Marion residents will be asked to weigh in on many different issues at the Oct. 22 Special Town Meeting, including authorizing the Selectmen to borrow up to $500,000 to finance septic system repairs, purchasing seven different vehicles from dump trucks to BMWs, and altering the current kennel laws. In total, there are 13 articles on the warrant. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Sippican School auditorium.  

Town vehicle purchases

Voters will be asked to approve four articles totaling $330,000 in available Treasury funds for the purchase of new and used vehicles. The price tag includes a $55,000 appropriation to purchase four electric vehicles currently leased by Marion.

The Energy Management Committee applied for the state grants to fund the leases of four electric vehicles more than two years ago. The vehicles include one Nissan Leaf and three BMW i3s, along with four charging stations. 

The energy efficient vehicles replaced Crown Victorias handed down from the police department and, according to the EMC, the efficient cars have saved the town about $35,000 in gas and maintenance costs during the length of the leases. 

Before the end of the 2019 fiscal year, the leases on the cars will end, so the EMC submitted an article to the Town Meeting to request $55,000 to purchase the vehicles outright. If the article does not receive approval, the vehicles will be returned. 

The $330,000 price tag also includes $275,000 in available funds for the purchase of two dump trucks and a plow truck. 

The Department of Public Works will need residents to approve warrant articles proposing the purchase of one new and one used dump truck, which cost $160,000 and $50,000 respectively. The Water Department looks to spend $65,000 on a 4x4 pickup truck with a plow, with the funds being transferred from Water Enterprise Retained Earnings.

Kennel law changes

Residents will also be asked to vote on amendments to the existing kennel bylaw. The amendments would clarify the definitions, make small alterations, and remove the classification of a household kennel. 

According to the town, the current kennel definition has caused confusion with residents and the changes would remedy the problem. One change includes removing the household kennel definition from the bylaw completely. The Planning Board discussed the decision and suggested the definition of a household kennel would be sufficiently covered by the hobby kennel definition. 

Currently, a hobby kennel is defined as a single area with five to ten dogs, three months of older, that are housed, groomed, bred, boarded, trained or sold; or where fewer than four litters are raised per year. The proposed change is to make a hobby kennel include four to ten dogs instead.

Sewage appropriation 

In an effort to facilitate the repair and installation of new septic systems, a warrant will ask voters to authorize up to $500,000 to finance the septic projects. The proposal will allow residents who do not have the funds to fix their failed septic systems to approach the town for a portion of the funds. 

Town Administrator Paul Dawson clarified that the warrant would only approve an authorization to borrow as much as $500,000 and said that the town would not be borrowing that sum outright.