Rochester voters will soon have their say on a warrant composed of 28 articles at Town Meeting, including a study for a future public safety building and a petition submitted by citizens requesting land for affordable housing for seniors.

The meeting will be held on Monday, May 23 at Rochester Memorial School at 7 p.m.

Town Administrator Glenn Cannon has said that the warrant this year is “pretty standard stuff” and that he doesn’t expect much controversy, but “you never know.”

The warrant includes a total operating budget of $24,174,626 compared to last year’s budget of $22,887,448. That budget includes a $3,121,558 public safety budget, and a school budget of $13,608,919.

In addition, voters will be asked to approve a new ambulance and wording changes to solar bylaws.

Here’s a closer look at a few of those items.

New Ambulance. Cannon said that he believes the current ambulance to be “at least ten years old” and they are on a cycle to replace them. Cannon stated that it is an expensive article, $380,000, but that “it’s just the time to do it.”

Public Safety Study. The town is asking voters to appropriate $110,000 to pay costs for a feasibility study for the public safety departments. “This study would make recommendations for a new fire and police station,” said Cannon.”If we’re going to acquire new property, it might recommend a joint building…this study will show us where we can save money.”

Town Hall Parking Lot. The town is seeking $12,000 to pay costs for engineering and surveying for the renovation of the Town Hall parking lot at 1 Constitution Way. Cannon said this is because “people come off Constitution Way into the parking lot at high speed” and “people walk right out of the front door onto the road.”

Right now, the town has installed speed bumps as a short-term measure, but Cannon said this plan would “route traffic behind town hall, so it would be a lot safer.”

Solar and Arbor Fund Bylaws. There are additions to the current solar bylaw that “address and clarify to the applicant the type of screening that would be required for a large solar array,” said Town Planner Nancy Durfee. The screening is required to keep the solar installation from public view and preserve vegetation.

“This screening has been in the original bylaw, just not as extensively defined,” said Planning Board Chairman Arnold Johnson at the May 10 Planning Board meeting.

Durfee addressed the wording that states that the Planning Board may “alter or waive the requirements” at its discretion.

“In some instances natural vegetation already pre-exists or is set far back in the woods so screening [for solar installations] wouldn’t be necessary,” she said.

An Arbor Fund bylaw is also listed on the warrant, however the Planning Board has voted to withdraw it at town meeting, decided by vote at the May 10 meeting.

“Personally I’ve got some issues with this and the way it’s written,” said Johnson. “This language is too extensive, too confusing,” he added. “To a voter at Town Meeting, it doesn’t make any sense.”

Select Board as Personnel Board. The warrant asks for permission for the Select Board to act as the Personnel board in the absence of one.

“This is just due to lack of participation from residents,” said Cannon, mentioning that personnel issues could present difficult situations, ones that residents might not want to volunteer to deal with.

“It’s tough work.”

Citizen’s Petition. The warrant includes a citizen’s petition, which is a request submitted by residents, that asks the Select Board to enter into an agreement to transfer four acres of land on Perry’s Lane, across from Mary’s Pond, in a 99-year lease to be used for affordable housing for seniors. Issues with this petition have been raised by the Select Board and town counsel Blair Bailey.

“You cannot do a 99-year lease without the legislature, you can only do 30 years,” said Bailey. “You need a special act from the legislature.”

Bailey said that the town was unable to edit the wording on the warrant, since it is a citizen’s petition, and the signatures were for the specific language written.

Cannon said that “it’d be up to the moderator to allow [the citizens] to amend it on the town meeting floor.” He added that there would be “some hurdles” that they would have to overcome in addition, such as the appraisal of the land, which there are no designated funds for.

“They might choose to withdraw it and bring it back in the fall,” he added.