Vote on farm excise tax in Berlin

In May, Town Meeting voters are slated to decide whether to opt out of an excise tax levied on farmers. Last month, selectmen unanimously voted in favor of the exemption, giving the town's Agricultural Commission the go-ahead to draft an article for the Town Meeting warrant. The proposal would take advantage of the Dairy Farm Preservation Act, enacted last year, which allows towns and municipalities to opt out of a local tax on farm animals and machinery. Dropping the excise tax would be a financial boost for local farmers, said Carl Wickstrom, the Agricultural Commission's chairman and owner of Golden Skep Farm. Wickstrom said his annual excise tax is around $232. "There is no better time to do this," he said. "It will help sustain small business and help sustain our rural life out here and maintain our open spaces."

- Julia Rappaport

BID FOR LOWER REGIONAL SCHOOL BILL - Facing a grim budget season, Bolton selectmen are seeking to lower the town's assessment for the Nashoba Regional School District, said Selectman Stanley Wysocki. The $43.1 million preliminary district budget, which is a 3.8 percent increase over this year, would boost Bolton's share by 6.5 percent to roughly $11 million, said Wysocki. The town can't afford the higher amount, he said, with officials already facing a budget that's out of balance by hundreds of thousands of dollars. Wysocki said the board is asking the regional district to limit the increase to 4 percent.

- Matt Gunderson

SHRINKING THE SCHOOL BUDGET - As budget season gets underway, the Berlin-Boylston Regional School District administrators are whittling down next year's plan in an effort to rein in spending, said Superintendent Brian McDermott. So far, the increase in the Tahanto Regional Middle/High School's budget proposal has been pared from 9 percent to 6 percent, he said, leaving the total for next fiscal year at roughly $7 million. McDermott said meeting certain educational benchmarks aren't in jeopardy with the latest proposal, but more cuts in years to come could potentially put the district in that situation. "At some point, it's going to break," he said.

- Matt Gunderson

IN LINE FOR FORECLOSURE GRANT - The town has applied for $1.6 million in federal aid under a neighborhood-stabilization program launched last summer in response to the subprime mortgage crisis. In September, the state received $54.8 million to be distributed to the communities hardest hit by foreclosures. Framingham officials say they would use the federal funds to support plans to buy, renovate, and resell foreclosed properties as a way to stabilize neighborhoods. Among communities statewide, "Framingham is listed in the top 15 in terms of the ratio of foreclosure actions to . . . housing stock," said Eugene Kennedy, assistant director of the town's Community and Economic Development Department. The town applied for the funds on Jan. 30 and expects to be notified of any award by the end of this month, Kennedy said. There will be a public comment period until March 8, with residents able to comment or ask questions via e-mail at efk@framinghamma.gov or by calling 508-532-5455. The application can be viewed online on the town's website, www.framinghamma.gov. - Tanya Perez Brennan

PRESERVATION ACT HEARING - The town's Community Preservation Committee will hold its annual public hearing on March 24 at 7 p.m. in the selectmen's hearing room at Town Hall. The public is invited discuss the needs and priorities of the town regarding open space protection, recreation, affordable housing, and historic preservation efforts, which are eligible for funding under the state Community Preservation Act, and to review the committee's draft Community Preservation Plan. A history of the town's CPA program and an outline of the committee's spending proposals for next fiscal year, as well as the draft plan can be seen online at www.townofhudson.org, under the Community Preservation Committee link, or in the planning office at Town Hall during business hours. The local projects are underwritten by an annual 1 percent property-tax surcharge, approved by Hudson voters in 2006, plus state matching grants; the state program requires certain percentages of the fund to be spent on eligible projects each year. The committee's proposals on May's Town Meeting warrant call for spending $45,700 to preserve open space and recreational properties and protect vital Town Hall records. - Julia Rappaport

PETITIONS ON WARRANT - Citizen petitions to be included on the Town Meeting warrant on March 28 call for a possible moratorium on group homes in Lincoln, expanding the Board of Selectmen from three to five members, and granting a retail liquor license for a wine and cheese shop that would open on Lincoln Road. More information on the annual session can be found online at www.lincolntown.org.

- John M. Guilfoil

HEART SCREENING FOR STUDENTS - The Marlborough Junior Woman's Club has partnered with the local schools and HeartScreen America to offer discounted heart screenings to all students next month. Screenings will take place between 4 and 8 p.m. at Marlborough High School on March 12. The cost is $49 and registration is required by March 10; no walk-in appointments will be accepted, organizers said. The procedure, which can cost as much as $500, according to HeartScreen America, helps detect cardiac abnormalities, and involves an electrocardiogram, blood-pressure reading, body-mass index calculation, and a family and personal health questionnaire. Results will be delivered to parents within 10 business days. For more information or to register, visit HeartScreenAmerica.com or call 866-722-8008.

- Julia Rappaport

SHOVEL YOUR SIDEWALKS! - Selectmen are looking into ways to force residents to shovel their sidewalks, if it comes to that, board chairman Robert Nadeau said. At their meeting last week, selectmen reminded residents and business operators that they have the responsibility to clear the pathways around their property. "It seems to be more of a problem this year, and we're getting more complaints," Nadeau said. He said it wasn't immediately clear whether any local or state regulations give the town the ability to fine people who let their sidewalks become dangerously slippery, but that officials would be looking into it.

- Calvin Hennick

CALL TO EXPAND ZONING BOARD - Change may be on the horizon for the town's Zoning Board of Appeals. Selectmen last week approved a warrant article proposed by the zoning board's chairman, Richard Rand, and town planner Kathy Joubert that would reconfigure the board from three voting members and three alternates to five members with two alternates. The article will go before Town Meeting voters in April. "Historically, our three-member board has worked," Joubert said following the meeting, but as town zoning bylaws become outdated and Northborough faces increased development, a larger board makes more sense. With a three-member board, all three members must be present and must vote unanimously to approve a variance or special permit. With the larger board, the quorum would be four members, and variances and special permits could win approval with the support of four of the five members, she said. Joubert explained that most town boards have five members and most zoning boards in other towns also have five members. The Board of Selectmen appoints members to the zoning board.

- Julia Rappaport

CAP ON TOWN MEETING MEMBERS - Voters at Special Town Meeting on Tuesday amended a bylaw so that recent population growth would not push the number of elected Town Meeting seats beyond 240. The total had been 237 before changes required by population gains were taken into account. The previous equation for balancing membership across the town would have required three additional Town Meeting seats in both Precinct 9 and Precinct 1, increasing the total to 243 members. The solution, said Town Manager Daniel Morgado, was to reduce the number of elected Town Meeting members per precinct from 0.72 percent of a precinct's population to 0.705 percent. Under the amended bylaw, Precinct 9 now gains three members to represent its new population, but Precinct 1 membership does not increase. Ann M. Dagle, town clerk, said voters unanimously approved the change. - James O'Brien

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED - Selectmen are seeking interested residents to fill slots on a variety of town boards and committees. Among the vacancies are a five-year term on the Open Space Preservation Commission, one three-year term on both the Community Preservation Committee and the Youth Commission, a two-year term on the Recreation Commission, two one-year terms on the Cable Television Committee, and one one-year term on the Municipal Facilities Committee. Interested residents should download a volunteer form from southboroughtown.com and submit it with a letter of interest to the Board of Selectmen's office. - Calvin Hennick

RECONSIDERING PRESERVATION ACT - Selectmen and other town officials are discussing whether it might make sense for the town to drop its participation in the Community Preservation Act or reduce the program's annual property-tax surcharge in light of the economy, said Selectman Stephen Dungan. The current arrangement levies a 3 percent surcharge, bolstered by state matching funds, to pay for local affordable housing, open space and historical preservation efforts. Dungan also pointed out that the state's matching grant is in jeopardy since it relies on revenue from real estate transaction fees, which has declined. No decision has been made yet whether to place an article on the spring Town Meeting warrant about the CPA program, said Dungan.

- Matt Gunderson

REGISTRATION DEADLINE - The last day to register to vote in this spring's Town Meeting and town election is March 10, when the town clerk's office will hold a special last-minute voter registration drive at Town Hall from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. The election will be held on March 30, and Town Meeting will convene on April 6. For more information, call 978-639-3351. - John M. Guilfoil

NO OVERRIDE ON BALLOT - Selectmen decided last week not to place a request for a property-tax increase on the March 30 election ballot. As a result, selectmen said, any decision to consider an override of Proposition 2 1/2 to increase the budget for next fiscal year would have to be proposed during the April 6 Town Meeting. Sudbury voters turned down two tax override ballot questions during last year's town election, leading to cuts in town and school services.

- John M. Guilfoil

PLANS FOR SPECIAL TOWN MEETING - The Board of Selectmen voted last week to open the warrant for a Special Town Meeting to be held on April 15 at 7:30 p.m. in the Wayland High School field house. The warrant will be open until Wednesday at 4:30 p.m., the deadline for proposed articles to be submitted to the selectmen's office in the Town Building. Annual Town Meeting, which will decide next fiscal year's budget, among other issues, is to convene on April 13. For more information, contact Town Administrator Frederic E. Turkington Jr. at 508-358-7755, or selectmen@wayland.ma.us. - John M. Guilfoil

PROPOSAL FOR LOWER BUDGET - In his initial presentation of a budget proposal for the 2010 fiscal year, which begins July 1, Town Manager Henry Danis last week suggested an $85.7 million spending plan. The figure represents a 1.5 percent decrease from this year's budget, due in part to falling debt obligations and fewer capital expenditure requests, and does not include the cost of some projects that could be covered by potential state highway funds. The budget assumes cuts to various town departments, including 33 percent reductions to both the Historical Commission and Youth and Family Services. Danis also said the schools, which would receive the same amount as this year under his plan, may face layoffs to meet its budget. - Calvin Hennick

REGIONAL ANTIQUES SHOW - About 100 exhibitors will be on hand next weekend at an antiques show that raises money for scholarships for Holliston High School seniors. Robert McGrath, president of the Citizen Scholarship Foundation of Holliston, said the 42d edition of the annual event will feature dealers, and attract shoppers from across the Northeast. Admission is $6 for the event, to be held in the gym at Holliston High School, 370 Hollis St., from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. next Sunday.

- Megan McKee

GOLF COURSE TO STAY OPEN - Selectmen unanimously voted Monday to keep the town-run Sassamon Trace Golf Course open for another year, based on the advice of the Golf Oversight Committee. The eight-year-old golf course has been criticized for not making money for the town. But Richard Cugini, superintendent of Natick's Recreation and Parks Department, which oversees the golf course, said proposed revenue-enhancing and cost-cutting measures would keep the price tag of continued operation less than the cost of closing down the course. Among the plans for this year to boost revenues is to increase outreach to golfers in surrounding communities, drop a higher rate for out-of-town golfers, and offer special midweek rates to build visitor volume. The money-saving efforts include reducing staff pay to match rates offered at other municipal courses in the region, he said. Also, the town will benefit from an arrangement with an adjacent landowner, who is donating ground-water runoff from his property to help irrigate the golf course. - Megan McKee

GIFT BOOSTS ARMENIAN SCHOOL - St. Stephen's Elementary School will receive a $200,000 gift from Robert Mirak and his daughter, Julia Mirak Kew, principal Houry Boyamian announced last week. The school hopes to use the money for teacher recruitment, campus upgrades and bolstering enrollment, Boyamian said. Mirak, the son of Armenian genocide survivors, is an Armenian scholar, author and president of the Armenian Cultural Foundation. Kew is a trustee of the Mirak Family Foundation and has a daughter who attends the school. "Our family is proud that we can help the school," Kew said. Launched in 1984, the private school instructs students from prekindergarten through fifth grade in both English and Armenian with a focus on Armenian culture and history. - Christina Pazzanese