Notice of Special Town Meeting | Town of Woodstock
Notice of Special Town Meeting | Town of Woodstock
A Special Town Meeting of the electors and citizens qualified to vote in town meetings of the Town of Woodstock, Connecticut, will be held at Woodstock Middle School, 147B Route 169, in the Town of Woodstock, Connecticut, on February 28, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. for the following purpose:
1. To choose a moderator.
2. To consider and vote upon the following Resolution:
“Resolved that the Ordinance adopted at Adjourned Special Town Meeting on December 8, 1979 known as Proposition 46 be, and hereby is repealed”.
3. To consider and vote upon the following Resolution:
AMENDMENT TO THE ORDINANCE ADOPTED AT ADJOURNED SPECIAL TOWN MEETING"PROPOSITION 46"Adopted: December 8, 1979Effective: December 27, 1979(By waiving the Ordinance for the Fiscal Year July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024)
SECTION 1 Resolved, the Town shall limit the increase in the town's combined annual budget to revenue generated by growth in the Grand List, in State and Federal assistance, and in other income, except for increases, voted upon by town meeting, necessary to cover debt service on legal obligations, court judgements against the town, State mandated programs and emergency expenditures.
In the event of property revaluation, the actual dollar increase in the combined town budget shall be limited to the dollar amount of increase in the preceding year's budget or the average amount of increase over the preceding three years, whichever is lower.
Ordinance shall not be applicable to the combined annual budget of the Town for the fiscal year commencing on July 1, 2023. The limitations set forth in Section 1 above shall be applicable to determine the permissible increase in the combined annual budget for the Town for the fiscal year commencing on July 1, 2024 and each fiscal year thereafter.
4. To consider the following Resolution:
“RESOLVED, that the Town of Woodstock approve the expenditure in the amount of $215,441.00 as has been recommended by the Board of Finance from the Capital and Non-Recurring Fund for the Woodstock Academy Capital Project Assessment.”
5. To consider the following resolution to repeal an Ordinance:
ORDINANCE CONCERNING FORECLOSED LAND, EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 1956
“RESOLVED that the Selectmen be authorized to dispose of, in their discretion, land acquired by the Town by foreclosure of tax liens, by deed in lieu of foreclosure of tax liens, or by abandonment of highways.”
6. To consider the following resolution to Amend an Ordinance:
AMENDMENT IV TO THE ORDINANCE CREATING
THE WOODSTOCK AGRICULTURAL LAND PRESERVATION AND LAND ACQUISITION FUND
Adopted May 3, 1999
Effective June 4, 1999
(By amending Section 5)
Section 5 PROCESS FOR THE DISPOSITION OF OPEN SPACE LAND
(a) Except as provided in subsection (b) below, the following process shall be followed if in the event that the Board of Selectmen desires to sell, transfer, assign or otherwise dispose of a parcel of Town-owned real estate, or any interest therein:
1. The Conservation Commission shall review and report on any proposed disposition of an interest in real estate.
2. The proposed disposition shall be subject to a public hearing before the Board of Selectmen and to review by the Planning and Zoning Commission pursuant to Conn. Gen. Stat. 8- 24.
3. The Board of Selectmen shall consider the following criteria in evaluating any proposed disposition:
a. Each property should be assessed individually for suitability and/or desirability of sale.
b. Any property conveyed shall, where appropriate, be conveyed subject to a conservation easement prohibiting development. The Conservation Easement should be transferred to an independent third party such as a land trust or similar organization.
c. The land shall not be conveyed to any individual solely to allow the grantee to have enough acreage to sub-divide or develop the property.
d. Prior to submitting any proposed disposition of land, the town shall investigate and negotiate to retain any rights to quarry, harvest, timber or any other such rights the Board of Selectmen deems to be in the best interest of the Town.
4. Disposition of any property is subject to the approval by the Annual or Special Town Meeting after due warning.
5. Any funds received from such conveyances should be applied to the town’s Open-Space Fund.
6. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Board of Selectmen be authorized to dispose of, in their discretion, land acquired by the Town by foreclosure of tax liens, by deed in lieu of foreclosure of tax liens, or by abandonment of highways if such land consists of less than .5 acres and is not contiguous to any other town-owned land, open space land, or otherwise permanently protected land.
(b) In the event the Board of Selectmen determines that the property proposed to be sold, transferred, assigned or otherwise disposed of possesses unique characteristics or is otherwise sufficiently significant to the character of the Town or to the present and future functions of Town government, it may elect to issue a request for proposals as an alternative to a traditional bidding process. In such event, the following provisions would apply unless waived by the Board of Selectmen if they determine that such waiver is in the best interests of the Town:
1. The solicitation of requests for proposals shall identify the property being offered for sale or disposition and shall require respondents to provide a detailed description of the monetary or other consideration that they intend to pay for the property, as well as the proposed use of such property and such other information as the Board of Selectmen may request. Such solicitation shall be posted at the Town Hall, on the town website, and shall be published in a newspaper of substantial circulation within the Town.
2. The Board of Selectmen, in its sole and absolute discretion, may evaluate the responses based upon the purchase price to be paid, the proposed use of the property, the compatibility of the proposed use with the Town’s Plan of Conservation and Development, the experience of the proposed purchaser in similar projects and such other criteria as they may deem appropriate under the circumstances.
3. The Board of Selectmen shall be under no obligation to accept any proposals and may negotiate with one or more of the respondents as they deem necessary to further the best interests of the Town.
4. The requirements set forth in subsection (a) above requiring review by the Conservation Commission, a public hearing before the Board of Selectmen and the review by the Planning and Zoning Commission pursuant to Conn. Gen. Stat. §8-24 shall remain applicable.
5. Notwithstanding the ability of the Board of Selectmen to select a proposal for consideration and negotiation with any such respondent, the disposition of the property remains absolutely subject to the approval of the Annual or Special Town Meeting after due warning.
7. To Adjourn.
Please take note that pursuant to Section 7-7 of the Connecticut General Statutes, the
Woodstock Board of Selectmen has on their own initiative, removed the foregoing items 2, 3 and 4 for submission to the voters of the Town of Woodstock by referendum to be held on March 9, 2023, from 12noon to 8:00pm at the Woodstock Town Hall. The votes will be “Yes” or “No” votes on tabulator machines. Absentee ballots are available at the Office of the Town Clerk.
Dated at Woodstock, Connecticut, this 16th day of February 2023.
Woodstock Board of Selectmen
John Swan, First Selectman, Chandler Paquette, Selectman,
Kate McDonald, Selectman, Attest: Judy E. Walberg, Town Clerk
For more information about how town meetings work, click here.
The meeting will be live streamed via YouTube. A link to the live stream will be posted.
Original source can be found here.
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