Commentary

Woolwich town meeting provides opportunities for responsible citizenship

Tue, 04/25/2017 - 7:15am

At Woolwich Town Meeting this year, held on a Saturday for the second year in a row – April 29 at 9 a.m. at Woolwich Central School – citizens have a lot to decide. We hope citizens come out and be heard with their voices and their votes.

The proposed municipal budget is up over last year’s, due to a Fire Department request for purchase of a new truck, and modest salary increases for Town employees. We have also included a request to install solar panels on the closed landfill. The good news is that, according to the auditor, Town finances are such that $1,000,000 can be used this year from the Undesignated Fund Balance to help offset the increases. In the past couple of years, the Town has drawn $900,000. But keep in mind that the Town’s budget is only 25 percent of the total tax bill each year and does not include the RSU 1’s or the County’s costs, both of which carry increases this year.

First, we urge you to read Fire Chief Mike Demers’ report in the Town Report and in the latest edition of the Town newsletter in support of a new fire truck to replace the 1985 tank truck that is currently “on duty” at the North Station. The Fire Department would keep the 1998 pumper, move it to the North Station, and sell the 1985 vehicle. The new truck would be a pumper that, according to Demers, meets all of today’s current standards. Current pricing came in at $348,000, which, with 10-year financing, will cost the Town about $45,000 each year.

Second, we have increased the appropriation for the Codes Enforcement Officer, whose responsibilities and time commitments have increased over the last several years. He plans to be at this year’s Town Meeting to answer questions. In addition, we’ve made some changes in Town Office responsibilities, which means that the Town Office will be open to the public five days a week, as many residents have requested. As a result, we asked the Town’s Contract Assessor to absorb the support currently being provided by the Tax Collector, and the costs of that are reflected in the Assessor’s contract.

Finally, we have an opportunity to invest in solar energy to offset the Town’s municipal electric bill. As a growing number of municipalities have been doing, we’ve been researching and talking with solar installers and towns across the state who have considered installing solar panels to pay for electricity. The result is a plan for 80 panels to be installed at the closed landfill on Middle Road. Please read the current Town newsletter on the town website, www.woolwich.us for more details.

The system that seems to work best for Woolwich is contracting with ReVision Energy in a Power Purchase Agreement, where ReVision installs and maintains the system for six years, the Town pays its electric bills to ReVision, and in year seven, the Town is incentivized to purchase the system at a reduced cost. At that point, the Town would begin to realize the savings provided by solar energy, with a payback period of about nine or 10 years. We are suggesting no upfront costs this year, only the authority to sign the contract, and to begin putting aside funds in the next six years for the system’s purchase. This is a long-term investment, to be sure, but we feel it’s worthy of the Town’s consideration.

These are important issues that affect all of us, both collectively as a Town and individually as residents. Every vote counts. Every voice is important. Towns like Woolwich with a strong sense of history and support for the Town Meeting form of government require citizen involvement on Saturday. Doors open at 8. In the meantime, pick up a copy of the Town Report from the Town Office, 13 Nequasset Road.