By Keith Regan, Contributing Writer
Westborough – The warrant for the March 14 Annual Town Meeting is beginning to take shape, with additional funding for the Sarah W. Gibbons School renovation project among the big-ticket items on the docket.
Selectmen received a draft warrant at their meeting Jan. 13 and plan to spend time starting later in January reviewing it.
Exactly how much taxpayers will be asked to appropriate to complete the Gibbons renovation project will be determined by the reimbursement rate the town receives from the Massachusetts School Building Authority. Officials were expected to learn the reimbursement rate at a meeting Jan. 14.
Apart from the school project, which has grown from an original estimate of $10 million to $27 million, voters will be asked to accept mitigation funds from Toll Brothers for street-scape improvements in town, to authorize the town to become an electricity aggregator – possibly opening the door to discounts for residents – and a change to the town’s bylaws governing dog kennels.
Several capital items will also be on the warrant, including replacements for three police cruisers and a new street sweeper.
Meanwhile, as they continue to discuss ways to best handle the town’s multiple meetings each year, Town Manager Jim Malloy suggested the town consider following the practice of other communities with more than one standing meeting. He suggested handling financial articles at the Annual Town Meeting in March and use the fall special town meeting for mainly zoning articles and other bylaw changes.
In other business, selectmen voted to appoint the law firm of Mirick O’Connell as acting town counsel until a permanent replacement for Gregory Franks can be secured.
