GRANVILLE — Voters in Granville will decide on at least 33 warrant articles at the annual Town Meeting at 7 p.m. on May 13 at the Granville Village School.
The warrant for the Town Meeting was provided to Reminder Publishing before it was finalized by the town’s Finance Committee and Selectboard on May 6. Some articles may be removed before the warrant is finalized.
Article 1 is a vote to determine if the town will vote to receive the reports of town boards and committees.
Article 2 is whether to accept the fiscal year 2025 town budget as proposed by the various boards and committees. The total proposed budget amounts to $2.55 million, which includes $969,922 for general government, $600,166 for public safety, $830,158 for public works, and $82,764 for culture, recreation and conservation.
Article 3 is a vote to authorize the town to raise and appropriate or transfer from available funds the sum of $2.21 million for the required local contribution for the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District, which each of the three towns in the regional school district are required to do.
Article 4 is a vote to determine if the town will vote to appropriate and transfer $85,700 from the Ambulance Fees Collected Fund.
Article 5 would authorize the Selectboard to apply, accept and expend any and all grants from the federal, state or private grants for which said grants are authorized.
Article 6 would spend Chapter 90 funds, transportation bond issues, or any available funds for highway work.
Article 7 would carry over the FY24 balances of several legal and fee accounts into FY25, including donations and gift accounts.
Articles 8 through 14 are votes to allow free cash to be used for applying $52,164 to a $252,000 loan emergency communications and a police cruiser; to apply $43,050 to a $210,000 DPW truck loan; to apply $24,310 to a $220,000 Pond Brook Culvert loan; to apply $46,724, which is the last payment, on a loan authorization of $532,000 for the town’s Transportation Program Reconstruction Project; to apply $168,045 to the $1.37 million Road Project Loan; to apply $20,700 for debt service on a $60,000 truck loan; and to provide $51,574 for the debt incurred for a DPW pickup truck.
Article 15 is a vote to rescind the authorized and unissued amount of $60,000 of the borrowing approved at the May 2023 Town Meeting to purchase and equip a new DPW pickup truck.
Article 16 is a vote to transfer from free cash, available funds or otherwise provide $50,000 to fund the design and construction of renovations to the West Granville Firehouse, including all incidental and related costs approved at the May 2023 Town Meeting.
If Article 16 is approved, Article 17 is a vote to rescind the authorized and unissued amount of $50,000 of the borrowing approved at the May 2023 Town Meeting for the design and construction of renovations to the West Granville Firehouse. This article is on the warrant because state law requires a Town Meeting vote to rescind authorized and unissued debt that is no longer required for its intended purpose.
Article 18 is only needed if Articles 16 and 17 are not approved. It is a vote to spend $41,700 on the FY24 DPW Pickup and West Granville Firehouse Renovation Loan.
Articles 19 through 26 are votes to allow free cash to be used to apply $25,000 to the FY24 DPW Barn Maintenance Account; $25,000 for tree cutting and the removal of hazardous, dead and diseased trees; $30,000 to FY24 health insurance costs; $20,000 for FY24 building operations costs; $7,500 to the FY24 assessors tax map maintenance budget; $13,000 for replacement SCBA bottles for the Fire Department; $25,000 for radio equipment for the Fire Department; and $200,000 into the Capital Projects Stabilization Account.
Article 27 is a vote to create a Special Opioid Settlement Revenue Fund.
Article 28 would assign Community Preservation Fund receipts to four reserve accounts, with $3,400 each from FY25 revenues to be designated for historical preservation, community housing and open space, and $23,800 to the FY25 budgeted reserve. The article also appropriates $400 for administrative expenses.
Article 29 is a vote to spend $15,000 from the budgeted reserve of the Community Preservation Fund as a grant to the Selectboard to be used for the hiring of a preservation specialist to evaluate the current condition of the town-owned Old Meeting House.
Article 30 is a vote to accept the provisions of state law that allows the town through its Selectboard by bylaw or ordinance to deny any application for, or revoke or suspend a building permit, or any local license or permit including renewals and transfers issued by any board, officer, department for any person, corporation or business enterprise, who has neglected or refused to pay any local taxes, fees, assessments, betterments or any other municipal charges.
Article 31 is a vote to authorize the Selectboard to agree to payments in lieu of taxes with property owners who are not required to pay property tax.
Selectboard Chair Nicole Berndt said articles 32 and 33 will be discussed at the board’s May 6 meeting and there is a chance they will be removed. Article 32 would impose a local meals excise tax of 0.75%. Article 33 would impose a local room occupancy excise at the rate of 6%.
