Rochester Selectmen recommend most, not all Town Meeting articles

Apr 22, 2019

ROCHESTER — The Finance Committee will not recommend that the town appropriate $10,000 to the Assessors at Town Meeting, and both the Board of Selectmen and the Finance committee will not recommend an ORR Athletic Booster Club citizen’s petition. 

The two boards recommended most of the other articles at the in a review of the financial articles for the Town Meeting Warrant. 

The new revenue to the Assessors would be for help with property valuations. Historically, the Assessors have performed this task with support from Town Hall staff, but without outside assistance. With more town staff retiring, the Assessors are concerned they may need to put out bids for the process.

Before they do that, they would like to build up a savings. Assessors made a similar request last year, which was denied.

Selectmen asked if the expenses would decrease the cost of the payroll.  Assessors said it was difficult to say, and would depend on what happened with the department’s staff.

Another article that met with some pushbacks by the two boards was a citizen’s petition organized by the Old Rochester Athletic Booster Club, requesting $20,000 to install a handicap ramp to the Old Rochester Regional press box. 

Woody Hartley, the newly appointed Clerk of the Board of Selectmen said that he had asked the Rochester School Committee for more information on the petition and was not able to get anything else.

Because of the lack of information the two boards felt they could not recommend the article.