PELHAM — Many people in the company of their dogs have taken to trails in Pelham during the pandemic.
But with the increased exploration of these natural areas has come concerns about owners not controlling their pets, and dogs accosting other walkers and dogs.
When annual Town Meeting convenes Saturday, voters will consider a petition to require dogs to be leashed on public trails or private trails used by the public from 10 a.m. to dark, rather than to be just under voice command.
The tightening of the town’s leash law is one of 20 articles that will be taken up starting at 9 a.m. in the field behind Pelham Elementary School.
Most of the articles relate to spending, including the $4.85 million budget, which is $171,721, or 3.7% higher than this year’s $4.67 million budget. The Select Board also is putting forward an article that would allow Pelham to join other communities, including Amherst, in opposing the biomass power plant that had been proposed in Springfield.
Select Board Chairman Robert Agoglia said his board has taken no position on the revised leash law, but understands there is community concern about what is happening on hiking trails.
The statement on the biomass plant, Agoglia said, was supplied by the League of Women Voters of Amherst and would urge the Legislature to “pass legislation rapidly in 2021 that will permanently ban large-scale woody biomass power plants” in the state.
More than half of the municipal budget increase is attributed to four areas, including the $923,486 assessment for the Amherst-Pelham Regional School, up $37,591. It is the first assessment increase in seven years, and is based on the four towns in the region, Amherst, Leverett and Shutesbury, agreeing to a modified formula that calculates each community’s enrollment and wealth.
The other drivers of the town budget increase are the $1.87 million elementary school budget, up $46,666, the $259,719 county retirement assessment, up $33,401, and the $160,000 for Other Post Employment Benefits, up $20,000.
The Finance Committee report attached to the warrant notes that Pelham is attempting to return to normal operations a year after cuts were made due to the pandemic. With little economic development on the horizon and limited potential revenue sources, such as solar arrays, residential taxpayers could see a jump in their tax bills.
“We are continually looking ahead in an attempt to anticipate future expenses and plan ways to fund them,” the report states. “It’s increasingly difficult and challenging due to the town’s limited sources of revenue and continued rising costs.”
Additional spending on various capital needs will require use of $262,000 in free cash for a series of purchases and spending. Those include $75,000 to regrind and repave the road and parking areas at the Rhodes Building and Department of Public Works, $25,000 to reimburse unanticipated special education costs, and $12,000 to buy and equip an off-road rescue vehicle to be used by police and fire departments.
From the capital stabilization fund, $275,000 will go for buying a heavy-duty dump truck with snow-fighting equipment and $70,000 will repair and paint the exterior of the Museum at the Old Town Hall Complex.
Those who attend Town Meeting will be required to wear face coverings and are encouraged to bring water or other beverage and hand sanitizer.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
