On May 13, Marion voters will pass judgment on 37 articles including requests to repair roads, purchase new equipment, and establish a solar bylaw.

The meeting will begin at 6:45 p.m. at the Sippican School.

Below is a closer look at what will be discussed at the meeting.

Repairs to roads and sewer systems in the Village

Voters will be asked to weigh in on a proposed $3.1 million plan to begin repairs on the roads and sewer systems on Ryder Lane and Spring Street.

Of the article, Town Administrator Paul Dawson said, “That’s the big one. This number is as firm as we could get it today. It can’t be increased.”

The overall plan for the Village, drafted by engineers from Camp, Dresser, McKee, and Smith, encompasses additional repairs to take place over 10 years at an estimated cost of $18.4 million.

The project has caused concern among residents who have questioned how it would be funded. In addition to the $3.1 million for the first phase of the project, voters will be asked to approve $112,860 to begin designs on the next phase of the project. The funds would be taken from the town’s Water Enterprise Account and Sewer Enterprise Account.

For more on the project, click here.

Budget

Voters will be asked to approve the proposed town budget for 2014 in the amount of $19.2 million. This is a $462,621 increase over the current year's budget due to increasing maintenance costs and staffing needs for several town departments.

Town House study

Since last fall, Marion officials and residents have discussed how to proceed with renovations to the Town House. At May Town Meeting, voters will be asked to appropriate $100,000 for design studies to be completed on the building.

The Marion Town House Advisory Committee has proposed several options for the building – tear it down and rebuild, fix the building, or leave it as it stands. During Special Town Meeting in November, voters requested more information on options for the building.

Equipment purchases

There are several articles on the Town Meeting Warrant that call for funds to purchase equipment for town departments.

One article requests that $25,000 be appropriated from the town’s Free Cash fund to purchase geographic information system software to digitize Assessors’ maps and property data.

The Harbormaster Department is asking that $150,000 be transferred from the town’s Waterways Account to replace docks and pilings at Island Wharf and Old Landing Wharf.

Voters will also be asked to approve $90,000 be taken from the Free Cash fund to replace outdated fixtures and bulbs at the Sippican School.

The Fire Department has made several requests for new equipment. Voters will be asked to take out $595,000 in bonds to purchase a new pumper engine. Additionally, the voters will be asked to approve that $7,500 be appropriated by the Fire Department to purchase three thermal imaging cameras and $28,500 be appropriated to upgrade the department’s telephone system.

Solar bylaw

The Marion Energy Management Committee is proposing a solar bylaw to provide guidelines for a solar installation in town. The committee is aiming to install a “community solar garden” in town. Residents could purchase parcels of the solar installation to lower costs on their electric bills.

The committee hopes to have the site of the former landfill on Benson Brook Road rezoned from residential to “by right.”

The change to the zoning would allow the committee to bypass the site plan review process with the town’s Planning Board so long as the project meets local zoning ordinances. The Planning Board has opposed changing the zoning of the area.

“This is a fundamental issue and it’s an enormous disagreement,” Dawson said. “It’s going to have to be decided by the voters.”

For more on the project, click here.

Special Town Meeting

On the same night, May 13, there will also be a Special Town Meeting at 8 p.m. to discuss transferring funds from the town’s Free Cash fund to pay for expenses related to Hurricane Sandy and February’s blizzard.

Voters will be asked to transfer $80,000 to the Department of Public Works for expenses related to snow and ice removal.

The town is also seeking reimbursements from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for both storms.