Published: 6/3/2021 4:34:15 PM
BUCKLAND — Revisions to animal control bylaws, a proposal to make town clerk an appointed position and a citizen’s petition that would require voter approval prior to filming in town will all come before Annual Town Meeting voters on Saturday.
The meeting, held in a drive-in format, will start at 10 a.m. in the parking lot of Mohawk Trail Regional School. Vehicles will be parked with one space in between each, and attendees are expected to physically stay in their parking space unless they wish to speak at the microphone. Sitting on hoods or tailgates, or sitting in chairs in front of vehicles, is allowed.
Of the 29 articles on the Town Meeting warrant, Town Administrator Heather Butler believes significant attention will be paid to several articles, in particular Article 26 and its animal control bylaws.
Since Buckland is part of a regional animal control district that has one animal control officer who is working in several communities, “He is looking to unify the animal control bylaws from town to town, and part of that is bringing them into compliance with Mass General Laws and other considerations that are unique to the Franklin County region,” Butler explained. Last year, Buckland hosted two well-attended meetings to make changes and finalize these bylaws.
Another item Butler believes will garner discussion is Article 24, a proposal to change the town clerk’s position from elected to appointed. Instead of a vacancy being addressed through voting, Butler said “the Selectboard will advertise (the open position) and select someone to serve.”
Similarly, Butler mentioned Article 25, which addresses tasks that involve general fees that go through the town clerk. In the case of tasks like marriage licenses, “Those fees are turned into general funds and given back to the clerk through the payroll process,” Butler said. Under this article, once those general funds are turned in, they would become part of town revenue instead.
Two citizen’s petitions will also be addressed, one regarding streetlights and the other regarding filming in town.
The latter petition (Article 29), if approved, would require the Selectboard to consult with Buckland residents through an Annual Town Meeting or Special Town Meeting before agreeing to allow major television and motion picture filming to occur in town. This proposal comes following the filming of the Showtime series “Dexter” in April.
The Selectboard will also discuss Buckland potentially joining the Pioneer Valley Mosquito Control District (Article 27), funding in the wastewater treatment enterprise budget (Article 13), and school assessments that will require paying existing and taking on new debt.
If approved, Buckland’s proposed operating budget for fiscal year 2022 of just under $2 million will increase by about 6 percent over the current budget. School assessments account for an additional $2.8 million. To view the budget, visit bit.ly/34NykGx.
The full warrant can be viewed at bit.ly/3pgHGDY. In the event of rain on Saturday, the meeting will be moved to Saturday, June 26, at 10 a.m.
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