Debt Exclusion Ballot Question for Proposed Fire Station
Shall the Town of Winthrop be allowed to exempt from the provisions of proposition two and one-half, so-called, the amounts required to pay for the bonds issued in order to pay the costs of acquiring property and the construction of a new Fire Station Building to be located at 210-224 Winthrop Street, Winthrop, including the payment of costs related to studying, planning and designing the project, demolishing existing buildings, equipping and furnishing the building, making site improvements, and all other costs incidental and related thereto?
Summary:
The town council has determined that it is necessary to construct a new, centrally located fire station in the town. The new station will replace the two existing stations that will be deactivated upon completion of construction.
A Yes vote will authorize the town to fund all of the costs of building the fire station, anticipated not to exceed forty (40) million dollars, by issuing bonds to pay for the costs of the project and to temporarily exclude that amount of debt from the provisions of Proposition 2 ½ . This is what is called a “Debt Exclusion.” In other words, a debt exclusion is a means of funding a particular project with a temporary increase, in this case for 30 years, in the levy limit. The debt is excluded from (that is, exempt from) the levy limitations of Proposition 2½.
A No vote will not authorize the town to exclude the debt from the levy and will be held to the limitations required by Proposition 2 ½ in which case the town will not be able to build the fire station, or will need to bring forward a new or the same ballot question seeking authorization to override the Proposition 2 ½ limit at a future town election.
Charter Ballot Questions
Recommendation No. 2:
Should the Abandonment language in Section 2-1(d) be changed from missing more than half of the meetings over a one-year period to either: (1) three consecutive regularly scheduled meetings of the full council, or (2) by failing to appear at 50% of the regularly scheduled meetings of the full council over a three-month period?
A Yes vote would consider the Council member as abandoning office if missed 3 consecutive meetings over the first three months in lieu of the first year in office.
A No vote would not change the language of the Charter Section 2-1(d)
Recommendation No. 5A:
Should the Charter be amended to add a provision that will allow for the recall of an elected official through a citizen’s initiative?
A Yes vote would amend the Charter and allow the citizens to participate with a petition with 10% signatures of registered voters requesting this person be removed from office with substantial reasoning.
A No vote would not affect the Charter which currently contains no provision for a recall petition.
Recommendation No. 6:
Should the Charter be amended to include that, if there is a dispute between this Charter and Council Rules, Charter is binding.
A Yes vote would include in the Charter that if there are any conflict between the Charter Language and the Language contained in the Town Council Rules, the Language contained in the Charter would prevail.
A No vote would not affect the Charter.
Recommendation No. 9:
Should the Charter Section 7-8 be amended to change the time in which the Town Council may adopt the budget ‘from a 45-day following the date that the proposed budget was received’ to ‘not less than 15 days prior to the start of the fiscal year.’
A Yes vote would allow the Town Council & Town Manager additional time to review the budget for the next fiscal year while allowing a Capital Plan with a more sufficient time frame for review.
A No vote would not affect current Charter Section 7-8