Town annual reports of the officers of Southbridge for the year ending 1962-1966, Part 24

Author: Southbridge (Mass.)
Publication date: 1962
Publisher: The Town
Number of Pages: 1494

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VOTED: In the affirmative for $3,596.40; said money to be used with Chapter 782 Allocated Funds, with construction to consist of adequate drainage, foundation and Type I sur- facing, with work to be done by contract.

Article 38. To see if the Town will vote to raise and ap- propriate, borrow or transfer a sum of money for the pur- chasing of a One Hundred (100) Gallon Seraphin Test Measure for the Department of Weights and Measures.

VOTED: Indefinite postponement.

Article 39. To see if the Town will vote to raise and ap- propriate. borrow or transfer the sum of Nine Hundred Forty ($940 00) Dollars to foliar feed 17 town owned trees on Main Street, to improve the condition and appearance of these trees; to transplant and guy 30 town owned shade trees now growing on town owned Morris Street land, on various town streets, where trees have been removed. To buy plant and guy 20 trees on new streets, also if tree or trees are planted on private land, said owner or owners of private land will release to the Town all their rights by proper instrument. Work to be done under the supervision of the Tree Warden, or act anything thereon.

VOTED: In the affirmative for $940.00; and if trees are

planted on private land, said owner or owners will release to the Town all their rights by proper instrument, with work to be done under supervision of the Tree Warden.

Article 40. To see if the Town will vote to raise and ap- propriate, borrow or transfer the sum of One Thousand Five Hundred ($1,500.00) Dollars for Mosquito Control. Said sum to be used for two sprays in swamps and low areas containing collections of water to prevent further breeding, or act any- thing thereon.

VOTED: In the affirmative for $500.00.

Article 41. To see if the Town will vote to raise and ap- propriate, borrow or transfer a sum of money for the removal of two trees located at number 8 and number 12 Summer Street, said removal to include necessary repairs to sidewalk and abut- ting property or act anything thereon.

Finance Committee's motion: VOTED: In the affirmative for $200.00.

The following substitute motion presented, seconded and carried:

VOTED: That the Town vote to appropriate the sum of $487.00 to be used to pay for the cost of removal of two trees located at number 8 and number 12 Summer Street, said re- moval to include necessary repairs to sidewalk and abutting property.

Article 42. To see if the Town will vote to raise and ap- propriate, borrow or transfer, a sum of money to enable the Town Clerk to obtain a vault, to be used exclusively by the Town Clerk, or act anything thereon.

VOTED: Indefinite postponement.

Article 43. To see if the Town will vote to raise and ap- propriate, borrow or transfer, a sum of Two Thousand ($2,000) Dollars for improvement of Morris Street recreation area, or act anything thereon.

VOTED: In the affirmative for $2,000.00, with work to be done by the Highway Department under the supervision of the Town Engineer.

Article 44.

Atty. M. Morrill made the following motion: That Article 45 be considered before Article 44. Said motion seconded.

VOTED: That Article 45 be considered before Article 44.

Article 45. To see if the Town will vote to hear, act on and accept the Report of the Representative Town Meeting Committee, or act anything thereon.

Fin. Com. referred this Article to the Town Meeting. The following motion presented, seconded and carried:

VOTED: That the Town accept the report of the Repre- sentative Town Meeting Committee and authorize the Board of Selectmen to prepare and submit to the General Court of the Commonwealth necessary legislation to effect the change to a Representative Town Meeting form of government.

Results of count by tellers:

Affirmative

Negative

Auditorium

293

197

Gymnasium

355

232

REPRESENTATIVE TOWN MEETING COMMITTEE REPORT

Read by F. Bousquet, Chairman of Committee.

By a vote of the Town, at the Town Meeting of December 10, 1962, the Representative Town Meeting Committee was formed. This committee was to report to this Annual Town Meeting, its findings and recommendations. The substitute motion which provided for the formation of the Committee and its constituent members was sponsored by Alfred Dumas, Chairman of the Democratic Town Committee. Twenty-five Committee Members were appointed, and the attendance at each of the Committee Meetings was excellent.

The Committee first considered a questionnaire which had been sent to each of the forty-one towns in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, which presently have Representative Town Meetings. A series of eleven comprehensive questions were asked in this questionnaire, and general comments were sought from each of the towns. Thirty-six towns, thirty-two indicated that the experience of the Representative Town Meetings demonstrated that Representative Town Meetings worked better than Open Town Meetings. Of the four towns which did not specifically reply that Representative Town Meetings were better. Two said that the Representative Town Meetings were about the same in value as the Open Town Meetings.

One of the four indicated that it had the Representative Town Meeting form too long to judge it against the Open Town Meeting, and did not know how to compare the two. The fourth said that it made no difference. Among those towns in the Commonwealth which have adopted the Representative Town Meeting form of Government, there is an overwhelm- ing balance in favor of such a manner of conducting Town

Meetings. Among towns with a population in excess of 12,000 people, there are twenty-six towns with the Representative Town Meeting form of Government. Among towns with a population in excess of 15,000 people, such as our town, only one other town in the Commonwealth does not have the Repre- sentative Town Meeting form of Government. A typical sample of the comments made in the replies to the question- naire is as follows:

"Representative Town Meetings have helped keep the tax rate down." "Representative Town Meetings work better; they tend to eliminate those who holler the loudest from get- ting their articles passed"; "It is easier to inform the voters"; "There is a better control of expenses"; "No special groups can pass on special projects".

A Majority of the Committee has concluded from examin- ation of the survey that Representative Town Meetings pre- vent the so-called packing of Town Meetings by special in- terest groups, interested in only one article. The majority of the committee has found that a more intelligent and better informed vote is taken on all subjects in each warrant that comes before the voters of the town. The Committee held five meetings of the whole Committee, and there were three Sub- Committees, of which each held several meetings. A series of three informative articles was published within the last week in the Southbridge Evening News under the sponsorship of the Committee. Mr. William G. O'Hare, the head of the Bureau of Government Research at the University of Massachusetts, spoke one evening to the Committee on this subject of Repre- sentative Town Meetings. Inquiries were made by individual members of the Committee by personal contact with Repre- sentative Town Meeting Members of the other towns.

Representative Town Meetings are not new in Massachu- setts. The first Representative Town Meeting form was adopted in 1915 by the Town of Brookline. Most of the towns which have the Representative Town Meetings have had this form of Town Meetings at least twenty years.

At this time the town must vote to request enactment of enabling legislation in order to establish a Representative Town Meeting. After the town so votes, a bill is prepared and presented to the Legislature. After the Legislature authorized the town to act on the subject, the town must vote its accept- ance. Tonight the town is not being asked to pass upon whether or not it is to have Representative Town Meetings, but it is being asked to authorize submission of the enabling legislation to the Legislature. Next year, the town would then vote on the ballot as to whether or not it wanted to adopt the Representative Town Meetings at its Annual election.

The Representative Town Meeting itself is the same as all other Town Meetings. The warrant is prepared, the Mod- erator presides, the articles are considered and voted upon,

and citizens may attend to speak. The one difference in pro- cedure is that only the elected members of the Town Meeting may vote. If the Town votes favorably tonight on this article, the townspeople will have one year within which to study the principals involved in Representative Town Meetings, and the effect of Representative Town Meetings on our town, in order to decide whether or not they will vote for or against the Representative Town Meetings by secret ballot at the Annual election of 1964. The recommendation of this Com- mittee is that the town vote to submit the enabling legislation to the Legislature. The Committee concludes that Repre- sentative Town Meetings should have the effect of keeping the expenses of operating the town within control, and to keep taxes from increasing unduly. Representative Town Meetings should serve to attract new industry. A stable tax rate is a preliminary consideration for a prospective new in- dustry which is deciding whether or not to open its doors in a community. More people throughout the whole town would be represented under the Representative Town Meeting form of Government than under the present system of Open Town Meeting. Each small section of town and each of the various groups in the town would have representation at each meet- ing. Under the present system a few people can vote to the detriment of the vast majority.

In conclusion our committee recommends to the voters that the town by-laws be amended, and that action be taken so that Representative Town Meeting Government be installed in Southbridge.

Robert D. Bergman s/Robert D. Bergman

William L. Muir s/William L. Muir

Michael J. Morrill s/Michael J. Morrill

Dr. George E. Casaubon s/Dr. George E. Casaubon

Dr. Nerio W. Pioppi s/Dr. Nerio W. Pioppi

Mrs. Raoul Mandeville

Mrs. Robert Genereux

Mrs. Albert Langevin

Mrs. Richard Hardy s/Mrs. Richard Hardy

Mrs. G. R. Lariviere s/Mrs. G. R. Lariviere Mrs. Frederic Beck s/Linnea N. Beck Gregory B. Gilmore s/Gregory B. Gilmore Mario J. DeAngelis s/Mario J. DeAngelis Robert V. Cramer s/Robert V. Cramer Boris R. Borghesi s/Boris R. Borghesi Robert B. Johnson s/Robert B. Johnson Francis Bousquet s/Francis L. Bousquet, Chairman Alfred Papineau s/Alfred Papineau Raymond A. Brodeur

R. A. Camilloni s/R. A. Camilloni Edmund A. Ryan

Stavri B. Yanka

Leo B. Leboeuf

Alfred J. Tiberii s/Alfred Tiberii

Walter R. Snyder, Jr. s/Walter R. Snyder, Jr.

A true copy of report.

Attest: CLARE P. BOYER, Town Clerk

Report accepted as read.

REPRESENTATIVE TOWN MEETING COMMITTEE (minority) REPORT

Read by Edmund A. Ryan.

To The Citizens of Southbridge:

In accordance with the instructions contained in Article 12 of the special town meeting of December 10, 1962, we the undersigned, members of the Representative Town Meeting Committee submit the following minority report. We were commissioned to investigate a proposed change in the manner in which the Town Meetings are conducted so as to provide for a Representative Town Meeting form in which to conduct Town Meetings in the future and to investigate the advisability of any other changes in the form of government of the Town.

We have studied, analyzed, and evaluated the information on the questionnaires received from thirty-six towns using the Representative Town Meeting form of government, and after adequate discussion in our meeting room it is our considered opinion that the general welfare would be better served by a continuation of the present manner of conducting our Town Meetings.

The essential and distinguishing characteristic of our present form of town meeting is that all qualified inhabitants meet, deliberate, act, and vote in their natural and personal capacities in exercise of their corporate powers.

We recommend the repeal of sections eleven, sixteen, and seventeen of Article 3 of the by-laws of Southbridge adopted on April 30, 1956, which are commonly known as the town meeting gag rules.

We strongly recommend that the town meeting reject the majority report of our committee.

Respectfully submitted, s/EDMUND A. RYAN s/STAVRI B. YANKA s/LEO P. LeBOEUF s/LORRAINE A. LANGEVIN s/LAURA MANDEVILLE s/LEONA J. GENEREUX

A true copy of report.

Attest: CLARE P. BOYER, Town Clerk

Accepted as read.

The debate on the aforesaid motion lasted one hour and forty-five minutes.

Many of the speakers were voted "extended time."

Article 44. To see if the Town will vote to continue the 25 member Representative Town Meeting Committee adopted at the Special Town Meeting held on December 10, 1962, and that said Committee shall make a report of its findings and recommendations to the Town at the annual Town Meeting to be held in March, 1964, or act anything thereon.

After reading of Article 44 the moderator stated: "It is not a valid article. Reason: Date of March, 1964 ... it would be too late for the committee to report its findings and recom- mendations."

Atty. S. A. Caprera requested time to write a motion. So granted.

Article 46. To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of Selectmen to appoint or re-appoint seven (7) voters to the By-Law Study Committee pursuant to Article 16 of the Special Town Meeting of October 17, 1961, and that said com- mittee make a final and/or a progress report to the Board of Selectmen, and also that the Board of Selectmen be directed to call a Special Town Meeting during the month of December 1963 to present their findings to the voters of the Town of Southbridge, or act anything thereon.

Finance Committee recommended to refer this article to the Town Meeting.

A motion was presented by Mr. L. Duff.

The moderator informed Mr. L. Duff that he could not accept it.

Atty. N. R. St. Martin before submitting his motion ex- plained the incorrect date of the Special Town Meeting . . . October 17, 1961 appearing in the article, it should read: Spe- cial Town Meeting of December 18, 1961.

Moderator announced the correction.

The following motion presented, seconded and carried:

VOTED: That the report of the Town By-Laws Study Committee under Article 46 be accepted as a report of progress and that special committee be authorized to continue as re- quested in said Article 46.

Report read by Atty. St. Martin.

COPY OF REPORT TOWN OF SOUTHBRIDGE BY-LAWS REVISION COMMITTEE March 11, 1963

Board of Selectmen Town of Southbridge Massachusetts Gentlemen:

Re: Town By-Laws Committee, Appointed at Special

Town Meeting, December 18, 1961.

I should like to make the following report of progress, based on the Revised By-Laws of the Town of Southbridge, Massachusetts, Adopted April 30, 1956.

Revision of the following articles has been completed: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, and 21. Revision of the following articles has not been completed: 8, 10, 15, 18, 19, 20, and 40. Very truly yours, s/NORMAN R. ST. MARTIN, Chairman.

A true copy of report. Attest: CLARE P. BOYER, Town Clerk Accepted as read.

Article 47. To see if the Town will vote to raise and ap- propriate, borrow or transfer the sum of two-thousand dollars ($2,000.00) for the hiring of a Certified Public Accountant to be an internal auditor under the office of the Town Accountant and under the direction of the Town Accountant and/or Board of Selectmen who shall have the power and authority to examine the books and accounts of all the Town Officers and Committees intrusted with the receipt, custody or expenditure of money, and all original bills and vouchers on which money has been or may be paid from the Town Treasury; shall have free access to such books, accounts, bills and vouchers as often as deemed necessary for an audit, or act anything thereon.

VOTED: Indefinite postponement.

Unanimous consent granted to moderator to skip Articles 48, 49 and fifty at this time.

Article 51. To see if the Town will vote to raise and ap- propriate, borrow or transfer a sum of money for the construc- tion of an asphaltic sidewalk on Dresser Street from Franklin Street westerly for a distance of about one hundred eighty (180) feet, or act anything thereon.

VOTED: In the affirmative for · Eighteen Hundred ($1,800.00) Dollars, with work to be done by the Highway De- partment under the supervision of the Town Engineer.

Article 52. To see if the Town will vote to discontinue and abandon as a way a portion of Old Breakneck Road described as follows:

Beginning at the intersection of Breakneck Road, north of Reservoir No. 5, thence northerly and north- easterly 5000 feet, more or less, to a point 80 feet, more or less, north of concrete bound at station 49 + 22, or act anything thereon.

Finance Committee referred article to Town Meeting. The following motion presented, seconded and lost:

VOTED: That the Town discontinue and abandon as a public way a portion of Old Breakneck Road (so-called), de- scribed as follows: Beginning at the intersection of Breakneck Road north of Reservoir No. 5; thence Easterly and Northeast- erly for a distance of five thousand (5,000) feet, more or less, to a stone wall running east located eighty (80.0) feet, more or less, north of a concrete bound marked SWS, said bound being on the east side of said road.

The above motion passed on a standing vote.

Article 53. To see if the Town will vote to amend Article XXIII of the Town By-Laws as adopted at the Annual Town Meeting, held March 14, 1960 (Article 2), by inserting at the end of said article the following:

"or that the Selectmen may offer said used or obsolete equipment and materials as a trade-in towards the purchase of new equipment and materials, provided that such trade-in shall be set forth in the advertise- ment calling for bids for the purchase of said new equipment and materials,"

so that said Article XXIII of the Town By-Laws shall read as follows:

"The Selectmen may sell at private sale or public auc- tion, after giving notice of the time and place of sale by publishing or posting such notice of sale in some convenient and public place in the Town fourteen (14) days at least before the sale, used or obsolete equip- ment and materials owned by the Town, or that the Selectmen may offer said used or obsolete equipment and materials as a trade-in toward the purchase of new equipment and materials, provided that such trade-in shall be set forth in the advertisement calling for bids for the purchase of said new equipment and materials."

or act anything thereon.

The moderator announced that a 2/3 vote was necessary on this article.

VOTED: In the affirmative.

One vote in opposition in the gymnasium.

The moderator stated: "It's a two-third vote."

Article 44. Atty. Caprera presented his motion at this time for Article 44. His motion seconded and carried.

VOTED: (unanimously) That the town continue the 25

member Representative Town Meeting Committee adopted at the Special Town Meeting held on December 10, 1962, and it request of the Board of Selectmen that they submit to the Massachusetts General Court through our State Representa- tive and State Senator proper legislation necessary to carry out the intent of the vote of this meeting relative to permissive legislation being passed so that the Town of Southbridge shall vote on this issue at the next annual election in March of 1964.

The Finance Committee referred the aforesaid Article to the Town Meeting.

Article 48. To see if the Town will vote to raise and ap- propriate, borrow or transfer, the sum of Twenty-two Thousand ($22,000.00) dollars, for the purchase of the following described parcels of land from the Southbridge Realty Trust and Edith L. Dragon:

The moderator requested permission to eliminate the reading of the description of parcels of land for Articles 48, 49 and 50.

Permission granted.

Beginning at a point on the northwesterly side line of Central Street, said point marking the northeast corner of land of Saga Realty Corp., and being the southeast corner of land to be conveyed;

Thence running N. 46° 35' W. along land of Saga Realty Corp., 56.6 feet to land of Perron & Co .;

Thence running northwesterly along land of Perron & Co., about 48 feet to land of Goodwin Realty, Inc. and land of Dragon;

Thence running N. 59° 13' E. along land of Dragon, 59.38 feet;

Thence running S. 43º 46' E. along other land of Dragon, 29.18 feet to the northwest corner of land for- merly of Martin Realty Co., Inc .;

Thence running northeasterly along land formerly of Southbridge Savings Bank, 10.0 feet;

Thence in a northerly direction along other land of said Southbridge Savings Bank, about 33 feet to land! of Dragon;

Thence running southeasterly along land of Dragon, 56.33 feet to the northwesterly side line of Central Street;

Thence running S. 43° 25' W. along the northwesterly side line of Central Street, 116.92 feet to the point of beginning.

Also, a certain tract of land bounded and described as fol- lows:

Beginning at a point 56.33 feet westerly of the wester- ly side of Central Street, said point also being the northwest corner of land now or formerly of the

Southbridge Savings Bank; Thence running westerly along land of Dragon and being the extension of the northerly line of said South- bridge Savings Bank for a distance of about 60 feet; Thence running southerly along land of Dragon for a distance of about 10 feet; Thence running westerly along land of Dragon for a distance of about 23 feet; Thence running southerly along land of Consumers' and Helen Murphy for a distance of about 76 feet; Thence running southerly along land of Goodwin Realty Co. for a distance of 43.5 feet;

Thence running N. 59° 13' E. along land of Perron for a distance of 59 38 feet;

Thence running S. 43º 46' E. along land of Perron for a distance of 29.18 feet;

Thence running northerly along land of Southbridge Savings Bank for a distance of 10 feet to an angle; Thence running northerly along land of Southbridge Savings Bank for a distance of 33 feet to the point of beginning.

And as appurtenant to the granted premises a right of way for foot and vehicular traffic across the parking lot of Consum- ers' Market in order to make use of the exits onto Hamilton Street from said Consumers' Market parking lot as the same presently exist or may hereafter be changed.

Said premises are to be conveyed subject to the right of Edith L. Dragon, her heirs and assigns to enter upon said granted premises at reasonable times to make necessary re- pairs to the easterly and southerly edges of the remaining buildings.

Said premises are to be conveyed subject to the following right of way:

Beginning at a point on the northwesterly side line of Central Street, said point being 2.0 feet, more or less, of Martin Realty Co., Inc .;

Thence northwesterly along a line 2.0 feet, more or less, northerly of and parallel to the northerly line of Martin Realty Co., Inc. for a distance of about 116.0 feet;

Thence northeasterly along land formerly of Dragon about 37.0 feet to Dragon's remaining premises;

Thence southeasterly along Dragon's remaining prem- ises about 34.0 feet to a point;

Thence southwesterly along land formerly of Dragon, about 22.0 feet to a point;

Thence southeasterly along land formerly of Dragon, about 82 0 feet to a point on the northwesterly side line of Central Street;

Thence southwesterly along the northwesterly side

line of Central Street, 18.0 feet, more or less, to the point of beginning.

And a right of way five (5) feet wide along the northerly line of the granted premises from Central Street, westerly to the westerly line of the granted premises.

Said premises are to be conveyed subject to the limitation that said premises are to be used by the Town solely for off-street public parking purposes:

And that said premises be used by the Town for an off-street public parking lot, or act anything thereon.

Finance Committee's motion:

VOTED: That the sum of Eighteen Thousand ($18,000.00) Dollars be appropriated for the purchase by the Town of Southbridge the following described parcels of land from the Southbridge Realty Trust and Edith L. Dragon, respectively: (description of parcels of land eliminated however, will appear in the vote.)

Before speaking, Atty. M. Morrill stated he had been re- tained by Realty Trust and others.

While speaking his time was extended by vote of the meet- ing.

A series of projection slides of the "blighted" area were being shown by Atty. Morrill when assistant moderator, R. Hetu informed the moderator the remaining voters in the gymnasium would like to join the others in the auditorium. Moderator Stark invited them. (Time: 12:03 A.M.)

Several voters spoke against the town purchasing this parking lot.

Atty. N. R. St. Martin addressed the moderator and stated: "I believe that under Chapter 40, Sec. 14 an article calling for purchase of land requires a two-third vote."

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Town annual reports of the officers of Southbridge for the year ending 1962-1966, Part 24

Author: Southbridge (Mass.) Publication date: 1962 Publisher: The Town Number of Pages: 1494

Author: Southbridge (Mass.)
Publication date: 1962
Publisher: The Town
Number of Pages: 1494