Tuesday Night's Town Meeting Summary

Town Meeting will resume tonight at 7 p.m. at the  auditorium.

All information (Town Warrants) can be found on the Town website for review.

Reminder: Acton Patch will be .

Tuesday Night's Town Meeting:

1). ARTICLE 24 - Acton 2020 Comprehensive Community Plan (Goals and Objectives): Approved.

• "To see if the Town will vote to adopt the following Goals and Objectives of the Acton 2020 Comprehensive Community Plan (Master Plan)." to view Acton 2020's Goals and Objectives. 

2). ARTICLE 15 - Fund Collective Bargaining Agreement - Police Patrol Officers (FY09-FY11): Approved.

• "This article would ask Town Meeting to fund cost items contained in the collective bargaining agreement with Town police patrol officers union, under the provisions of Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 150E, Section 7. When a tentative agreement is reached with a union, the Town will bring a funding request for the financial elements of the agreement to the first available Town Meeting for approval. If the funding is approved, the Town is obligated to fund the remaining years of the contract. If the funding request is rejected by Town Meeting, the parties must return to the bargaining table for further negotiations."

3). ARTICLE 16 - Fund Collective Bargaining Agreement - Highway and Municipal Properties (FY09-FY11): Approved.

• This article would ask Town Meeting to fund cost items contained in the FY09-FY11 collective bargaining agreement with Town highway and municipal properties personnel union, under the provisions of Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 150E, Section 7. When a tentative agreement is reached with a union, the Town will bring a funding request for the financial elements of the agreement to the first available Town Meeting for approval. If the funding is approved, the Town is obligated to fund the remaining years of the contract. If the funding request is rejected by Town Meeting, the parties must return to the bargaining table for further negotiations."

4). ARTICLE 17 - Fund Collective Bargaining Agreement - Highway and Municipal Properties (FY12): Approved.

• "To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, transfer and/or appropriate from available funds a sum of money necessary to fund the cost items contained in Collective Bargaining Agreement(s) between the Town and its highway and municipal properties personnel union as filed with the Town Clerk, or take any other action relative thereto."

5). ARTICLE 18 - Fund Collective Bargaining Agreement - Dispatch (FY12): Approved.

• "To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, transfer and/or appropriate from available funds a sum of money necessary to fund the cost items contained in Collective Bargaining Agreement(s) between the Town and its public safety dispatcher personnel union as filed with the Town Clerk, or take any other action relative thereto."

6). ARTICLE 19 - Fund Collective Bargaining Agreement - Dispatch (FY13 ): Approved.

• "To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, transfer and/or appropriate from available funds a sum of money necessary to fund the cost items contained in Collective Bargaining Agreement(s) between the Town and its public safety dispatcher personnel union as filed with the Town Clerk, or take any other action relative thereto."

7). ARTICLE 20 - Other Post Employment Benefits Liability Trust Fund - Accept Legislation C.32B S.20: Approved.

• This article requests that the Town accept the provisions of Chapter 32B, Section 20 of the Massachusetts General Laws relative to establishing an Other Post-Employment Benefits Liability Trust Fund. The statute, if accepted, is intended to help the Town address the fiscal challenges associated with unfunded liabilities for pension and Other Post-Employment Benefits (or “OPEB”) liabilities. As of January 1, 2010, the Town has an unfunded pension liability of $30,687,938 and an unfunded OPEB liability of $57,330,858. Establishing such a trust fund will help to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Town’s pension system.
  Once the statute is accepted, the Town may appropriate amounts to be credited to the fund. Any interest or other income generated by the fund shall be added to and become part of the fund. Amounts that the Town receives as a sponsor of a qualified retiree prescription drug plan under 42 U.S.C. section 1395w-132 may be added to and become part of the fund. All monies held in the fund shall be segregated from other funds and shall not be subject to the claims of any general creditor of the town.
  The custodian of the fund is the Town Treasurer or, if designated by the town meeting, the Health Care Security Trust board of trustees established in section 4 of chapter 29D, provided that the board of trustees accepts the designation.
  Monies in the fund shall be invested and reinvested by the custodian consistent with the prudent investor rule established in chapter 203C and may, with the approval of the Health Care Security Trust board of trustees, be invested in the State Retiree Benefits Trust Fund established in section 24 of chapter 32A.

8). Amendment to Article 21 (presented by Charlie Kadlec, Allen Nitschelm, Dick Calandrella): Denied.

• "Move to amend the amount (of proposed OPEB trust) to be transferred from $310,000 to $1,364,000."

9). ARTICLE 21 - Other Post Employment Benefits Liability Trust Fund Appropriation ($310,000 toward OPEB): Approved.

• "To see if the Town will raise and appropriate, or appropriate from available funds, and transfer a sum of money to the Other Post-Employment Benefits Liability Trust Fund established in accordance with Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 32B, Section 20, for the purpose of funding Other Post-Employment Benefits Liabilities, or take any other action relative thereto."

10). ARTICLE 25 - Acton Public Schools Budget: Approved.

• Total Budget approved is $39,114,804.

11). ARTICLE 26 - Acton-Boxborough Regional School District Assessment: Approved.

• This article requests funds for the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District Assessment. This assessment, voted by the Acton-Boxborough Regional District School Committee, is governed by the terms of the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District Agreement."

12). ARTICLE 27 - Acton-Boxborough Regional Schools - Lower Fields Borrowing: Approved. .

• "To see if the Town will approve the $1.5 Million borrowing authorized by the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District, for the purpose of paying costs of construction of outdoor recreational and athletic facilities at the Regional School District property, and for the payment of all other costs incidental and related thereto, said amount to be expended at the direction of the Regional School District School Committee, or take other action relative thereto."

Town Meeting will resume tonight at 7 p.m. at the auditorium.