The Marion Finance Committee’s February 9 public meeting saw Police Chief Richard Nighelli and Fire Chief Brian Jackvony present respective FY23 department budgets. In explaining his proposed budget increase for FY23, Nighelli pointed to 129 pages of legislation on police reform including 23 action items with delivery dates and policy changes, training requirements, and increase […] Read more »
Reform Measures Reshape Police Department
Rochester’s Fire and Police departments are looking at significant increases for the next fiscal year, both leveraged by common and unique factors. In Tuesday night’s FY23 budget presentation to the scheduled public meeting of the Rochester Finance Committee, Police Chief Robert Small said his bottom line of $1,515,370 is affected by the impending […] Read more »
EMC Settles on ‘Climate’ Identity
Before the issue took a timeout of sorts, the Marion Energy Management Committee had extensively debated over the course of several public meetings the merits of including the word “climate” in its proposed new moniker. No doubt, climate issues have been at the forefront of the EMC’s mission the past couple of years, […] Read more »
Zuker Plans to Improve His Pitch
Developer Matt Zuker hopes that voters at Marion’s May 9 Spring Town Meeting will respond more favorably than they did last year when they voted down his application for a zoning change that would have allowed him to pursue construction of a multifamily, residential development on Route 6 next to the much larger Heron […] Read more »
Town Looking at Fire-Police Facilities, Traffic Fix
Rochester residents could be looking at Spring Town Meeting warrant articles of $110,000 and $20,000 for feasibility studies aimed at two, potential three major construction projects that were in the cross hairs of the Rochester Public Safety Committee in its February 16 meeting with the Select Board at Town Hall. Both the Fire […] Read more »
Bourne Assistant Offered Town Administrator Job
Before Tuesday’s interviews, it was not certain that by week’s end the Rochester Select Board would pick a successor to Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar, but board member Woody Hartley wanted to go right after it when the four finalists had finished the process and at least share initial impressions. “This is fresh in […] Read more »
Harbormaster’s ‘Elephant’ Avoids Taxes
In discussing the Harbormaster’s operating budget of $285,000 for FY23, the February 16 meeting of the Marion Finance Committee made sure the public understands how the department generates the revenue to absorb that budget figure and associated indirect costs for liability, fuel, Town Hall maintenance, shared employees, etc. “Long story short, the revenue […] Read more »
FY23 Operating Budget Up 3.38 Percent
There is still plenty of pencil sharpening and number crunching to be done by Town Administrator Mike Lorenco and the finance team at Town Hall, but the preliminary FY23 general fund operating budget currently stands at $30,913,841, 3.38 percent over expected FY22. The draft budget was rolled out during the February 22 meeting of the […] Read more »
Enforcement Orders Punctuate Meeting
A light February 14 agenda for the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission was heavy with Enforcement Order follow-ups. The commission’s contract agent, Brandon Faneuf, reported on four previously issued Enforcement Orders, not the least of which is the subdivision known as Brandt Beach Village. Commission member Trevor Frances had photographed site conditions that concerned the commissioners, […] Read more »
Bike Path Plans, Costs Detailed
For some time, Mattapoisett Capital Planning Committee Chairman Chuck McCullough has expressed the need for fiscal planning and oversight by the town for the bike path, which has been rolling through the community for more than 20 years primarily being managed by the town’s Bike Path Committee and Select Board via the town administrator. Now […] Read more »