Town Meeting Enters New Era Monday

 HARWICH – Town meeting time has changed. When voters arrive in the gymnasium at the community center on Monday, they will be instructed on how to use new electronic voting devices on many of the 62 articles in the annual legislative session.

 This will be the first time handheld “clickers” will be used at town meeting. Voters will be given the device at check in, and prior to the session starting, the moderator will provide instructions on their use. The decision about which voting method to use — voice vote, standing count or electronic — on individual articles is at the discretion of the moderator. 

Voters will be asked to approve an annual general fund budget of $86.7 million, a $3.4 million, 4.6 percent increase above the current year. Harwich’s contribution to the Monomoy Regional School District will be $33,105,705, a 6.3 percent increase, while Cape Cod Regional Technical High School is seeking $1,828,391, down 13.6 percent due to a reduction in Harwich student attendance at the tech school.

MRSD represents the single largest line item in the town budget, 38.2 percent of all general fund expenditures. The 6.3 percent increase is driven by enrollment-based assessments, district operational cost growth and excluded debt, according to the Citizen’s Guide to Town Meeting prepared by Town Administrator Jay McGrail and Finance Director Jennifer Mince.

Voters will be asked to approve a $7.55 million capital plan for the coming year, driven by several key projects, including $700,000 for the department of public works (DPW) road maintenance; DPW mechanical workshop design, $1 million; harbor department dredging and boat ramp work, $1,305,000; Saquatucket marina bulkhead dredging, $350,000; fire department ambulance replacement, $577,500; police department dispatch radio/IT upgrade at $275,000; community center generator at $168,000; and well/ water department treatment plant upgrade design, $1,100,000. 

 “Most departmental budgets are level funded. No new staff or program expansions are included. Nondiscretionary costs consume the majority of new revenue,” according to McGrail’s guide. “All eight of the collective bargaining agreements were settled this year — a major achievement that drives wage increases across departments.”

 Public safety costs are on the rise, driven primarily by salary increases. In the police department there is a 13 percent increase in wages, and in the fire department salaries will increase by 9.4 percent.

 There are a number of articles in the warrant likely to draw debate, including the Monomoy Regional Middle School roof project. The article seeks $11.8 million for a new metal roof, but the Harwich select board has been pushing for an asphalt roof, which would provide less longevity, because of the age of the school. An asphalt roof would save an estimated $315,000. The school building committee is weighing the alternative. The select board has withheld a recommendation on the article as of early this week.

 The big-ticket items supported by the community preservation committee include $667,500 to a private developer to support the exterior restoration and preservation of the 1841 West Harwich Baptist Church. The town will receive a historic deed restriction on the exterior of the building, ensuring that the restored features are protected and cannot be altered in the future. The restriction would preserve the historic character of the structure. The select board and finance committee support the article.

 The select board and finance committee also support the community preservation committee endorsement of $650,000 for the affordable housing trust to carry out its mission to address the town’s housing needs. The funds would allow the trust to conduct necessary analyses, engage the community in public discussions, and advance the development of affordable housing units.

 The community preservation committee and the select board and finance committee do not see eye-to-eye on two articles seeking to use Community Preservation Act funds to provide $100,000 to each of two housing developments in Chatham. The CPC is supporting the articles, taking the position that a new housing supply in Chatham helps meet the Cape-wide demand that directly affects Harwich residents and employers. Absent the give-and-take from surrounding communities for such housing projects, the select board and finance committee have voted unanimously to seek indefinite postponement of those articles.

 The select board and finance committee are unanimously supporting the adoption of the updated local comprehensive plan. The document is a planning tool used to guide future growth and development in Harwich while balancing a wide variety of community needs, including protection of environmental resources, water quality, economic development, transportation, housing, coastal resiliency, infrastructure, cultural heritage, quality of life, and preservation of community character. The 2025 plan is intended to be a living document that informs both long- and short-term municipal decision-making.

 An article will serve to end a longstanding legal battle over the use of Hall’s Path to provide a vehicle access connection between Route 137 and Pleasant Bay Road. The litigation started after the planning board denied a subdivision plan along Hall’s Path and the town installed a gate to limit use of the road. The article would authorize the select board to accept an easement allowing the town to install, maintain and control a gate across the path.

 As part of a resolution to the lawsuit, the developers agreed to grant the town an easement and have submitted a revised subdivision plan that has been approved by the planning board. The easement would ensure the town can keep the gate in place and manage traffic flow on the path.

 Several of the petition articles could generate debate. The select board and finance committee are supporting an article that would direct the town to study the potential acquisition and future uses of the 29-acre Marceline salvage yard property on Pleasant Lake Ave., across from the Route 6 interchange. The article calls for input from boards, committees and the general public in considering potential uses for the property, balancing conservation goals, housing opportunities and other community needs. 

 Among the petition articles are measures seeking to establish a fertilizer reduction bylaw; a tree preservation bylaw; and establish a town policy governing tree removal along town roads. Another petition article seeks to protect historic landscapes by accepting a state law designating scenic roads. The select board supports the petition, while the finance committee has recommended indefinite postponement.

 There is a petition article seeking home rule legislation to restrict the use of second generation anticoagulant rodenticides, which can propagate up the food chain killing other wildlife species. The select board voted to indefinitely postpone the article, while the finance committee voted 7-2 to accept and adopt it. 

 A petition article seeking to alter zoning approved in 2020 allowing multifamily developments by special permit in all residential zoning districts. The article proposes to prohibit multifamily developments by special permit in rural, low and medium density residential districts. The select board supports the article, and the finance committee is calling for indefinite postponement.

 Another petition article seeks to require town meeting approval before the town grants optional incentives to private developers, such as fee waivers, tax deductions or other discretionary financial or regulatory benefits. It would apply to all projects, including 40B housing developments. The goal is to increase transparency and give residents a direct role in such decisions, according to the petition. The select board and finance committee recommend indefinite postponement.

 One petition article seeks to establish a prioritization of programs that provide financial assistance to individuals and households by the affordable housing trust, including down-payment assistance, rental subsidies or other housing support programs for teachers, police officers, firefighters, health care workers, and other eligible people who live or work in Harwich. The select board and finance committee recommend indefinite postponement. 

 Another petition article would require a town meeting vote for use of town funds for neighborhood impacted from developments, including infrastructure, environmental mitigation, public services and other costs associated with the development. The select board and finance committee recommend indefinite postponement.

 Voters will also be asked to approve a bylaw that would limit individuals from serving as voting members on more than one major town board or committee. There is also a petition article seeking to control the noise generated by lawn and landscaping equipment. Neither has the support of the select board or finance committee.

 There are several zoning amendment articles on the warrant. One would reduce the height and number of stories for multifamily buildings in residential districts to the same standards as single-family structures. The select board, finance committee and planning board support the article. Two articles relating to changes in accessory dwelling unit provisions are recommended for indefinite postponement by the planning board, select board and finance committee because the language is in conflict with state law.