It was a full house for Upton’s November 15, 2016 Special Town Meeting.
Three of the twenty articles on the warrant failed.
Residents decided not to replace the transmission on Tanker 2 with an automatic transmission. Several concerns were raised over the cost. There were also questions on why the department needed an automatic transmission. Residents asked why couldn’t all drivers be trained to drive Tanker 2?
One resident noted the cost to replace the transmission could be more than the value of the Tanker itself. “We are being asked to spend $22,000 on a truck that probably isn’t worth that much,” said Mr. Bates.
Residents voted against increasing cell tower height to 200 feet. Dr. Taylor was passionate about his petition to make sure all Upton residents have cell phone service. “Every town has 99.9 percent cell phone coverage. There are 400 homes in Upton either without or with limited cell phone service,” said Taylor. His primary concern is residents who don’t have consistent or any service might not be able to reach the fire or police department when needed.
Members of the planning board said they are willing to work on this issues but were against this article as several bylaws would need to be amended.
The Board of Selectmen will remain three members with no term limits. The town overwhelmingly voted article 18, you can read the full story here.
Here is what passed and failed at the Special Town Meeting.
| Article 1 | To Limit the Tax Impact on Property Owners by utilizing a portion of the Town’s Free Cash to reduce expenditures FY 2017 | Passed Over | Due to a curbing of spending most homeowners will have no change or see a slightly lower tax bill. An average home valued at $389,00 is anticipated to decrease by $155.40 |
| Article 2 | Transfers amount accounts | Passed | |
| Article 3 | Add monies to the trust fund created to meet the Town’s OPEB obligat | Passed | |
| Article 4 | Enable the Town to enter into employment contract with the Director of Public Works for up to three years | Passed | |
| Article 5 | Replace Ford F350 – DPW | Passed | |
| Article 6 | Purchase One Ton Pickup Truck – DPW | Passed | |
| Article 7 | Purchase replacement roller – DPW | Passed | |
| Article 8 | Cont. Implementation of roadway sign replacement in accordance with State mandates | Passed | |
| Article 9 | Purchase engineering services to build a GIS layer that depicts the Town’s water system. | Passed | |
| Article 10 | Funding for Town’s Conservation Fund $2,500 | Passed | |
| Article 11 | Replace transmission in Tanker 2 with an automatic version | FAILED | |
| Article 12 | Purchase upgraded key access system for UFD | Passed | |
| Article 13 | Set aside 10% of CPA to Community Preservation Fund | Passed | |
| Article 14 | Make 4th year principal and interest payments on Town Hall Bonds | Passed | |
| Article 15 | Upgrade bathrooms at Knowlton Risteen Building | Passed Over | |
| Article 16 | Pay for 1/2 of the costs of repairs to the Fisk Mill Bridge. | Passed | |
| Article 17 | Appropriate $10,000 in order to prepare a home the town has taken ownership of for auction. | Passed | |
| Article 18 | Limit terms of BOS and increase seats from 3 to 5 | FAILED | By Petition |
| Article 19 | Increase height for cell towers to 200 feet | FAILED | By Petition |
| Article 20 | Request to have BOS oppose any effort to locate the West Boylston Lateral within Upton’s board and to disallow the construction of any and all similar projects that may later be proposed and participate in and provide comments to FERC and deny survey and authorization and rescind permission to Spectra Energy to enter any town-owned property… | Passed | By Petition |
UPTON DAILY 
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