Town residents will face 33 agenda items on the Annual Town Meeting – including a debt exclusion to pay for capital expenses at Old Rochester Regional Junior High and High Schools.

Other hot issues include a $1.5 million request to cover permitting and design of wastewater treatment plant lagoons to meet Environmental Protection Agency standards; $630,000 to replace Mary's Pond Well; and funding for various capital projects across several departments.

The Annual Town Meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 9 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium at Sippican School.

Town budget
Residents will decided whether or not to accept the proposed $21,122,751 for the coming fiscal year. The amount represents a 3.26 percent or $794,000 increase over the current year's figures. The remaining 1.3 million comes from town departments that have their own income.

While many departments will remain level funded, the increase primarily stems from rising town pension and insurance costs, as well as higher operational costs for Sippican School, Old Rochester Regional and Upper Cape. In April, the Marion School Committee approved a $5,860,656 budget, which is four percent higher than last year.

Other departments requesting modest increases include Marion Recreation, the Council on Aging, veterans services (under health services) and Town Facilities. The Fire/EMS Department is requesting $99,465, an increase of 4.86 percent over fiscal year 2016.

ORR capital plan
Residents also will tackle a proposed debt exclusion of $603,000 to fund ORR’s capital improvement plan. A debt exclusion is a temporary tax increase usually used to pay for a specific project. Rochester and Mattapoisett are also pursuing debt exclusions to pay for their portion of the capital plan. Marion's share is $171,473.

The plan would fund several security improvements at ORR, including a redesign of the vestibules to improve the safety of the school entrances and a technology upgrade so police can access school cameras in emergency situations.

The debt exclusion would allow ORR to spread the cost of the plan across 10 years, with yearly payments split up between the three towns.

If passed, the debt exclusion will also appear as a ballot question on the May 13 election.

Lagoons and Mary's Pond Well
Another article up for vote is a $1.5 million request for the purpose of the permitting and design of lagoon improvements to comply with EPA and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection standards. For months, the wastewater lagoons have been a source of concern for the town as EPA requirements could mean millions of dollars worth of mandatory upgrades to the town’s lagoons.

Also, town residents will vote on whether to authorize $630,000 to replace Mary's Pond Well, including construction and incidental costs. This would be paid for by the issuance of bonds or notes.

Capital projects
Various capital requests also appear on the warrant, including a $55,000 request from the harbormaster to purchase two outboard motors using funds from the Waterways Account.

The Fire Department is requesting $81,804 to install a ventilation system and gear racks at Station 1– with the majority coming from free cash.

The town also will vote on whether or not to spend $92,400 to replace asphalt, rubber roofs and duct insulation at the Elizabeth Taber Library.

View the full town meeting agenda here.