0 | recommend 4-0-1 | N/A | ||
| 12I | FY09 Operating Budget - Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools - $28,120,995 overall budget, $12,395,375 assessment for Amherst (Finance Committee) | recommend 5-0-0 | recommend 4-0-1 | N/A | ||
| 12J | FY09 Operating Budget - Water Fund - $4,224,006 (Finance Committee) | recommend 5-0-0 | recommend 5-0 | N/A | ||
| 12K | FY09 Operating Budget - Sewer Fund - $3,670,647 (Finance Committee) | recommend 5-0-0 | recommend 5-0 | N/A | ||
| 12L | FY09 Operating Budget - Solid Waste Fund - $625,524 (Finance Committee) | recommend 5-0-0 | recommend 5-0 | N/A | ||
| 12M | FY09 Operating Budget - Transportation Fund - $925,754 (Finance Committee) | recommend 5-0-0 | recommend 5-0 | N/A | ||
| 13 | Reserve Fund (Finance Committee) | recommend 5-0-0 | recommend 5-0 | N/A | ||
| 14 | Capital Program - Chapter 90 (JCPC) | recommend 5-0-0 | recommend 5-0 | N/A | ||
| 15 | Capital Program - Equipment (JCPC) | recommend 5-0-0 | recommend 5-0 | N/A | ||
| 16 | Capital Program – Buildings and Facilities (JCPC) | recommend 5-0-0 | recommend 5-0 | N/A | ||
| 17 | Capital Program – Bond Authorizations (JCPC) | recommend 5-0-0 | recommend 5-0 | N/A | ||
| 18 | Community Preservation Act – Affordable Housing (CPAC) | recommend 5-0-0 | deferred until Town Meeting | N/A | ||
| 19 | Community Preservation Act – Affordable Housing (CPAC) | recommend 5-0-0 | deferred until Town Meeting | N/A | ||
| 20 | Community Preservation Act – Historical Preservation (CPAC) | recommend 5-0-0 | deferred until Town Meeting | N/A | ||
| 21 | Community Preservation Act – Open Space (CPAC) | deferred until Town Meeting | N/A | |||
| 22 | Community Preservation Act – Kimball House (CPAC) | recommend 5-0-0 | deferred until Town Meeting | N/A | ||
| 23A | Community Preservation Act – Administrative and Reserve Fund - Motion A - $1,500 for administrative expenses (CPAC) | recommend 4-1-0 | deferred until Town Meeting | N/A | ||
| 23B | Community Preservation Act – Administrative and Reserve Fund - Motion A - $150,000 for reserve fund (CPAC) | recommend 5-0-0 | deferred until Town Meeting | N/A | ||
| 24 | Community Preservation Act Ballot Question for November, 2008 State Election (Select Board) | recommend 3-2-0 | deferred until Town Meeting | N/A | ||
| 25 | Zoning Amendment - Density Calculation (Planning Board) | recommend 5-0-0 | deferred until Town Meeting | recommend 7-0-0 | ||
| 26 | Zoning Amendment - 500-502 Sunderland Road (Planning Board) | discussed | deferred until Town Meeting | recommend 3-2-0 | ||
| 27 | Zoning Amendment - Municipal Parking District (Planning Board) | discussed | deferred until Town Meeting | recommend 5-0-0 | ||
| 28 | Zoning Amendment - Design Review Districts (Planning Board) | recommend 5-0-0 | deferred until Town Meeting | recommend 5-0-0 | ||
| 29 | Petition – Zoning Bylaw – Steep Slopes (O'Connor) | deferred until Town Meeting | refer 7-0-0 | |||
| 30 | Petition – Zoning Bylaw – Inclusionary Zoning (O'Connor) | deferred until Town Meeting | dismiss 5-0-1 | |||
| 31 | Inclusionary Zoning (Planning Board Alternative to Petition) (Planning Board) | deferred until Town Meeting | recommend portions 7-0-0 | |||
| 32 | Petition – Zoning Bylaw – Main/Dickinson/High Rezoning (O'Connor) | deferred until Town Meeting | refer 6-0-1 | |||
| 33 | Petition - Request Planning Board to Develop Zoning Bylaw Amendment – Meet LEED (Weyl) | no position | N/A | |||
| 34 | Petition – Amend Town Government Act or Adopt a Bylaw – Criteria for Town Property Use (Jolly/Roberts) | no position | N/A | |||
| 35 | Petition – 250th Anniversary Celebration Committee Appropriation - $25,000 (Wagner/Roberts) | no position | N/A | |||
| 36 | Petition – Transfer of $2,524,533 from Free Cash to Stabilization Fund (Gawle) | deferred until Town Meeting | N/A | |||
| 37 | Free Cash (Finance Committee) | deferred until Town Meeting | N/A | |||
| 38 | Stabilization Fund (Finance Committee) | deferred until Town Meeting | N/A | |||
| 39 | Bylaw – Rescind Recombinant DNA Bylaw (Board of Health) | deferred until Town Meeting | N/A | |||
| 40 | Bylaw – Nuisance House (Select Board) | deferred until Town Meeting | N/A | |||
| 41 | Easement - University Drive (Select Board) | deferred until Town Meeting | N/A | |||
| 42 | Street Acceptance – Moody Field Subdivision (Select Board) | deferred until Town Meeting | N/A | |||
| 43 | Street Acceptance – Rosemary and Lilac Streets (Select Board) | deferred until Town Meeting | N/A | |||
| 44 | Street Acceptance – Eveningstar Drive (Select Board) | deferred until Town Meeting | N/A | |||
| 45 | Sewer Easement Adjustment - West Street (Select Board) | deferred until Town Meeting | N/A | |||
| 46 | Bylaw – Right to Farm (Agricultural Commission) | deferred until Town Meeting | N/A | |||
| 47 | Bylaw – False Alarm Fees (Select Board) | deferred until Town Meeting | N/A |
