COTUIT FIRE DISTRICT
ANNUAL ELECTION AND DISTRICT MEETING
MAY 29 AND 30, 2012
TO THE CLERK OF THE COTUIT FIRE DISTRICT, GREETING:
You are hereby required and directed to notify and warn the inhabitants of the Town of Barnstable residing within the territory comprising the Cotuit Fire District qualified to vote in District elections and affairs to meet at the Freedom Hall, Main Street, Cotuit, on Tuesday, May 29, 2012, between the hours of four o’clock and eight o’clock PM, then and there to vote for the following officers:
One member of the Prudential Committee, for three years
One member of the Board of Fire Commissioners, for three years
One member of the Board of Water Commissioners, for three years
Warning shall also be given to said inhabitants to meet on Wednesday, May 30, 2012, at Freedom Hall, Main Street, Cotuit, at seven-thirty o’clock PM, when action will be taken on the following articles:
(All articles which are not followed by the words “by request of . . .” are inserted by the Prudential Committee.)
Article 1: To see if the District will vote to accept the reports of the officers and committees of the District as printed.
Article 2: To see if the District will vote to set the annual salaries of the elected officials as follows:
Prudential Committee Members, Members of the Board of Fire Commissioners and Members of the Board of Water Commissioners: $1,250.00 each; Moderator: $250.00.
Article 3: To see if the District will vote to raise and appropriate $130,000.00 for the expenses of the Financial Department.
Article 4: To see if the District will vote to raise and appropriate $214,391.00 for the Barnstable County Retirement Assessment.
Article 5: To see if the District will vote to raise and appropriate $30,000.00 to maintain the street lights of the District.
Article 6: To see if the District will vote to raise and appropriate $15,410.00 to support the operation of the Cotuit Library.
Article 7: To see if the District will vote to raise and appropriate $375,100.00 for group insurance.
Article 8: To see if the District will vote to raise and appropriate $25,000.00 for the maintenance and operation of Freedom Hall.
Article 9: To see if the District will vote to raise and appropriate $6,808.00 for the purpose of reimbursing the Town of Barnstable for services provided by the offices of the tax collector and assessors to collect the taxes of the District.
Article 10: To see if the District will vote to support enactment of an Act of the Mass. General Court given below:
Section 1. (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, Elected officials of the Cotuit Fire District who receive compensation by vote of the District at an annual or special District meeting per G.L. 41, § 108 shall not, as such, constitute employees for purposes of G.L. c. 32B and shall not, as such, be eligible for participation in the District’s contributory medical, dental and life insurance plan (the “plan”).
(b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, however: (i) Any such elected officials who were elected prior to the effective date of this act, whether or not presently serving, if eligible and vested as of said date to participate in the plan at retirement, or as presently retired, shall continue to be eligible and vested to participate upon retirement, or as presently retired; (ii) Any such elected officials who were elected prior to the effective date of this act who participate in the plan on the effective date of the act shall continue to be eligible to participate in the plan until the end of their current terms, and in event they serve an immediately successive term or terms thereafter, shall continue to be eligible to participate in the plan during said successive term or terms, provided that they pay 100 percent of the cost of participation in the plan, plus any administrative cost therefore as may be imposed by the Prudential Committee; and (iii) Nothing contained in the act shall impair or in any way affect any right of a District retiree created by c. 36 of the Acts of 1998 or c. 24 of the Acts of 2003.
(c) This act shall take effect upon the date of its passage; provided, however, that the General Court may make clerical or editorial changes of form only to the bill, unless the Prudential Committee approves amendments which shall be within the scope of the general public’s objectives of this petition. (Article requested by Citizen Petition)
Article 11: To see if the District will vote to raise and appropriate $1,334,707.65 for the labor and salaries of the Fire Department; and to raise and appropriate $292,069.50 for the remaining expenses of the Fire Department, to be apportioned approximately as follows:
Maintenance, $58,845.00
Operating expenses, $232,224.50
Miscellaneous $1,000.00 and
for a total appropriation of $1,626,777.15
(Requested by the Board of Fire Commissioners)
The Prudential Committee recommends this Article.
Article 12: To see if the District will vote to raise and appropriate $9,500.00 to provide for the ambulance service
billing. (Requested by the Board of Fire Commissioners)
The Prudential Committee recommends this Article.
Article 13: To see if the District will vote to raise and appropriate $38,500.00 to provide for the purchase of patient medical supplies and related equipment for the operation of the ambulance. (Requested by the Board of Fire Commissioners)
The Prudential Committee recommends this Article.
Article 14: To see if the District will vote to raise and appropriate $9,700.00 for the purpose of hiring New Call Firefighters.(Requested by the Board of Fire Commissioners)
The Prudential Committee recommends this Article.
Article 15: To see if the District will vote to appropriate and transfer from available funds a sum of money to the current Fire Department operating budget to cover unforeseen emergency expenses which occurred during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2010. (Requested by the Board of Fire Commissioners)
Article 16: To see if the District will vote to raise and appropriate:
$26,000.00 for the Water Department for service connections
$298,292.00 for labor and salaries; and $313,400.00 for the remaining expenses of the Water
Department, to be apportioned approximately as
follows:
$74,000.00 for maintenance;
$187,400.00 for operations; and
$52,000.00 for miscellaneous expenses
for a total appropriation of $637,692.00 and that the receipts and revenues of the Water Department be applied to these amounts. (Requested by the Board of Water Commissioners)
The Prudential Committee recommends this Article.
Article 17: To see if the District will vote to raise and appropriate or transfer and appropriate or borrow and appropriate from available funds the sum of $50,000.00 for the meter replacement program. (Requested by the Board of Water Commissioners)
The Prudential Committee recommends this Article.
Article 18: To see if the District will vote to raise and appropriate or transfer and appropriate or borrow and appropriate the sum of $30,000.00 for pump replacement and well treatment. (Requested by the Board of Water Commissioners)
The Prudential Committee recommends this Article.
Article 19: To see if the District will vote to raise and appropriate $25,000.00 to rewire Freedom Hall to bring the building up to Code.
Article 20: To see if the District will vote to raise and appropriate a sum of money for a District Office.
Article 21: To see if the District will vote to raise and appropriate $174,800.00 for notes and interest.
Article 22: To see if the District will vote to raise and appropriate $25,000.00 for the Stabilization Fund as provided under Section 5B, Chapter 40, of the General Laws.
Article 23: To see if the District will vote to raise and appropriate $50,000.00 to the reserve fund as provided under Section 5C, Chapter 40 of the General Laws.
Article 24: To see if the District will vote to appropriate and transfer a sum of money from free cash in the Treasury toward the tax levy of the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2012.
Hereof fail not to make due return of this warrant and your doings thereon at said meeting.
Given under our hands this Twenty-Sixth day of April, 2012.
Laurie C. Hadley
Amy M. Kates
Richard G. Barry
PRUDENTIAL COMMITTEE
A True Copy, attest:
_________________________
Charles W. Eager, Clerk
Cotuit Fire District