Town Meeting Articles of the Day
In preparation for the 2021 Annual Town Meeting on April 26, 2021 at 7pm in the Ayer Shirley Regional High School Auditorium, the Town will be publishing the “Articles of the Day” to provide further information on each of the Town Meeting Warrant Articles. Each day, the Town will feature two or three Town Meeting Warrant Articles with a brief summary of each Article. The complete Town Meeting Warrant and additional information regarding the Warrant Articles can be found here. For any questions about the Town Meeting or the Town Meeting Warrant, please do not hesitate to contact the Town Manager at 978-772-8220 x100 or at tm@ayer.ma.us Thank you.
For more information about Town Meeting and the specific articles, click here.
Special Town Meeting, Article 1: Ambulance Enterprise Fund: There will be a Special Town Meeting on April 26, 2021 at 7pm immediately before the Annual Town Meeting starts. This is a single Article Special Town Meeting which seeks Town Meeting authorization to transfer up to $20,000 from the Ambulance Retained Earnings for the purposes of resolving a budget shortfall in the FY 2021 Ambulance Enterprise Fund.
Article 1: Salaries of Elected Officials: This Article is required by State Law as Town Meeting sets the salaries of the elected officials. The elected officials that receive a salary are the Town Moderator, Select Board Members, and Assessors. The Article provides a 2% cost of living adjustment for FY 2022 as recommended by the Town Manager and proved by the Select Board on February 18, 2021. The total cost impact of Article 1 on the General Fund is $15,875.
Article 2: Contract Funding: Ayer Police Patrol: This Article funds the first year costs of the Ayer Police Patrol Contract in the amount of $43,477. The contract was negotiated by the Town Manager and ratified by the Select Board. A copy of the contract’s Memorandum of Agreement may be found here. A brief presentation on this Article will be made at Town Meeting.
Article 3: Contract Funding: Ayer Police Communications: This Article funds the first year costs of the Ayer Police Communications (Dispatchers) in the amount of $26,244. The contract was negotiated by the Town Manager and ratified by the Select Board. A copy of the contract’s Memorandum of Agreement may be found here. A brief presentation on this Article will be made at Town Meeting.
Article 4: Omnibus Budget: This Article funds the Town’s FY 2022 Budget totaling $16,252,201. The FY 2022 Budget is a printed insert in the Town Meeting Warrant. The FY 2022 Budget includes a 2% Cost of Living Adjustment for Non-Union Personnel. For more information on the FY 2022 Budget please click here. A brief presentation on the FY 2022 Budget will be made at Town Meeting.
Article 5: FY 2022 Ayer Shirley Regional School District Assessment: This Article funds the Town’s portion of the assessment to the Ayer Shirley Regional School District for FY 2022 in the amount of $11,769,808. The Article additionally funds the Town’s portion of the high school building project debt service in the amount of $910,941. For more information please click here.
Article 6: FY 2022 Nashoba Valley Technical Vocational School Assessment: This Article funds the Town’s portion of the assessment to the Nashoba Valley Technical Vocational School District for FY 2022 in the amount of $954,155. For more information please click here.
Article 7: Solid Waste Enterprise Fund
This Article funds the Town’s FY 2022 Solid Waste Enterprise Fund to operate the Town’s Transfer Station and solid waste operations. The total financial impact for FY 2022 is $528,382 of which $36,163 is from the tax levy. The Budget Book with more information will be provided at Town Meeting. For more information, click here.
Article 8: Ambulance Enterprise Fund
This Article funds the Town’s FY 2022 Ambulance Enterprise Fund to operate the Town’s ambulance services. The total financial impact for FY 2022 is $599,013 of which $206,720 is from the tax levy. The Budget Book with more information will be provided at Town Meeting.
Article 9: Sewer Enterprise Fund
This Article funds the Town’s FY 2022 Sewer Enterprise Fund to operate the Town’s sewer system. The total financial impact for FY 2022 is $4,493,654 of which there is no impact to the tax levy. The Budget Book with more information will be provided at Town Meeting.
Article 10: Water Enterprise Fund
This Article funds the Town’s FY 2022 Water Enterprise Fund to operate the Town’s water system. The total financial impact for FY 2022 is $2,045,178 of which there is no impact to the tax levy. The Budget Book with more information will be provided at Town Meeting.
Article 11: Capital Budget Requests (Borrow Article): This Article authorizes the Town to borrow $4,292,565 for the various capital requests listed in Article 11. Per the Town’s Capital Planning Policy, any capital request more than $40,000 is recommended to be borrowed for. These capital requests were reviewed and approved by the Town’s Capital Planning Committee. For more information on the FY 2022 Capital Budget Requests, please visit www.ayer.ma.us/townmeeting
Article 12: Capital Budget Requests (Transfer Article): This Article authorized the transfer of $115,007 from the Town’s Capital Stabilization Fund to purchase the capital requests listed in Article 12. Per the Town’s Capital Planning Policy, any capital request up to $40,000 is recommended to be paid for from available funds and/or the Capital Stabilization Fund. These capital requests were reviewed and approved by the Town’s Capital Planning Committee. For more information on the FY 2022 Capital Budget Requests, please visit www.ayer.ma.us/townmeeting
Article 13: Transfer of Receipts Reserved for Borrow for Police Station HVAC Replacement: This Article authorizes the transfer of $92,435 from the general fund receipts from previous premium on a bond issue pad to the Town for the purposes of funding the replacement of the Police Station HVAC System. The funding from this Article along with $52,565 from Article 11 will total the $145,000 for the Police Station HVAC System.
Article 14: UDAG Replenishments: This Article would transfer $230,000 from Free Cash to replenish the Urban Development Action Grant (UDAG) in the amount of $230,000 for the Worthen Dale Depot Square Eminent Domain Settlement. The $230,000 is the final of three UDAG repayments for the replenishment payments for the Worthen Dale Depot Square Eminent Domain Settlement.
Article 15: GASB-45/OPEB (Post-Employment Benefits Fund): This Article funds the Town’s OPEB (Post-Employment Benefits) Fund in the total amount of $300,000 of which $122,000 comes from the Town’s local meals tax and $178,000 comes from Free Cash. The funding of this Article is per the Town’s Financial Policies on recommendation of the Town’s OPEB Board of Trustees. For more information on the Town’s OPEB Fund and OPEB Board of Trustees please visit www.ayer.ma.us/opeb
Article 16: First Year Interest – General Fund Borrowing (Raise & Appropriate): This Article would raise and appropriated $33,368 required to fund the first year’s interest charges and associated administrative expenses on all General Fund borrowing/bonding for the items set forth in Article 11 as authorized by this Town Meeting.
Article 17: Funding for Aquatic Weed Control for Town Ponds (Raise & Appropriate): This Article would raise and appropriate $30,000 for the purposes of funding the aquatic weed control program for the Town’s ponds as recommended/requested by the Town’s Conservation Commission.
Article 18: Funding for Conservation Fund (Raise & Appropriate): This Article would raise and appropriate $5,000 for the purposes of funding the Town’s Conservation Fund previously established by Town Meeting for the purposes of acquiring conservation land in Town.
Article 19: Matching Funding for Firefighters Grant (Raise & Appropriate): This Article would raise and appropriate $5,000 as matching funds for a Federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant. These funds will only be required if the grant submission is successful.
Article 20: Matching Funding for Green Communities Grant (Raise & Appropriate): This Article would fund the required $26,000 in matching funds for a Green Communities Grant in the amount of $110,369 for the purposes of installing LED lighting in the Fires Station, Library, and Police Station as part of the Town’s ongoing energy conservation/efficiency efforts as a Green Community. For more information about article 20, click here.
Article 21: Funding of the Reserve Fund for Future Payments of Accrued Liabilities for Compensated Absences (Transfer Article): This Article would transfer $50,000 from Free Cash into the Town’s reserve fund for future payments of accrued liabilities for compensated absences as created and authorized previously by Town Meeting in accordance with MGL Chapter 40, Section 13D.
Article 22: Forward Funding of the Town’s Pension Assessment (Transfer Article): This Article would forward fund the Town’s pension assessment from the Middlesex County Retirement System in the amount of $300,000 for the purposes of realizing estimated future savings. Additional payment of $300,000 for two successive years (of which this is the second) will provide an estimate savings of $1.3 million dollars through full funding in 2035.
Article 23: Stabilization Fund (Transfer Article): This Article transfer $5,607 from Free Cash into the Town’s Stabilization Fund and transfers $790,000 into the Town’s Capital Stabilization Fund for a total transfer of $795,607.
Article 24: Community Preservation Act: This Article appropriates the following amounts for the FY 2022 Community Preservation Act Budget as recommended by the Town’s Community Preservation Committee: $5,000 for administrative expenses; $84,480 for acquisition, creation, preservation of open space; $168,959 for acquisition , preservation, restoration, and rehabilitation of historic resources; $168,9959 for acquisition, creation, and preservation and support of community housing; and the remainder sum of $405,398 for the Undesignated Fund Balance/General Fund.
Article 25: Community Preservation Fund FY 2022 Transfer of Funds: This Article transfer the amount of $12,000n from the FY 2022 Community Preservation Fund annual revenues for due diligence of future appropriations by the Community Preservation Committee for general open space purposes.
Article 26: TIF (Tax Increment Finance Agreement) for Catania Spagna: This Article would authorize the TIF (Tax Increment Financing Agreement) for Catania Spagna as approved by the Select Board on March 16, 2021. The TIF Agreement and all supporting materials can be found here. A brief presentation will be made at Town Meeting.
Article 27: Transfer of the Woodlawn Cemetery to the Town of Ayer: This Article would authorize the Select Board to begin a two-part process to acquire the Woodlawn Cemetery by donation from the Woodlawn Cemetery Company to include all personal property, funds, and accounts. Upon passage of Article 27, the Town would be authorized to conduct all appropriate due diligence prior to the acquisition and report back to the Fall Special Town Meeting in October 2021. A brief presentation to be made at Town Meeting.
Article 28: Affordable Housing Trust Bylaw: This Article would create the Affordable Housing Trust Bylaw (the Affordable Housing Trust was authorized by the October 2020 Special Town Meeting) which sets forth the governance of the Affordable Housing Trust as developed by the Ayer Affordable Housing Committee. More information can be found here.
Article 29: Jonathan Drive Cross-Country Water Main Easement: The Town is proposed to “loop” the water main between Jonathan Drive and Riley Jayne Farm Subdivision, providing a redundant connection and increased water quality/flow in the northwest portion of Ayer. The “loop” is cross-country, traversing the DCR rail trail. An easement is required, and this Article would authorize the easement.
Article 30: NPDES Phase II Stormwater Bylaw Amendment: This Article would amend the NPDES Phase II Stormwater Bylaw to meet the regulatory requirements of the Town’s MS4 Permit and make changes to the land disturbance thresholds to better protect water quality in the Town. More information can be found here.
Article 31: Illicit Discharge to Municipal Storm Drain System Bylaw Amendment: This Article would amend the Stormwater Bylaw to meet the regulatory requirements of the MS4 Permit with respect to the Town’s storm drain system and illicit discharges. More information can be found here.
Article 32: Street Acceptance: Pleasant Street Extension (Portion) and Trevor Trail: This Article would accept Pleasant Street Extension (Portion) and Trevor Trail as public ways in the Town. The metes and bounds of which are on filed in the Office of the Town Clerk and available on the Town’s website.
Petition Article: Amendment of the Agreement Between the Town of Ayer and Shirley with Respect to the Formation of a Regional School District: This Article was submitted by Petition in accordance with the provision of Section XV, Paragraph B of the “Agreement Between the Towns of Ayer and Shirley With Respect to the Formation of a Regional School District” with such Petition signed by 10% of the Voters I the Town of Shirley as certified by the Shirley Town Clerk on March 30, 2021. The Petition was received by the Ayer Town Clerk on March 30, 2021. To view a copy of the Petition and supporting documents, click here or contact the Ayer Town Clerk.
For more information about Town Meeting and the specific articles, click here.