CHESTER – The town of Chester has announced a special town meeting on Monday, Jan. 6. to ask voters to authorize several town expenditures. Registered town voters are asked to meet in the Town Hall Auditorium, 15 Middlefield Rd. at 7 p.m.
The first article asks voters to authorize entering into a lease-purchase for a new police cruiser, and to appropriate the first year’s lease payment from the police cruiser revolving expenses account, which has a balance of $71,730.
A number of the expenditures voters are being asked to authorize are by transfer from free cash. Article 2 asked for a transfer of $12,243 from free cash to replenish the Highway Department’s DOT Fair Share account, which was spent for emergency drinking water.
Article 5 asks for an appropriation from free cash of $7,378 to modernize the town government phone system, and Article 6, requests an appropriation of $3,770 from free cash to purchase tax title software for the treasurer.
Article 7 requests an authorization of $85,500 to make the first of five payments to pay off the loan for the new fire truck, and Article 8, a transfer of $1,091 from free cash to pay a prior year’s bill for Tritech Software Systems for the shared police expenses account.
Two articles also ask the town to approve HERO Act tax exemptions for veterans. The HERO Act, which was signed into law by Gov. Maura Healey in August of 2024, includes over 30 provisions that will positively impact veterans in Massachusetts.
In Article 3 at the Special Town Meeting, Chester voters will be asked to authorize an annual increase in the amount of the exemption by the percentage increase in the U.S. Dept. of Labor Consumer Price Increase (CPI) as determined by the Commissioner of Revenue, to be effective for applicable exemptions beginning on or after July 1.
Article 4 will authorize an annual increase in the amount of the exemption granted by 100 percent of the personal exemption amount, to be effective for applicable exemptions beginning on or after July 1.
