ROCHESTER — The town’s June 22 Annual Town meeting will focus on making sure the town is in good financial state, potentially moving Town Election date, and several land and road changes related to development in town. 

Rochester Selectmen met for a preliminary review of 22 Town Meeting articles on June 1.  

Officials will ask voters if they would like to move future Town Meetings before Town Elections. 

The budget will increase 1.97% from last year and currently sits at $22,522,236. One article on the warrant would move $300,000 to the town’s stabilization fund to plan for coronavirus-related financial insecurities instead of the town’s usual sum of $100,000.   

The town will ask Town Meeting to fund six projects with $100,000 in Capital Improvement funds. Those include a technology upgrade and new air compressor at Rochester Memorial School, the final phase of waterproofing the Town Hall basement, a movable public safety message board, walk-in refrigerators for the Council on Aging, and an air handler for the Council on Aging to distribute air throughout the building. 

Another article will ask Town Meeting for $100,000 in free cash for a highway excavator because the Capital Planning Committee does not have the budget for the project. 

Several articles deal with changes or improvements to town because of new development. On the warrant are articles to accept Forbes Road and Douglas Corner Road, which are both part of the Connett Woods development. Accepting those roads as public would mean that the town would maintain them. 

Town Counsel Blair Bailey said the Planning Board has gone through plans for both roads and will decide whether it thinks those plans are complete enough to accept at its June 9 meeting. 

Town Meeting will be asked to accept an easement for Ryder Road and Old Middleboro Road which would allow Seaboard Solar to improve the quality of Old Middleboro Road when it installs an array there. 

Officials are requesting to purchase a plot of land on Rounseville Road for $160,000 or less. 

One Rochester citizen has included a petition to reduce the tax rate using $50,000 of the town’s free cash. 

Town Meeting will be held June 22 at 7 p.m. at Rochester Memorial School.