Town of Orange
Announcement of Procedures for May 27, 2020 Special Town Meeting
TO THE VOTERS OF THE TOWN OF ORANGE:
Date of Notice: May 13, 2020
By order of May 11, 2020, the Grafton County Superior Court has granted the Select Board’s petition to hold a Special Town Meeting to vote on financing of repair of Town roads damaged by the July 11, 2019 flash flood.
The Select Board has posted a Warrant for the Special Town Meeting (copy enclosed) notifying the Town’s voters that voting on the road repair financing warrant articles will be held on May 27 at the Town Office from approximately 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
At a Select Board meeting on May 12, 2020, the Select Board and Town Moderator adopted special optional procedures for the Special Town Meeting in order to comply with Governor Sununu’s emergency orders pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g. the prohibition on gatherings of more than 10 people and the stay-at-home order) and to allow the vote to proceed while maintaining social distancing measures and protecting the health of Orange’s voters. The optional procedures, subject to approval by the voters of the Town of Orange, are as follow[1]:
1. On May 19, at 6:00 p.m., the Select Board will host a first live ZOOM virtual meeting and information session during which the proposed optional town meeting procedures will be outlined and the warrant articles will be discussed. The Select Board will solicit questions and comments from the public regarding the meeting procedures and the warrant articles.
To access the ZOOM virtual meeting on May 19, go to https://zoom.us/j/92391687011, or dial 929-436-2866. Meeting ID: 923 9168 7011
2. Between May 19 and May 26, questions and comments from the public may be submitted to the Select Board by e-mail (townoforange@gmail.com), voice mail (603-523-7054), text message (203-257-2689), or U.S. mail (PO Box 37, Canaan, NH 03741).
3. On May 26, at 6:00 p.m., the Select Board will host a second live ZOOM virtual meeting to report on, consider and address comments received from the public. The Select Board will then discuss, debate and may amend the meeting procedures or warrant articles in response to public input. The Select Board will announce the final form of the warrant articles (if amended) at the conclusion of the ZOOM virtual meeting.
To access the ZOOM virtual meeting on May 26, go to https://zoom.us/j/96636096258, or dial 929-43-2866. Meeting ID: 966 3609 6258
4. On May 27, at 6:00 p.m., voting on the warrant articles will be by secret ballot cast by voters at the Town Office through drive-through procedures to ensure appropriate social distancing.
a. Station 1: When you arrive at the Town Office, follow directions to Station 1, where the Supervisors of the Checklist will register each of the voters in your vehicle. Please bring a valid ID card for each voter. Pass the ID(s) out the window to the Supervisors, who will register each voter. A Supervisor will place an index card on your windshield indicating the number of registered voters in the vehicle.
b. Station 2: Proceed to Station 2, where the Moderator will hand you a paper ballot for each voter in the vehicle, as indicated by the index card on your windshield. The ballot will contain three (3) questions:
i. The first question will be “Do you approve of the optional special town meeting procedures? YES or NO”
ii. The second question will be Article 1 from the Warrant: “To see if the town will vote (1) to raise and appropriate $1,187,000 for the purpose of restoring, repairing, and improving roads which suffered significant damages during the flash flood of July 2019, (2) to authorize the issuance of not more than $1,187,000 of bonds or notes in accordance with the provisions of the Municipal Finance Act (RSA 33) and to authorize town officials to issue and negotiate such bonds or notes and to determine the rate of interest thereon, and (3) to authorize town officials to apply for, accept and expend FEMA grant monies of up to $890,250 in partial reimbursement of the Town’s aforesaid road restoration, repair and improvement expenses.
2/3 ballot vote required. Recommended by the Select Board 3-0. Recommended by the Budget Committee 3-0.
YES or NO”
iii. The third question will be Article 2 from the Warrant: “To see if the town will vote to appoint the Board of Selectmen under RSA 35:15, I as agents to withdraw and spend funds from the Road Improvement and Repair Capital Reserve Fund, only to carry out the purpose for which the fund was established. Said fund was established at the 2020 town meeting for the purpose of improving roads and making repairs to damages caused by catastrophic weather events.
Majority vote required. Recommended by the Select Board 3-0. Recommended by the Budget Committee 3-0.
YES or NO”
c. Station 3: Complete the ballots by circling your responses to the three questions. (Please bring your own pen or pencil.) Then deposit the completed ballots in the ballot box at Station 3. The Town Clerk and members of the Select Board will observe the ballot box.
5. On May 27, drive-through voting and the ballot box will remain open for voting for at least one hour, until at least 7:00 p.m. After the ballot box has been open for an hour, the Moderator will entertain a motion to adjourn the meeting. Results of the voting will be posted on the orangenh.us website, at the Town Office, and at the local post office.
If a simple majority of voters votes “YES” for Question 1 (“Do you approve of the optional special town meeting procedures?”) then the votes on the two substantive warrant articles will be deemed approved and the final action of the Special Town Meeting. If a simple majority does not vote “YES”, then all other warrant articles will be deemed disapproved.
Approved By:
TOWN OF ORANGE SELECT BOARD
[1] These optional procedures, recommended by the New Hampshire Municipal Association and the Town’s attorney, may be subject to change if Governor Sununu issues an Executive Order concerning the conduct of town meetings.