Easton Residents Approve Land Purchases, Bylaws and Budgets at Town Meeting

It took Easton residents four hours and 20 minutes, 50 votes and plenty of debate.

But, after the Annual Town Meeting was over Monday night at , residents had approved land purchases, changed zoning bylaws and approved a budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

Easton residents approved almost every article on the Town Meeting warrant. One article was rejected and another (article 49) was dismissed by the resident who presented it.

The one rejected article, article 19, was a citizen petition that asked to cut the surcharge for Community Preservation Act funds from 3 percent to 1.3 percent. The CPA, adopted by Easton voters in 2002, allows for towns to collect a surcharge on property taxes used for preservation of open space, historic preservation, recreation and affordable housing.

Residents in favor of the reduction said that since 2002, the amount has increased at a rate of 10 percent each year and that other sources of revenue could be used to purchase land.

"We don't have another source," Board of Selectmen Chair countered, adding that the CPA has been an "amazing resource" for the town.

The vote was overwhelming in favor of rejecting article 19, and residents fully supported CPA articles 20 - 26, including an article that would borrow money to fund conservation restrictions for the purchase of the former Governor Ames Estate on Oliver Street and an article that borrowed money to purchase 16 acres of land on Chestnut Street for recreation facilities.

In the case of Governor Ames Estate, opposition to the article, including the Finance Committee, pointed to the fact that the CPA committee asked to borrow the money to purchase the $500,000 conservation restrictions, despite having funds available. For the Chestnut Street land, area residents were most concerned with traffic. Both articles, however, passed overwhelmingly.

The Planning and Zoning Board brought six articles before Town Meeting - all of which passed.

Included in the Planning and Zoning Board's articles was one that specified building height in residential neighborhoods in which larger houses would have to be set back further form the road. Additionally, the board presented an article that allowed certain internally illuminated signs under the board's discretion, a large-scale solar overlay district, and the allowance of in-law apartments.

Opposition to the in-law apartment article (article 43) said it would "lay waste to concept of single family neighborhoods" and allow home-owners to build apartments to rent.

Board of Selectmen Chair Colleen Corona said the bylaw is "a way to capture what's already happened in the community" in regard to in-law apartments and Town Counsel Jay Talerman said there was no way the bylaw could be ammended to only include family members.

The town also approved a budget that cut approximately $600,000 in the town budget and approximately $900,000 in the school budget. The cuts accounted for two police officers, two firefighters, two police officers, two clerks in town hall and 18 positions in the school department.

Town Administrator David Colton and Superintendent David Green laid out the reasons for the cuts, including lack of state aid and lack of revenue in the form of excise taxes.

The cuts were slightly different than what was expected. Prior to Town Meeting, selectmen voted to cut $45,000 in the DPW to fund one more position in the fire department.

The Finance Committee asked that the town reduce a proposed position in the collector/treasurer's office to part-time to help further fund the fire department. Town Administrator David Colton said cutting that position would be too strenuous on the flow of town government and the collector/treasurers office.

The motion to amend the article failed and the budget, as presented by Colton, passed.

Next year won't be much better, both Colton and Green said.

"2013 is going to be tight," said Colton. "There are going to be cuts, but I think they will be slightly smaller than this year."

To read more about how Easton voted, check out Patch's live coverage from last night