AVON – Voters will be asked Saturday if they want to sell the Avon Townhouse, borrow money to fix roads and establish a written policy on eminent domain.
Voters have 66 articles to consider during the annual town meeting that begins at 9 a.m. March 18 at the Avon Municipal Building.
Residents also have several town positions to fill during the meeting.
Up for election are a three-year selectman’s term currently held by Jerome Gilchrist and a one-year term, which was held by Martin “Greg” Curtis, who died this winter, Town Clerk Mary Dunham said Tuesday.
Gilchrist is running for re-election; Dunham is seeking the town clerk’s position again. Treasurer Cynthia Dixon and Tax Collector Stephen Weiner are also seeking re-election, Dunham said.
The proposed budget is $165,098.37; of that amount, $135,508.37 is to operate town government operations and $29,590 for the town’s share of Franklin County taxes, selectmen’s Chairwoman Joyce Potter said Tuesday.
The proposed budget is about $2,500 less than last year, she said. The figure doesn’t include Avon’s SAD 58 budget share, which hasn’t been set yet.
There are few articles that could raise some discussion, Potter said.
Voters will be asked if they want to sell the Avon Town House where town operations used to be based and town meetings held.
Last year, voters tabled it for a year to see if the historical society could raise the funds. Potter said the society has not raised the money.
Voters will also be asked if they want the town to provide seasonal perpetual care to the Walli Ball Field where Little League games are held. The field is owned by a couple who has maintained it and let the town use it, but now the couple is moving, Potter said.
Selectmen are also asking voters if they want to borrow money to fix some of the roads in the worst shape.
“It’s getting to the point that a lot of our roads in the town need work,” Potter said.
The town raises and appropriate money to fix the roads but it isn’t enough, and the prices keep increasing, she said.
The question is open-ended, Potter said. But, if voters want to do all the work on four sections of three roads, they would need to borrow about $134,000, she said, and use other money that would be targeted for road repair.
The roads to be discussed are two sections of Mount Blue Pond Road and one section on each of Avon Valley Road and Cross Road.
Another article asks voters if they want to establish a written policy for eminent domain, Potter said. The policy proposes that eminent domain be used by the town only if there is a public works project. Also, any eminent domain decision would be made by the voters at the annual town meeting. The policy would prohibit the town from taking any occupied residential property by eminent domain.
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