Falmouth Residents Will Vote On Fire Station Debt Exclusion, Holtec On Tuesday
Falmouth residents will be heading to the ballot box on Tuesday, May 17, to vote on some big ticket items for the town.
Ballot questions one and two ask residents to vote on two debt exclusions, one for the recently approved $10 million fire station in Hatchville, and one for the $24 million wastewater treatment facility.
At Town Meeting in April, Finance Director Jennifer Mullen said that the fire station will be paid for without raising taxes, since the appropriation fits within the town’s debt drop-off schedule.
The $24 million upgrade to the wastewater treatment facility was the largest expenditure on the warrant at April Town Meeting. The money will be used to increase sewage capacity to accommodate a new service area for Teaticket and Acapesket sewer areas, and to expand existing service areas that are seeing new development.
Ballot question three asks residents to vote on whether or not Falmouth should direct its select board to communicate with Governor Charles D. Baker Jr., Attorney General Maura T. Healy, and the State Legislature to employ all available means to ensure that Holtec immediately withdraws any plans to dump radioactive water from Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant into Cape Cod Bay.
Ballot questions four through eight have to do with proposed changes to the town charter as approved by the November 2021 Town Meeting.
Question four is mainly to remedy the current inconsistencies with the town charter, and residents are being asked to vote upon the new language that correctly identifies the process and characteristics of Town Meeting.
In question five, voters are asked to vote on language regarding the town moderator position. Though there was no change in existing charter language, the information has been newly unified in one location.
Questions six and seven pertain to the Select Board and its duties. Residents are being asked to vote on newly constructed language that clarifies certain appointment authorities of the board, which include membership, size, and term of existence.
Question eight asks whether the Town Manager should prepare a Capital Improvement Plan consistent with the Strategic Plan and the Local Comprehensive Plan including a clear summary of all capital improvements to be undertaken over the next five fiscal years. This change is intended to reinforce the connection between the three key town plans.