WAKEFIELD — When Annual Spring Town Meeting convenes tonight in the Galvin Middle School auditorium, participants well begin work on 19 warrant articles, including several asking to raise and appropriate money to operate municipal government and town schools for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
The meeting begins at 7 p.m.
Article 1 is the omnibus operating budget request totaling $134,446,443. This includes the School, the Water, Sewer and Municipal Gas and Light departments.
Article 2 asks Town Meeting voters to raise and appropriate funds for the FY2026 Capital Outlay budget. That includes $2,051,816 from tax levy and the transfer of $390,000 from the sewer retained earnings account to the Sewer Department capital outlay account and the sum of $254,000 from the water retained earnings account to the Water Department capital outlay account.
Article 3 will ask voters to raise and appropriate or transfer from available funds $5,359,880 for the Capital Projects/Debt Service Fund, also known as the Debt Service Fund. Town Administrator Stephen P. Maio reminded the Town Council that this account is used by the town to pay back bonds issued to fund larger capital items.
Article 4 is an annual request from the Municipal Gas and Light Commissioners to use money from the MGLD in computing the tax rate for the next fiscal year.
Article 5 is a request of $350,000 to be used to pay unexpectedly high overtime and other costs incurred by the Fire Department in FY2025.
Article 6 asks Town Meeting voters to raise and appropriate from Free Cash $80,000 to indemnify certain police officers and firefighters of the Town for medical, surgical and hospitalization expenses as a result of injuries received in the performance of their duties.
Article 7 concerns easements. It is an annual request.
Article 8 asks to raise money so trash and recyclables can be collected.
Article 9 requests that Town Meeting voters appropriate $1.3 million for the purchase of a new 1250-gallon-per-minute pumper truck for the Fire Department. The new fire truck would replace a 25-year-old Seagrave pumper. There was some discussion of the anticipated schedule for replacing other fire apparatus in the coming years.
Article 10 is a request to build a new shed for storing salt needed as part of the DPW’s snow and ice removal each winter.
Article 11 seeks money to replace the fuel filling station at the DPW’s North Avenue facility.
Article 12 asks to spend money to remediate the environment on town-owned property on Butler Avenue.
Article 13 concerns a drainage easement on Grafton Street.
Article 14 concerns something similar on Butler Avenue.
Article 15 is a request that would allow the public to have access to the land at the head of Lake Quannapowitt where The Basin development is being built. Police would also have a public safety office there.
Article 16 on the Town Meeting Warrant pertains to the improvement and reconfiguring of the intersection of Farm Street and Hemlock Road in conjunction with the construction of the new high school. The plan includes the creation of a roundabout at the intersection.
Articles 17 and 18 are important zoning issues, one a flood plain district and the other dealing with accessory dwelling units.
Article 19 has to do with the Middle East conflict.