It’s a busy, busy week in town government. On Monday night the Advisory Committee will present a public information meeting on your tax rate. The Board of Selectmen meet on Tuesday and Senator Jamie Eldridge and Representatives Danielle Gregoire and Carolyn Dykema are tentatively scheduled to attend. On Wednesday the regional school committee talks assessments Read the full article → from The week in town government
Government
The difference a vote can make
With Town Meeting only a month away, now is a good time to get educated on just how important your vote can be, and the Southborough Advisory Committee wants to help you do that. The committee is sponsoring a public information meeting on Monday night called “How You Can Control Your Property Tax Rate.” “Many Read the full article → from The difference a vote can make
No new technology approved for the schools
School technology may take a big hit this year. The Southborough schools originally requested $205K for capital technology projects like replacing desktops and network equipment. It was an amount that Director of Technology Jean Tower said would keep them “barely treading water.” But the Board of Selectmen and Advisory Committee have since slashed the schools’ Read the full article → from No new technology approved for the schools
Save the date: Town Meeting starts April 13
Southborough’s annual town meeting is exactly one month away, so get your babysitters lined up. Town Meeting starts on Monday, April 13 at 7:00 pm at Trottier Middle School. Anyone in town can attend Town Meeting, but you must be a registered voter to vote on the warrant articles. The last day to register to Read the full article → from Save the date: Town Meeting starts April 13
Schools to renegotiate health plan with teachers union
The Southborough School Committee last night voted unanimously to reopen negotiations with the teachers union over health insurance plans. The vote came after the Board of Selectmen reduced the K-8 benefits budget by $120K last week. “The town has decided the budget deficit should be borne by the schools,” School Committee member Marybeth Strickland said. Read the full article → from Schools to renegotiate health plan with teachers union
A regional storm is a-brewin’
Every year the towns of Northborough and Southborough use some advanced math to figure out how much of the regional school budget each town will pay. This year those calculations might see Southborough ponying up an additional $200K — an unexpected increase that is raising some eyebrows. Here’s the situation. There are two different ways Read the full article → from A regional storm is a-brewin’
Photos from the Fire Ball
By all accounts, the Southborough Fire Ball was a huge success. Organizer Rebecca Waterfall tells me the event on Saturday night was attended by 290 people and brought in $95K. Not all of that will go toward the ladder truck since a portion will go toward the event itself, but still, an impressive number. At Read the full article → from Photos from the Fire Ball
Selectmen consider reducing hours for town employees, library
Technically, the fiscal year 2010 budget was balanced last week when the Selectmen cut $120K from the school benefits budget. But, what if the school is unable to absorb those cuts? Or what if, as some in town suspect, Town Meeting voters want even more reductions? Either of those possibilities could mean tough times for Read the full article → from Selectmen consider reducing hours for town employees, library
Selectmen reduce school benefits budget by $120K
Going into their meeting last week, the Board of Selectmen were looking at a budget shortfall of $120K for fiscal year 2010. By the end of the evening, the budget was balanced, with the cuts coming entirely from the school benefits budget. Town employees — excluding school employees — currently pay 22.5% of their health Read the full article → from Selectmen reduce school benefits budget by $120K
The week in town government
Here are the department and committee meetings for the week. The Planning Board will hold a public hearing on new athletic fields St. Mark’s wants to build alongside the fields behind Pilgrim Church. The DPW will hold a public hearing on plans for the town’s water system. The Zoning Board of Appeals continues their discussion Read the full article → from The week in town government
Options and costs for replacing Ladder 26
(This is part 5 in a series of posts about the proposal for a new aerial ladder truck in Southborough. For more information, see the series introduction.) When you buy a new car, what’s the first thing you do? You take it for a test drive, right? That’s exactly what the Aerial Ladder Study Group Read the full article → from Options and costs for replacing Ladder 26
New poll: Should we buy a ladder truck?
There’s one more installment in the ladder truck series to be posted later today, but if you’ve already made up your mind about whether the town should purchase a new ladder truck, head on over to the My Southboorugh poll and register your vote. You’ll find the poll in the sidebar to the right. (If Read the full article → from New poll: Should we buy a ladder truck?
More public meetings than you can shake a stick at
Southborough has gone public meeting crazy. I’m not sure if it’s the run-up to Town Meeting, but there are four public meetings in the coming weeks covering everything from historic preservation, to DPW projects, to the tax rate. Here are all the details. Monday, March 9: Water System Master Plan On average, the town of Read the full article → from More public meetings than you can shake a stick at
Tough terrain: Getting access to Southborough homes
(This is part 4 in a series of posts about the proposal for a new aerial ladder truck in Southborough. For more information, see the series introduction.) Rebecca Waterfall, one of the organizers of the Southborough Fire Ball, has reason to want a new ladder truck in Southborough. Like others in town, she has a Read the full article → from Tough terrain: Getting access to Southborough homes