HANSON – In a special Town Meeting lasting less than 14 minutes, Hanson voters approved a short warrant of 16 articles, all without discussion.
The session was held Saturday, Oct. 3 in the WHRHS gym, at desks already set up for socially distanced school lunches. The reduced quorum of 50 people were required to wear masks and asked to fill out contract tracing forms, including information as to which row and seat they sat in so the Town Clerk’s office would have information “if something undesireable happens,” according to Town Moderator Sean Kealy.
After being joined by two children in leading the Pledge of Allegiance, Kealy honored town officials lost since the July annual Town Meeting — Les Wyman, election official Debbie Clemons and transfer station employee Keith Fontaine.
Article 1, to transfer $294 from free cash and $464.59 from recreation enterprise fund retained earnings to pay seven unpaid bills from prior fiscal years, was approved. A 9/10 vote margin was required.
Article 2, to raise and appropriate $111,100 from taxation to supplement the six appropriations in the warrant (previously voted in Article 6 of the July annual Town Meeting), was approved.
Article 3, to transfer $532,50 from free cash and $61,000 from ambulance receipts reserved appropriations to pay for nine items listed in the warrant, was approved.
Article 4, to transfer $2,335 from free cash and $84,378 from Article 11 of the May 2019 annual Town Meeting to pay for WHRHS capital projects, was approved.
Article 5, to appropriate $30,410 from the Community Preservation Committee’s fund balance reserve for open space to pay for the local share of a state matching trails grant, was approved.
Article 6, to transfer $14,000 from free cash to fund an operational and comparative audit of the Whitman-Hanson Regional School District, was approved.
Article 7, to transfer $30,000 form overlay surplus, access allowance for abatements and exemptions, to pay for fiscal 2022 recertification year adjustment and the commercial, industrial personal property cyclical recertification of the town’s real estate and personal property values as required by state law; was approved.
Article 8, to transfer $35,000 from free cash to pay for the engineering costs of a park to be located at the former Plymouth County Hospital site, was approved.
Article 9, to transfer $20,000 from free cash to pay for stump grinding and removal and related improvements at Camp Kiwanee, was approved.
Article 10, to transfer $7,500 from free cash to pay for repairs to the parking lot at 225 High St., was approved.
Article 11, to transfer $55,000 from free cash to pay for five new compactors at the transfer station, was approved.
Article 12, to transfer $10,000 from free cash to replenish the Conservation Fund for Open Space Management and related conservation purposes, was approved.
Article 13, to raise and appropriate $25,000 from taxation to be added to the towns other post-employment benefits trust fund, was approved.
Article 14, to transfer $55,000 from free cash to be added to the town stabilization fund, was approved.
Article 15, to transfer $25,000 from free cash to be added to the regional schools capital stabilization fund, was approved.
Article 16, to make the office of tree warden an appointed position under the authority of the Board of Selectmen, was approved.