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Town Meeting Heats Up with CPA, Schools Debates

Night two of Canton Town Meeting sparked heated discussions; third night to be held Monday.

 

Maybe the third time's the charm for Canton's Annual Town Meeting. Mark your calendars because Monday night at 7:00 p.m. will be the third installment of ATM. On the agenda for Monday night: a motion to reconsider Article 34, the Local Option Meals Excise Tax article.

If the motion to reconsider receives a 2/3 majority vote, according to the Town Moderator, then discussions will continue. The article received a tied vote on Wednesday night, 133 to 133, and therefore failed. (A 2/3 majority vote was needed for the article to be approved.)

Article 34 would put an extra tax on your dining-out bills in Canton. This tax would add a .75 % tax on meals in Canton. If you spend $100 on a meal, you would pay an extra 75 cents on your bill if this article were passed at Town Meeting.

After a lengthy debate, Article 39, the Community Preservation Act, won approval at Town Meeting on Wednesday night. The article now requires a special election and would go into effect if approved at the special town election.

Also a hot issue at Town Meeting was Article 35, "The Res" article, which passed. Article 35 allows the Board of Selectmen to negotiate with the owners of Reservoir Pond. The agreement allows the owners to fix the pond and dam and donate it to the town. Otherwise, the owners could have let the Res be drained and left as an empty, muddy marsh.

The Canton Public School District's articles also instigated lengthy discussions at Wednesday's four-hour Town Meeting. Article 13, which came as a surprise to many, passed and will allow the school department to repair the failing, 60-year-old heating, boiler and ventilation system in the Rodman Building.

Watch all of the vides clips on Canton Patch to see each of the debates on these articles.

Related Topics: ATM, Annual Town Meeting, Budget, Town Meeting, and Warrant
Are you going back to Town Meeting Monday? Tell us in the comments.

Christine Smith

4:54 pm on Friday, April 29, 2011

I believe the motion to reconsider needs a 2/3 majority. But if the Local Meals Tax article is reconsidered, I believe that only needs a simple majority to win.

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Lisa Gentes-Hunt

5:51 pm on Friday, April 29, 2011

Thanks for clarifying Christine!!

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Gary Titus

11:56 pm on Friday, April 29, 2011

Yes the schools need the money, but the meals tax is the wrong way to get it. You will be robbing Peter to pay Paul. In such a weak economy restaurants of all sizes in Canton are just barely getting by. This does not only effect restaurants, but everyone who serves meals like function halls too. At $100.00 per plate every function of 100 people or more will increase in price $75.00. With a cost increase like that these venues fall victim to neighboring towns who do not impose this unjust tax. This is NOT the RIGHT thing to do. Work harder with your State Rep. and State Senator to get more help with school costs. The owners, employees, and their families are the ones who will be hurt by this tax. Is this this a lesson we want to teach our children? I think not. Please show up to town meeting on Monday night and vote NO again on article 34. Thank you for think about this.

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