Health care costs, management of the harbormaster, and access to Tinkham Forest are all on the agenda for next Monday’s Special Town Meeting.

Mattapoisett voters will convene at 6:30 p.m. at Old Rochester Regional High School to act on the meeting’s 12 articles. All registered voters may participate.

Here’s a summary of what will be discussed:

Health care costs

Voters will be asked to approve a new policy under which the town will pay 50 percent of employees’ health insurance premiums, rather than 75 percent.

Town Administrator Mike Gagne explained that, over the past several years, town officials and departments have gradually shifted that percentage to an equal 50/50 contribution from the town and employees.

Union and nonunion employees have all approved the policy, beginning with the police on July 1, 2010, and most recently the teachers’ union on August 27 of this year. Those hired prior to the policy changes are grandfathered into the 75/25 model.

In the town’s $20 million dollar budget, $2 million was spent on insurance, he said.

“This is definitely a cost saving measure. I think all parties realize we have to control the rise of health insurance costs.”

Harbormaster

A “home rule petition” would give Selectmen more authority over the harbormaster..

Massachusetts General Law states that a harbormaster, once hired, can only be removed from office “for neglect of duty, negligence or conduct unbecoming a harbormaster.”

“There’s no performance standard built into that,” said Gagne.

If approved by voters – and then the state Legislature and governor – the home rule petition would allow Selectmen to evaluate the harbormaster’s performance and negotiate a contract every three years, as they do with other town employees, Gagne said.

For more on this issue, click here.

Tinkham Forest

Voters will be asked to accept trails across private property to access Tinkham Forest, a property deeded to the town in 1968 that have now been clearly defined through GPS mapping.

The town made an agreement with surrounding landowners in 2003 allowing access to the land for Mattapoisett residents; however, Gagne said, “It was somewhat nebulous on the issue as to how and which way they got to Tinkham Forest.”

Among those landowners was the Bay Club, allowing access from Route 6.

Land purchases

Resident Brad Hathaway and other sponsors are requesting $125,000 from the Community Preservation Fund to purchase a 3.1-acre plot on Chapel Road. When the property was put on the open market earlier this year, the residents became concerned that it would be developed. The group wants to preserve the land, which currently acts as a buffer between Route 6 and Chapel Road.

Town improvements

An article requesting a $100,000 appropriation from the town’s Free Cash Fund would provide $45,000 to replace the Police Department’s generator, which has not been functioning properly, and $7,500 to repair historic Mello Wharf.

In a separate article, Selectmen are asking for $35,000 to make the bathrooms at Shipyard Park, Town Beach, and Ned’s Point handicap accessible, as required by law.

Road paving

Following a sewer project on Mattapoisett Neck Road, voters will be asked to appropriate $230,000 from Free Cash to expand a paving plan. Originally, only the parts of the road affected by the sewer project were to be repaved; the expansion would allow the majority of the road to be paved in the spring.

Dog Licensing fines

For those delinquent in licensing their dogs, the Animal Control Department would like to change the “final late fee” from $30 to $50. The town sends owners three notices regarding the license, which costs $7 for spayed and neutered pets and $10 for others.