June 15, 2012
Massachusetts

$71.5 million budget passed, commercial turbines banned from residential districts

By CHRISTINA STYAN, Special Writer, www.southcoasttoday.com 13 June 2012

DARTMOUTH – During the afternoon session of the June 5 Town Meeting, members passed a Fiscal Year 2013 town budget of $71.5 million, representing an increase of 2.5 percent over the FY2012 municipal budget.

The approved budget package included $33.1 million for the Dartmouth Public Schools in the coming fiscal year, starting July 1.

The budget plan also reflected the reinstatement of $71,421 in funding for the Youth Commission budget, overriding the Finance Committee recommendation to eliminate the Youth Advocate office because of concerns about the potential legal liability placed on the town by that position.

“At a Select Board meeting on Monday, June 4, Chairperson Lara Stone read into the record a letter from Town Counsel Anthony Savastano, stating the Youth Advocate was covered under the town’s professional liability policy,” remarked Youth Advocate Kevin Lee, speaking in favor of continued funding.

The Select Board voted 5-0 in favor of including the Youth Commission operations in the FY13 budget; the Finance Committee did not support the funding. Meeting members decided to fund the office for another year with the requested budget.

Also passed by the meeting was Article 31, restricting commercial wind turbines – 10 KW or larger – to General Industrial and Limited Industrial Districts, as recommended by the Select Board and Finance Committee. The zoning article received the necessary two-thirds vote of approval after some discussion.

Select Board member William Trimble suggested an amendment that would have eliminated commercial turbines anywhere in Dartmouth. He suggested the proposed limitations of the new bylaw and the restrictions imposed by the regional airport flight paths would make commercial turbines in those industrial districts practically impossible to site.

Town Counsel Savastano suggested that Town Meeting didn’t have the authority to make a zoning article more restrictive than the advertised changes proposed in the warrant. A more restrictive article would have to be discussed at a public hearing, as legally required, the attorney said. Mr. Trimble withdrew his amendment after hearing that ruling.

The Board of Health supported banning commercial wind turbines from residential districts because of concerns regarding potential negative health impacts. The ban on commercial wind turbines greater that 10KW will not prohibit smaller wind turbines in any district.

Members of the Agricultural Commission have suggested that wind turbines under 10 kilowatts could meet the needs of most farmers in town.

The Agricultural Commission and the Board of Health received the meeting’s approval of their proposed comprehensive revision of the zoning bylaws pertaining to dogs.

The bylaw covers kennel licenses, inspection of kennels, dog abandonment regulations, and powers of a dog hearing officer.

With business concluded, Moderator Melissa Haskell adjourned the Spring Annual Town Meeting at about three o’clock.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/06/15/71-5-million-budget-passed-commercial-turbines-banned-from-residential-districts/