Information for Meeting of Town Meeting
Tuesday June 13, 2023 6:30 PM EDT

TOWN OF BARRE
ANNUAL TOWN MEETING
June 13, 2023 6:30 p.m.
Ruggles Lane School 
105 Ruggles Lane
Warrant Articles

COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
WORCESTER, SS:                           

To one of the Constables in the Town of Barre, in the County of Worcester.

Greetings:
In the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, you are hereby directed to notify and warn the inhabitants of the Town of Barre, qualified to vote in town elections and town affairs to meet at the Ruggles Lane Elementary School, 105 Ruggles Lane, Barre, MA 01005.

TUESDAY, THE THIRTEENTH DAY OF JUNE 2023 AT 6:30 P.M.

then and there to act on the following articles: 

ARTICLE 1
CHOOSE TOWN OFFICERS
Sponsor: Select Board
 [Majority Vote Required]
To see if the Town will vote to choose all other town officers, agents and committees not elected by ballot or appointed, or take any other action relative thereto.

ARTICLE 2
REPORTS FROM COMMITTEES
Sponsor: Finance Committee
 [Majority Vote Required]
To see if the Town will vote to accept the reports of the Select Board, Finance Committee, School Committee and any other department or committee and act thereon, or take any other action relative thereto.
 
ARTICLE 3
PAYMENT OF BILLS FROM A PRIOR FISCAL YEAR
Sponsor: Select Board
[Four-Fifths Vote Required]
To see if the Town will vote to transfer from available funds a sum of money to pay for bills of a prior fiscal year, or take any other action relative thereto. 

ARTICLE 4
FISCAL 2023 BUDGET TRANSFERS
Sponsor: Select Board
 [Majority Vote Required]
To see if the Town will vote to transfer from any available source of funds sums of money to be added to departmental budgets and appropriations for the Fiscal Year ending on June 30, 2023, or take any other action relative thereto.




ARTICLE 5
FY 2023 SNOW AND ICE REMOVAL ACCOUNT 
Sponsor: DPW Commission 
(Majority Vote Required) 
To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, borrow or transfer from available funds a sum of money to be added to the Fiscal Year 2023 Snow Removal Overtime/PT and Expense Accounts; or take any other action relative thereto. 

ARTICLE 6
FY 2024 WATER ENTERPRISE BUDGET
Sponsor: DPW Commission 
[Majority Vote Required] 
To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, borrow or transfer from Water Receipts a sum of money for the operations and maintenance of the municipal water system for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2023; or take any other action relative thereto. 

ARTICLE 7 
FY 2024 SEWER ENTERPRISE BUDGET 
Sponsor: DPW Commission 
[Majority Vote Required] 
To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, borrow or transfer from Sewer Receipts a sum of money for the operations and maintenance of the municipal sewer system for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2023; or take any other action relative thereto. 

ARTICLE 8

FY 2024 TRANSFER FROM AMBULANCE RECEIPTS RESERVED 
Sponsor: Fire Chief  
[Majority Vote Required] 
To see if the Town will transfer from Ambulance Receipts Reserved the sum of $520,000 to fund the FY 2024 Omnibus Budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2023; or take any other action relative thereto. 

ARTICLE 9
FY 2024 OMNIBUS BUDGET 
Sponsor: Select Board 
[Majority Vote Required] 
To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate a sum of money to pay Town charges and expenses for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2023 and vote to fix salary and compensation of all elected officials of the Town in accordance with the provisions of Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 41, Section 108, effective July 1, 2023 and make all appropriations for the same; or take any other action relative thereto. 



ARTICLE 10
FY 2024 OMNIBUS BUDGET- SCHOOLS 
Sponsor: Select Board
[Majority Vote Required] 
To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate a sum of money to pay school charges and expenses for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2023 in accordance with the provisions of Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 41, Section 108, effective July 1, 2023 and make all appropriations for the same; or take any other action relative thereto. 

ARTICLE 11
PEG ACCESS AND CABLE RELATED FUND  
Sponsor: Select Board
[Majority Vote Required] 
To see if the Town will vote to transfer the sum of $25,000 from the PEG Access and Cable Related Fund to operate the Public, Educational, and Governmental (PEG) Access and Cable Related Fund established pursuant to Massachusetts General Law Chapter 44, Section 53F ¾ for fiscal year FY2024; or take any action relative thereto. 

ARTICLE 12
REVOLVING FUNDS 
Sponsor: Select Board
[Majority Vote Required] 
To see what spending limits the Town will establish for revolving accounts established pursuant to Massachusetts General Law Chapter 44, Section 53E ½ and the Town’s Bylaws Chapter 48, Section 1, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2023; or take any other action relative thereto.  

ARTICLE 13
CHAPTER 90 GRANT
Sponsor: Select Board
 [Two-Thirds Vote Required]
To see if the Town will vote to accept any and all state highway assistance funds authorized by the state legislature and approved by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation- Highway Division under the so-called Chapter 90 Highway Assistance Program to be expended for the maintenance, repair and construction of Town roads in anticipation of reimbursement under the direction of the Select Board for work on roads located on the State Aid Primary System as approved by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation-Highway Division, and further to authorize the Treasurer/Collector, with the approval of the Board of Selectmen, to borrow money from time to time during Fiscal Year 2024 up to the reimbursable amount, for the period from July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024, in anticipation of reimbursement of said highway assistance in conformity with the provisions of Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 44, Section 6AI, or take any other action relative thereto. 





ARTICLE 14
AMEND THE CODE OF THE TOWN OF BARRE
Sponsor:  Select Board
(Majority Vote Required)
To see if the Town will vote to amend the Town Code of the Town of Barre by establishing a bylaw for the position of Town Administrator, including but not limited to qualifications, appointment, powers and duties, acting town administrator, removal and suspension, as reflected in a document on file with the Town Clerk entitled “Town Administrator Bylaw,” or take any other action relative thereto.

ARTICLE 15
AMEND THE CODE OF THE TOWN OF BARRE
Sponsor:  Select Board
[Two-Thirds Vote Required]
To see if the Town will vote to amend the Code of the Town of Barre as follows:

Chapter 140, Zoning, Section 140-7 Residence Districts, subsection A. (5) by deleting said subsection in its entirety, and inserting the following language in place thereof:  Two-family dwellings, with the exception that in the Residence Districts R-20 and R-15, the same must be serviced by town water and sewer; or take any other action relative thereto. 

ARTICLE 16
AMEND THE CODE OF THE TOWN OF BARRE
Sponsor:  Select Board
[Two-Thirds Vote Required]
To see if the Town will vote to amend the Code of the Town of Barre as follows:

Chapter 140, Town of Barre Zoning Bylaw and Zoning Map incorporated therein by reference, by changing the zoning district of land on the northwesterly side of South Street, consisting of land owned by Caruso Construction Corp. as recorded with the Worcester District Registry of Deeds in Book 68670, Page 115 and being a portion on Assessors Map 51E and shown as the shaded area on the attached plan, from what is currently designated as “R-80 Rural Residence District” to “R-20 General Residence District”; or take any other action relative thereto. 

ARTICLE 17
AMEND THE CODE OF THE TOWN OF BARRE
Sponsor:  Planning Board
[Two-Thirds Vote Required]
To see if the Town will vote to amend the Code of the Town of Barre as follows:

Zoning, Chapter 140, Zoning, Article IV (Use Regulations), by inserting as a new section within Article IV to be entitled- the Open Space Development Bylaw, a copy of which is available for review at the Planning Board Office, and to renumber the subsequent subsections of the Town’s Zoning Bylaw accordingly; or take any other action relative thereto. 

ARTICLE 18
AMEND THE CODE OF THE TOWN OF BARRE
Sponsor:  Planning Board
[Two-Thirds Vote Required]
To see if the Town will vote to amend the Code of the Town of Barre as follows:

Chapter 140, Zoning, Article IV (Use Regulations), by inserting as a new section within Article IV to be entitled Rural Siting Principles, a copy of which is available for review at the Planning Board Office, and to renumber the subsequent subsections of the Town’s Zoning Bylaw accordingly; or take any other action relative thereto. 

ARTICLE 19
REPLACEMENT OF CHILLER AT MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL
Sponsor:  Quabbin Regional School District 
 [Majority Vote Required]
To see if the Town will vote to appropriate the sum of $387,344 to pay for the cost of replacing the chiller, a component of the HVAC system at the Quabbin Regional Middle/High School, including the payment of all costs incidental and related thereto and to meet this appropriation the School District is authorized to borrow said amount pursuant to Chapter 71, Section 16(d) of the General Laws, and the District Agreement (Section VI, page 8) as amended, or pursuant to any other enabling authority, such total amount authorized to be borrowed by this vote shall be reduced to the extent of any grants received by the District on account of this project; or take any other action relative thereto. 

ARTICLE 20
RECODIFICATION OF TOWN CODE
Sponsor: Town Clerk
 [Majority Vote Required]
To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate or transfer from any available source of funds a sum of money to provide for recodification of the Town Code, or take any other action relative thereto.

ARTICLE 21

OTHER POST EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS (OPEB) APPROPRIATION 
Sponsor: Select Board
 [Majority Vote Required]
To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate or transfer from any available source of funds a sum of money for the purpose of adding to the OPEB (Other Post-Employment Benefits) fund; or take any other action relative thereto. 






ARTICLE 22
STABILIZATION FUND
Sponsor: Finance Committee
 [Majority Vote Required]
To see if the Town will vote for raise and appropriate or transfer from any available source of funds a sum of money to be added to the Stabilization Fund, or take any other action relative thereto.

ARTICLE 23
CAPITAL STABILIZATION FUND
Sponsor: Finance Committee
 [Majority Vote Required]
To see if the Town will vote for raise and appropriate or transfer from any available source of funds a sum of money to be added to the Capital Plan Stabilization Fund established by Article 34 of the 2021 Annual Town Meeting, or take any other action relative thereto.

ARTICLE 24
AMEND COUNCIL ON AGING BYLAWS
Sponsor: Select Board
 [Majority Vote Required]
To see if the Town will vote to amend the Code of the Town of Barre as follows: 

Chapter 405, Council on Aging, Section 4(B), by deleting subsection in its entirety and inserting the following language in place thereof: “Council members shall be appointed by the Select Board”, or take any action relative thereto.

ARTICLE 25
AMEND COUNCIL ON AGING BYLAWS
Sponsor: Council on Aging
 [Majority Vote Required]
To see if the Town will vote to amend the Code of the Town of Barre by merging the Council on Aging Boards of Barre & Hardwick to one board comprised of four (4) members from Barre and three (3) members of Hardwick; and to accomplish such merger to delete Section 405-3 (Location of Offices) of the Town’s Council on Aging Bylaw, and to delete subsection (A) of Section 405-4 (Membership) of the Town’s Council on Aging Bylaw in its entirety and insert the following language in place thereof:  “The Council shall consist of seven (7) members comprised of four (4) residents of the Town of Barre and three (3) residents of the Town of Hardwick; or take any other action relative thereto.

ARTICLE 26
PRIVATE CEMETERY 
Sponsor: Board of Health
 [Majority Vote Required]
To see if the Town will vote to approve the location of a private cemetery at 33 Harty Road as recommended and approved by the Board of Health on November 13, 2017, or take any other action relative thereto.


ARTICLE 27
COMPENSATION FOR PART-TIME ASSESSOR
Sponsor: Board of Assessors
 [Majority Vote Required]
To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of Assessors to appoint one of its members to a paid part-time position under their supervision as allowed by G.L. Chapter 268A, Section 21A, or take any other action relative thereto.
You are directed to serve this Warrant by posting an attested copy thereof on the bulletin boards at Ruggles Lane School, 105 Ruggles Lane; Barre Town Hall, 2 Exchange Street; Town Clerk’s Office, 40 West St. (basement), Henry Woods Building, 40 West Street – 1st floor; Woods Memorial Library, 19 Pleasant Street; 50 Main Street; and Barre Senior Center 557 South Barre Road.

Hereof, fail not, and make due return of this warrant with your doings thereon, to the Barre Town Clerk at the time and place of said meeting as aforesaid. Given under our hands this 24th day of May 2023 A.D. 
				signed/Dr. Maureen Marshall, Chair
signed/John Dixson, Vice Chairman
signed/Mark Regienus, Clerk
BARRE SELECT BOARD

CONSTABLE’S RETURN OF SERVICE

Worcester SS:
Pursuant to the within Warrant, On May 25, 2023, I have notified and warned the inhabitants of the Town of Barre by posting up attested copies of the same on the bulletin boards at:

LOCATION 		TIME
Ruggles Lane School, 105 Ruggles Lane at:10:20 a.m. 
Barre Town Hall, 2 Exchange Street at:11:00 a.m. 
Town Clerk’s Office, 40 West Street (basement) at:10:00 a.m.
Henry Woods Building, 40 West Street 1st floor at:10:10 a.m. 
Woods Memorial Library, 19 Pleasant Street at: 10:30 a.m.
50 Main Street at: 10:40 a.m. 
Barre Senior Center, 557 South Barre Road at: 10:50 a.m. 
May 25, 2023 s/Michael LaRose/Constable of Barre

Returned to the Barre Town Clerk at 11:20 a.m. on the 25th day of May, 2023 A.D.
s/Ellen M. Glidden, Barre Town Clerk
s/Michael LaRose, Constable of Barre