Billerica’s Fall Town Meeting to begin next week

BILLERICA — Town Meeting begins next week in Billerica as representatives consider collective bargaining agreements for school and town employees, upgrades to the police headquarters, and deeding town-owned parcels of land to the Conservation Commission.

The preliminary warrant for the Oct. 7 meeting carries 39 total articles, though it is common for some to be dropped from the final warrant before the meeting begins.

Among the first major articles are Articles 8 to 14, which funds the collective bargaining agreements for Billerica Public Schools teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators, custodial staff, clerical staff and cafeteria staff as well as the town’s police and emergency medical personnel. At the time the preliminary warrant was printed none of the contracts had been ratified, but the teachers and paraprofessional contracts were since ratified “overwhelmingly” last week according to a post on social media by the Billerica Federation of Teachers.

Article 17 is an $11 million article to fund the renovation of the Billerica Police Department Headquarters at 6 Good Street, which is attached to Town Hall. A feasibility study for the project was approved by Town Meeting last fall.

“Currently, the Police Department has large areas of underutilized space while other areas have grown and are unable to accommodate demand. Women’s locker rooms are undersized, Shift Commanders have very little space, the briefing room is oversized, paramedic sleeping quarters abut the prisoners, dispatch has vacated the first floor and records are dispersed throughout the building,” according to the article’s explanation in the warrant.

Billerica has already participated in some of the earlier celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution this year. Article 18 though asks for $25,000 in funding from the town’s Free Cash fund for the 250th celebrations in Billerica for next year, when the country celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Article 20 is a $3 million borrowing article to fund the construction of 2-inch water main replacements and the looping of dead-end water mains.

Article 22 is another borrowing article, this one for $2.5 million for the bidding and construction costs of a complete restoration of the Boston Road water storage tank, and a partial restoration of the Crosby Hill water storage tank, both in an effort to meet water quality standards of the American Water Works Association.

One of the next major articles is Article 31, which is a vote on whether to deed a list of town-owned parcels of land to the Conservation Commission. The article stems from a review of 800 town-owned parcels this past spring by a team of graduate students from Tufts University’s Department of Urban and Environmental Police and Planning. The study looked at how each parcel aligned with conservation characteristics like wildlife, wetlands and soil attributes, and gave recommendations for which properties are more suitable for conservation.

“The most suitable properties should be placed into conservation and protection with the “most suitable” meaning that the soil attributes and proximity for wildlife and vernal pool connections without other development existing scored highest of all town-owned parcels,” the article explanation read.

Of the 800 parcels, just 27 received perfect scores, and in all 27 cases the parcel had riverfront access with a high percentage of wetlands.

Right after is Article 32, which was submitted by Select Board member Daniel Darris-O’Connor to set referendum elections on Town Meeting decisions as a majority vote. Currently, if a Town Meeting vote is challenged through the petition referendum process, it requires the same percentage of votes on the town wide ballot as it needed to pass in Town Meeting. If this article were to pass it would only require a simple majority to approve an article if it is brought to a town wide ballot, even if it needed two-thirds of Town Meeting members to pass.

Article 34 is a Home Rule Petition article asking the state legislature to approve an increased age limit for an original appointment as a police officer in town. Currently the maximum age for a new police officer is 31, but this article would increase it to 40, if approved both by Town Meeting and the state legislature.

Article 37 was submitted by Billerica Veterans Director Donnie Jarvis, and it would opt the town into a provision of 2016 HOME Act allowing taxpayers to include an optional donation to support local veterans when paying their property or vehicle excise taxes. Those donations would go directly to the Veterans Gift Fund.

Billerica’s Fall Town Meeting begins at 7 p.m. Oct. 7 in the Billerica Town Hall Auditorium. If the full warrant is not completed by the time the body adjourns that night, it will continue on Thursday, Oct. 9, and then on each subsequent Tuesday and Thursday until the warrant is fully completed.