For a comprehensive look at Town Meeting results, see the end of this article.
Monday’s Rochester Annual Town Meeting ran smoothly for most of its three-and-a-half-hour length until residents loudly shot down efforts to rezone areas of Mary’s Pond Road and County Road from residential/agricultural to limited commercial.
The 294 voters in attendance started with the 34-article warrant by approving town-employee salaries and a classification plan that both reflected 2.5% Cost of Living increases. Then with minimal questions from attendees, the meeting passed a $28,129,536 town operating budget for FY27.
Available funds and free cash then paid for additional items that included Capital Improvement Fund refunding ($110,000), a Police Cruiser Lease-Purchase ($54,675), a Fire Department Pick-Up Truck ($21,636), Library HVAC and Building Repairs ($23,951), ORR Gateway Liability Payment ($716,000), and Pay-Off of Non-Exempt Debt ($179,520).
Article 20, which will transfer $250,000 from free cash to supplement the school system’s Special Education out-of-district tuition, passed after attendees asked for clarification. “When the student population is declining, why should this cost be rising?” one resident asked. Old Rochester Regional Superintendent of Schools Michael Nelson explained two students entering Rochester Memorial School require out-of-district placement and the expense involved is a budget buster. Yet the school department has succeeded at educating 99% of its Special Education students within the district, he said. RMS teacher and union co-president Tara Nelson said if this measure doesn’t pass there would be more staff cuts than the four cuts currently in the FY27 budget. After this plea, Article 21, which transferred $100,000 from free cash to establish a Special Education Fund that could be used for this type of future expense, passed easily.
Article 29 was a move to rezone from Residential/Agricultural to Limited Commercial: 711 Mary’s Pond Road, 73 County Road, 35 County Road. Article 30 was a proposal to rezone from Residential/Agricultural to Limited Commercial the Decas Processing Plant at 0 Mary’s Pond Road and 475 Mary’s Pond Road. Both failed to pass after vocal opposition from meeting voters.
Planning Board Chair Arnold Johnson explained it was decided through Master Plan Committee research that a Limited Commercial District there would mean smaller businesses and affordable housing that his board could better control than the controls that exist under residential district zoning. And the businesses would add to the town’s business tax revenue. Speakers implying that this would still not be a good fit for this section of town led to a vote to end debate, which led to hand-counted votes to shoot down both zoning changes.
Article 31 would have rezoned from Residential/Agricultural to Limited Commercial two cranberry bog parcels at 0 Mary’s Pond Road. In response to the earlier defeats, Johnson motioned and Town Meeting approved postponing this article indefinitely. Town Counsel explained this effectively kills this proposal.
Next, the meeting authorized Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) Agreements with the following ground-mounted photovoltaic installations: Dexter Lane Solar, 53 Dexter Lane; Snipatuit Solar, 529 Snipatuit Road; Featherbed Lane South Solar, 0 Featherbed Lane; and Braley Hill North Solar, 0 Braley Hill Road.
The meeting ended by taking “No Action” on a Citizen’s Petition to prohibit the clear cutting of over 1 acre of land for solar farms and put restrictions on battery-storage units. Town Moderator David Arancio explained this motion is due to the fact no public hearing could be held in time prior to Town Meeting.
Article 1: Approved – Town Report
Article 2: Approved – Elected Officials’ Salaries
Article 3: Approved – New Personnel Classification and Compensation Plan
Article 4. Approved – $28,129,536 FY27 Town Budget
Article 5: Approved – New Revolving Fund Spending Limits
Article 6: Approved – Natural Resources Funding
Article 7: Approved – Future funding of OPEB: $15,000
Article 8: Approved – Biennial Actuarial Study funding: $8,750
Article 9: Approved – Funding of Capital Items
Article 10: Approved – Capital Improvement Fund refunding: $110,000
Article 11: Approved – Roadway Line Painting: $100,000
Article 12: Approved – Police Cruiser Lease-Purchase: $54,675
Article 13: Approved – Fire Department Pick-Up Truck: $21,636
Article 14: Approved – Library HVAC and Building Repairs: $23,951
Article 15: Approved – Facilities Maintenance Fund: $20,000
Article 16: Approved – COA Transportation Program Fund: $10,000
Article 17: Approved – COA Revolving Fund: $20,000
Article 18: Approved – COA Kitchen Maintenance Fund: $10,000
Article 19: Approved – Board of Assessors MASS DOR Mandates: $20,000
Article 20: Approved – Supplement Special Education out-of-district tuition: $250,00
Article 21: Approved – Increase Special Education Stabilization Fund: $50,000
Article 22: Approved – Fund Unemployment Compensation Expenses: $100,000
Article 23: Approved – ORR Gateway Liability Payment: $716.000
Article 24: Approved – Pay-Off Non-Exempt Debt: $179,520
Article 25: Approved – Prior Year Cemetery Tax Bill: $2,600
Article 26: Approved – Fund Consultants: $35,000
Article 27: Approved – Adopt newly codified General Bylaw rewrite- Approved
Article 28: Approved – Adopt newly codified Zoning Bylaw rewrite- Approved
Article 29: Failed – Rezone 711 Mary’s Pond Road, 73 County Road, 35 County Road
Article 30: Failed – Rezone Decas Processing Plant
Article 31: Postponed Indefinitely – rezone two cranberry bog parcels
Article 32: Approved – Authorization of Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT)
Article 33: No Action Taken – Citizen’s Petition to prohibit the clear cutting of over an acre of land for solar farms and put restrictions on battery storage units.
Article 34: Accepted – Town Election Warrant
Rochester Town Meeting
By Michael J. DeCicco