Budgetary meeting slated

Friday, February 26, 2010

Photo By Kelly McGrath The entrance of Edinburgh Drive off of Meetinghouse Road is damaged with several deep pot holes.

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Photo By Kelly McGrath Edinburgh Drive is one of several roads across town with severe damage.

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Photo By Kelly McGrath The entrance of Edinburgh Drive off of Meetinghouse Road is damaged with several deep pot holes.

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BEDFORD – Community members will discuss a $30 million road bond and a $5 increase in town motor vehicle registrations at the upcoming Budgetary Town Meeting.

The March 3 meeting will cover the proposed $24.37 million 2010 municipal budget, which stands with a tax rate of $4.13 per $1,000 of assessed value.

Residents are invited to take part in the 7 p.m. meeting in the Bedford High School auditorium.

During the second budget public hearing, which took place Jan. 27, the Town Council approved reductions in the 2010 municipal budget totaling $6,000. Cuts included $1,000 for printing the annual report and $5,000 in cemetery property repairs and maintenance. The revenue in the Conservation Commission budget was reduced $273,382.

But along with the regular budget items, the road bond and motor vehicle registration increase will be discussed at the Budgetary Town Meeting including.

A public hearing for the road bond took place Jan. 27, while community members voiced their thoughts on the increased registration fee at a Feb. 10 meeting.

“If you don’t have any income right now in this horrible economy, every $5 matters,” resident Joleen Worden said during the public hearing.

Funds from the increase, according to Town Manager Russel Marcoux, would be used to support municipal and transportation improvements; only 10 percent could be used for administrative costs.

If approved, the fee would start in April, and Marcoux expects the town to see $85,000 in revenue this year.

“The people that are using the roads, who are paying the $5, are driving the cars,” Marcoux said. “This is money that stays here and is used for our local roads.”

One Edinburgh Drive resident voiced opinions in favor of the vehicle registration increase during the hearing. He reported Edinburgh to have an estimated 200 pot holes and said he knew several elderly residents who travel the road daily.

But Edinburgh isn’t the only road in need of repairs.

According to Jim Stanford, director of Public Works, the town has 55 miles of roadway in need of major repair. The backlog of current road work is estimated at $29.4 million; $15.5 million for collector roads and $13.9 million for local roads.

Bond authorization of $30 million would allow the road program to be planned and completed over a 10-year period.

Proposed Warrant Article 20: Issuance of long term debt for reconstruction of the roads, reads that all funds will be used solely to continue the town roads program. An anticipation of approximately $10 million in 2010, 2013 and 2016 will take place in order to help mitigate the effects on the town’s portion of the tax rate. A 5-percent tax increase would occur in 2011, while a 3-percent increase would be seen in 2014.

With several town roads in poor quality, the $30 million road bond program would get them to a level where normal maintenance could keep them at a suitable level of quality.

Town Council Vice Chairman Bob Young compared Bedford roads to an old house in need of new paint.

“We can continue to put on top of the rotting wood, more paint but the basic problem is the roads will continue to deteriorate,” he said.

After next week’s meeting, the 2010 municipal budget moves forward to election day on March 9, when voters make the final decision.

Kelly McGrath can be reached at 673-3100 ext. 27 or kmcgrath@cabinet.com