NEW SALEM — A Special Town Meeting on Saturday will see residents vote on amending New Salem’s Ralph C. Mahar Regional School assessment and its library expense appropriation.
The meeting, which includes nine warrant articles, will be held on the town common on South Main Street starting at 10 a.m. Masks will be required and attendees must abide by social distancing guidelines.
Knowing there would be a Special Town Meeting in the fall after the Mahar School Committee set its budget, when residents convened for Annual Town Meeting in June, they voted on last year’s budget figures due to the uncertainty in what Finance Committee Chair Gabriele Voelker describes as the budget climate. Voters will be asked to approve a $667,695 Mahar assessment on Saturday, for a roughly $1.8 million total education budget that will see funding also go to Swift River School and Franklin County Technical School.
Townspeople will also be asked to approve an increased library expense appropriation of $23,973. Town Coordinator Nancy Aldrich said the library budget is going up because the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, which provides some funding, requires the budget to increase a certain percentage each year. Aldrich explained the original library budget did not contain this increase, and the Special Town Meeting vote is meant to correct this.
There is also an article that would impose a 3 percent excise tax on adult-use marijuana sales. Though there are no marijuana establishments in New Salem, Aldrich said a company called Ancient Growth is in talks with the Selectboard regarding a host community agreement.
“We would like to have this in place before it goes any further,” she said, adding that a meeting is slated for Sept. 21, though several have already been rescheduled.
Adoption of a separate warrant article would see the town replace its current dog bylaw with a 10-section version “for the purpose of promoting the health, safety and general welfare of the town’s inhabitants and their dogs.” The bylaw contains standards relating to the treatment, confinement and ownership of dogs.
Aldrich said the bylaw replacement article comes at the request of Animal Control Officer Gail Spring.
“There have been a few (dog complaints from the public) over the past few years,” Aldrich said.
The bylaw defines a dangerous dog as “any dog that has killed or seriously injured a person, or has killed or seriously injured a domestic animal in a public place or while on private property, other than property owned or occupied by the person responsible for the dog.” It also includes language on dog licensing, the duties of animal owners, impoundment and release, and complaints, violations and citations.
The remaining articles involve appropriating $9,635 for cost-of-living adjustments for non-elected town employees; increasing the salaries of all elected officials by 2 percent; and paying four bills from last fiscal year.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.
Stm September 12 2020 Final by Zachary DeLuca on Scribd