Fall Town Meeting to Decide Major Changes

Some zoning bylaw changes will be decided at the November 17 Fall Town Meeting.

One of those is the Accessory Dwelling Unit bylaw. A new subsection reads as follows: “No ADU shall be separated in ownership from the principal dwelling by condominium conversion, cooperative creation or any form of separate equity interest. The principal dwelling and the ADU shall not be sold separately.”

Voters will also be asked to adjust the FY’27 Town Budget by allocating a total of $360,000 for the Highway Department, Building Facility/Maintenance, Forestry, and Fire Department. The majority of those funds - $300,000 - is designated for PFAS Remediation. An additional 39 homes are being tested.

The Town of Rehoboth entered into an agreement with Wilcox and Barton to perform PFAS remediation.  Wilcox and Barton had recommended that the Town should establish a budget of approximately $300,200 for fiscal year 2027.  The firm will perform “ongoing environmental counseling and Licensed Site Professional services in response to the identification of elevated concentrations of per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water supply wells in the vicinity of the Fire Department property on Anawan St.

Wilcox and Barton initiated LSP services and Immediate Response Action (IRA) activities in March 2022, following receipt of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) Notice of Responsibility (NOR), dated February 14, 2022.

Tasks include ongoing source area investigation, private well sampling, installation and maintenance of point-of-entry treatment (POET) and point of use (POUT) systems, drum disposal, data review, coordination with offsite property owners, and regulatory reporting.

In 2022, harmful chemicals were discovered in the wells which supply water to the Town Hall and the Fire Station on Anawan Street. The water in the Town Hall and Fire Station wells contained per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

Another article concerns an amendment to the Community Preservation Act surcharge. If approved, the rate would increase from one percent to three percent for the taxes assessed annually on real property to be effective for Fiscal Year 2028. The current exemptions will remain in effect.

Capital items for town departments will also be voted on, including a custom pumper for the Fire Department. The cost is $884, 013. A Hazard Truck for the Fire Department will cost $315, 725.

Other items include a Main Computer Server and desktop computers - $55,000, a Dispatch Console for Public Safety at a cost of $75,000.

The Police Department is requesting authorization for the Town Administrator to award a multi-year contract to Axon Enterprise, Inc. for body worn cameras and video storage.

The meeting will begin at 7pm on November 17th  at Heritage Hall at Francis Farm, 27 Francis Farm Road.