ANNUAL TOWN MEETING MINUTES
May 1st, 2023
The Annual Town Meeting opened at 7:05 p.m. having met the quorum requirement of 32 registered voters. 74 registered voters were present at the meeting.
ARTICLE 1: VOTED unanimously to accept the reports of Town Officers and Committees for 2022.
ARTICLE 2: VOTED unanimously to authorize the Town Treasurer and Tax Collector to enter into compensating balance agreements during Fiscal Year 2024 as permitted by General Laws Chapter 44:53f.
ARTICLE 3: VOTED unanimously to authorize the Selectboard to apply for and accept private, state and federal grants, and to expend any monies received as set forth in the appropriate grant application.
ARTICLE 4: VOTED unanimously to allow town boards and commissions to appoint one of its members to a position under their supervision as allowed by MGL Chapter 268A, section 21A.
ARTICLE 5: VOTED unanimously to allow the Selectboard to appoint one of its members to a position under their supervision as allowed by MGL Chapter 268A, section 21.
ARTICLE 6: VOTED unanimously to grant an ethics exemption under MGL Chapter 268A, section 20 to Selectboard member Brian Snell to be compensated for work as an education planner and teacher for Warwick’s planned school district and set compensation at $25 per hour, not to exceed $5000 per fiscal year, beginning in July 2023.
ARTICLE 7: VOTED unanimously, pursuant to Mass General Law Chapter 44, Section 53E ½ and as amended by St. 2016, C 218 Section 86, to amend Warwick’s Revolving Fund Bylaw by adding two revolving accounts: Senior Lunch Revolving and Café Revolving accounts or take related action relative thereto?
| Revolving Account | Spending Authority | Revenue Source | Allowed Expenses | Fiscal Years |
| SENIOR LUNCH Chapter44 Section53E1/2 | SELECTBOARD | FEES, DONATIONS, GRANTS | OPERATION OF SENIOR LUNCH PROGRAMS | Fiscal Year 2024 and subsequent years |
| CAFÉ Chapter44 Section53E1/2 | SELECTBOARD | FEES, DONATIONS, GRANTS | OPERATION OF FEE BASED CAFÉ | Fiscal Year 2024 and subsequent years |
Both Lunch and Café revolving accounts are under the authority of the Selectboard and funded by fees, reimbursements, grants, and donations. Allowed expenses are purchase of food, related items, and compensation of personnel.
ARTICLE 8: VOTED unanimously to reauthorize the following spending limits for the
revolving funds for certain town departments under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 44
Section 53E ½ for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2023.
A. Total expenditures for Health Inspections for the fiscal year commencing on July 1, 2023, will be limited to Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000).
B. Total expenditures for Burial Fund for the fiscal year commencing on July 1, 2023, will be limited to Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000).
C. Total expenditures for costs of Public Hearings for the fiscal year commencing on July 1, 2023, will be limited to Three Thousand Dollars ($3,000).
D. Total expenditures for Inspections Revolving conducted by the Plumbing and Gas Inspector for the fiscal year commencing on July 1, 2023, will be limited to Four Thousand Dollars. ($4,000).
E. Total expenditures for Cleaning Revolving Fund shall not exceed Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000) for the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2023.
F. Total expenditures for Forestry Committee Revolving Fund for the fiscal year commencing on July 1, 2023, will be limited to Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000).
G. Total expenditures for Dog Revolving Fund in the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2023, shall not exceed Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000).
H. Total expenditures for Fire Inspections Fund for the fiscal year commencing on July 1, 2023, will be limited to Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000).
I. Total expenditures for the Planning Board’s Zoning Program Revolving Fund commencing July 1, 2023, will be limited to Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000).
J. Total expenditures for Highway Revolving Fund for the fiscal year commencing on July 1, 2023, will be limited to One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000).
K. Total expenditures for Electrical Inspection Revolving for the fiscal year commencing on July 1, 2023, will be limited to Five Thousand Dollars ($5000).
L. Total expenditures for the Field Driver Revolving Fund for the fiscal year commencing on July 1, 2023, will be limited to Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000).
M. Total expenditures for the Zoning Board of Appeals Revolving Fund for the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2023, will be limited to Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000).
N. Total expenditures of the Tree Warden Revolving Fund for the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2023 shall not exceed Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000).
O. Total expenditures for the Recreation Revolving Fund for the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2023 shall not exceed Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000).
P. Total expenditures for the Election Revolving Fund in the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2023, shall not exceed Fifteen Hundred Dollars ($1,500).
Q. Total expenditures for the Senior Lunch Revolving Fund in the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2023, shall not exceed Fifteen Thousand Dollars ($15,000).
R. Total expenditures for the Cafe Revolving Fund in the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2023, shall not exceed Twelve Thousand Dollars ($12,000).
ARTICLE 9: VOTED unanimously to accept the provisions of G.L. c. 71,§ 71E. (Adult and Continuing Education)
ARTICLE 10: VOTED unanimously to accept the provisions of G.L. c. 71, § 71F. (Nonresident student tuition)
ARTICLE 11: VOTED unanimously to accept the provisions of G.L. c. 40, § 3. (School Rental)
ARTICLE 12: VOTED to accept the provisions of G.L. c. 76, § 12B. (School Choice Tuition)
ARTICLE 13: VOTED unanimously to accept the provisions of G.L. c. 548 of the acts of 1948, as amended by c. 650, § 196. (School Lunch)
ARTICLE 14: VOTED unanimously to accept the provisions of G.L. c 71, § 37M. (Consolidation of Administrative Functions with a City or Town)
ARTICLE 15: VOTED unanimously to accept the provisions of G.L. c.40, §13E. (Special Education Stabilization fund
Omnibus budget article
ARTICLE 16: VOTED unanimously to AMEND Article 16 to change Tree Warden Salary from $816 as it appears in the warrant to $853 as it appears in the budget.
VOTED unanimously to raise and appropriate such sums of money as may be necessary to defray expenses, the amount estimated by the Selectboard and the Finance Committee for the Fiscal Year commencing July 1, 2023, forthe purposes designated in the budget that follows, or any other amounts for such purposes, which shall not exceed the amounts stated in the column designated “FY 2024 requested”.
This article shall also act to fix the salaries and compensation of elected officials as required by Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 41, Section 108.
Requested salaries and compensation for elected officials:
| Moderator $140 (1) | Selectboard $2400 (3) |
| Assessors $1500 (3) | Town Clerk/Webmaster $16774 (1) |
| Tree Warden $853 (1) | Board of Health $1500 (3) |
| Cemetery Commission $600(3) | School Committee $600 (3) |
Available funds articles:
ARTICLE 17: A motion to pass over Article 17 FAILS
VOTED unanimously to transfer “Free Cash” certified in the amount of $211,930 to reduce the FY 2024 tax levy.
ARTICLE 18: VOTED unanimously to transfer available loan proceeds in the amount of $31,102 to reduce the FY 2024 tax levy.
Enterprise fund articles (funded by departmental receipts):
ARTICLE 19: VOTED unanimously to appropriate $36,500 to operate the Transfer Station Enterprise Fund effective July 1, 2023, and that $5,000 be raised from taxation and $31,500 be raised from departmental receipts.
ARTICLE 20: VOTED unanimously to appropriate $150,000 to operate the Broadband Enterprise Fund effective July 1, 2023, and that $150,000 be raised from departmental receipts.
Stabilization Fund articles: (Proposed is $163,115 in and $40,000 out)
ARTICLE 21: VOTED unanimously to AMEND Article 21 from $163,115 as it appears in the warrant to $177,039 as it appears in the budget.
VOTED unanimously to raise and appropriate $ 177,039 to the Stabilization Fund.
ARTICLE 22:
VOTED (42 to 20) to AMEND Article 22 to change the source of funding from Stabilization to raise and appropriate from Taxation.
There was substantial confusion regarding the vote for the amendment, and after some discussion,
VOTED (30 to 27) to RECONSIDER AMENDMENT changing source of funding.
FAILED to AMEND Article 22 changing source of funding.
VOTED unanimously to transfer $40,000 from Stabilization to Fire Station Construction.
Tax funded articles:
ARTICLE 23: VOTED unanimously to raise and appropriate the sum of $25,000to fund the Warwick Community School Improvement Account established by vote of the Annual Town Meeting held May 3, 2004.
ARTICLE 24: VOTED unanimously to raise and appropriate the sum of $5,000to fund the Warwick Town Hall Improvement Account.
ARTICLE 25: VOTED unanimously to raise and appropriate the sum of $2,500 to the Revaluation Account.
ARTICLE 26: VOTED unanimously to raise and appropriate $2000 to the Landfill Monitoring Fund established May 4, 2015, to pay for post closure monitoring at Warwick’s former landfill.
ARTICLE 27: VOTED unanimously to raise and appropriate $10,000 to audit town accounts.
ARTICLE 28: VOTED unanimously to raise and appropriate $800 to Household Hazardous Waste expense.
ARTICLE 29: VOTED unanimously to rescind the bylaw established under Article 2, Annual Town Meeting, May 6, 1991 regarding membership in the Pioneer Valley Regional School District.
ARTICLE 30: VOTED unanimously to adopt the following Elected Official bylaw for the Warwick School Committee:
- Method and Election: Five School Committee Members are elected at the annual town election for a term of three years, with one third of their number elected annually.
- Powers and Duties: The School Committee is entrusted with broad powers to exercise control and supervision over education within the school district. It has powers to appoint the school superintendent and other school personnel, to delegate authority on a wide range of issues, create a budget, and to formulate general policies.
ARTICLE 31: VOTED unanimously, pursuant to the provisions of G.L. c.40, §5B, to create a new special purpose stabilization fund, to be known as the Opioid Settlement Stabilization Fund, which may be expended for all of the purposes allowed by law, including those outlined in applicable opioid-litigation settlement documents, a document prepared by the Substance Abuse Bureau of the Commonwealth’s Office of Health and Human Services Department, found at https://www.mass.gov/doc/massachusetts-abatement-terms/download entitled “Abatement Strategies”, and consistent with any state guidelines or regulations further clarifying allowable uses of opioid litigation settlement funds; and further, to adopt the last paragraph of said §5B and dedicate to such fund, without further appropriation, 100% of the opioid litigation settlement funds received by the Town; and further, to transfer from available funds a sum of money equal to that received or to be received by the Town from opioid litigation settlements resulting from the Town’s participation in the national Opioid Multi-District Litigation into said Opioid Settlement Stabilization Fund.
Petition Article
ARTICLE 32: VOTED unanimously to Table Article 32
The meeting was dissolved at 9:01 p.m.
A true record of the meeting. Attest:
John Paganetti
Town Clerk