WAREHAM AT A GLANCE INCORPORATED: FIRST TOWN MEETING NEPINNAE KEKIT: July 10, 1739 August 6, 1739 Summer Homes TYPE OF GOVERNMENT POPULATION Charter Winter: 22,000 Open Town Meeting Summer: 44,000 Town Administrator 5 Part-time Selectmen VOTERS: 15,251 TOTAL AREA: 39.7 Square Miles COUNTY: Plymouth WATERFRONT: 25,408 Acres - 54 Miles VALUATION FISCAL YEAR 2019 TAX RATE FISCAL YEAR 2019 Town Real Estate $3,530,182,405 Town of Wareham $10.94 Personal Property $159,681,520 Wareham Fire District $2.35 Total Valuation: $3,689,863,925 Onset Fire District $2.62 CPA (Community Preservation Act) 3% CPA Surcharge: 1) Commercial and industrial property 2) Residential property parcel value in excess of $100,000 State Representative Susan Williams Gifford 2nd Plymouth District Room 124, State House Boston, MA 02133 State Senator Marc Pacheco 1st Plymouth District Room 312-B, State House Boston, MA 02133 Representative in Congress William Keating 9th District 50 Resnik Road, Suite 103 Plymouth, MA 02360 Senators in Congress Elizabeth Warren 2400 J.F.K. Federal Building 15 New Sudbury Street Boston, MA 02203 Ed Markey 975 J.F.K. Federal Building 15 New Sudbury Street Boston, MA 02203 TABLE OF CONTENTS Appointments Board of Selectmen ....................................................................................................................3 Charter Appointing Authority ....................................................................................................6 Assessors, Board of ........................................................................................................................51 Cemetery Commissioners ..............................................................................................................87 Community Events Committee ......................................................................................................56 Community Preservation Committee .............................................................................................66 Conservation Commission .............................................................................................................53 Elections Town Election Results, 2nd April 2019 ....................................................................................29 Elected Officials ...............................................................................................................................9 Emergency Medical Services .........................................................................................................58 Finance Committee ........................................................................................................................59 Finance Director.............................................................................................................................90 Harbormaster Department ..............................................................................................................61 Health, Board of .............................................................................................................................62 In Memoriam ...................................................................................................................................1 Library............................................................................................................................................88 Municipal Maintenance Department ..............................................................................................68 Natural Resources, Department of .................................................................................................61 Police Department ..........................................................................................................................74 Recycling Program.........................................................................................................................70 Selectmen, Board of .........................................................................................................................2 Superintendent of Schools .............................................................................................................81 Town Clerk ......................................................................................................................................7 Births ..........................................................................................................................................8 Deaths ........................................................................................................................................8 Marriages ...................................................................................................................................8 Dog Licenses/Kennels ...............................................................................................................8 Treasurer/Collector ........................................................................................................................90 Warrants Fall Town Meeting, 22nd October 2018 ...................................................................................12 Spring Town Meeting 2nd April 2019 (Election) .....................................................................29 Town Meeting, 22nd /23 rd April 2019 ......................................................................................30 Special Town Meeting, 22nd April 2019 ..................................................................................45 Water Pollution Control Facility ....................................................................................................73 In Memoriam This Wareham Town Report is dedicated to the memory of employees, retirees, and committee members of the Town of Wareham who passed away during the past fiscal year. Priscilla J. Alden, March 30, 2019 Antone Manuel (Buddy) Andrade, June 2019 Herbert J. Barrett, October 3, 2018 George C. Decas, February 19, 2019 Edward C. Doucette, February 16, 2019 Ray A. DeCoster, May 1, 2019 William F. Gay, III, February 2, 2019 Charles H. Maxim, February 8, 2019 Nicholas A. Mosca, November 17, 2018 Peter M. Murphy, September 4, 2018 Ronnie J. Oliver, October 20, 2018 Robert B. Osswald, March 2, 2019 Joan A. Prescott, June 19, 2019 Barry F. Sullivan, May 1, 2019 Richard Wheeler, January 31, 2019 1 Report submitted by Chair of the Board of Selectmen The Fiscal Year 2019, which runs from April 2018 to April 2019 saw many important events which will have long term effects for the Town of Wareham. A partial list starts with these key items. Retail Marijuana store opening, Southcoast Hosiptal expansion of the ER including the demolition of the Toby Homestead, the Buzzards Bay Coalition bathhouse project clearing all obstacles to initiate construction, Debt Exclusion to replace both Minot and Decas Elementary Schools passes. Due to the efforts of the Town Administrator Derek Sullivan, his department heads, all Town employees and with guidance from the Board of Selectmen , Finance Committee Wareham continues to improve its financial stability, its elimination of material weaknesses in the auditor reports and moving from the DoR watch list some 8 years ago to now being used as an example on how to turn things around! One area that will become critical is that of trash disposal ie the transfer stations. Due to several factors (management and change in Chinese taking recyclables) the Town is going within 2 years come up with a plan on how residents and businesses handle disposing of trash etc. Following a 4 year plan put together by the Town Administrator, the Library Director and Trustees, the Board of Selectmen, the Library Foundation and Friends of the Free Library our Library was recertified in November. Special thanks goes to the outgoing director! Bus service from Wareham to New Bedford was started thru GATRA. This provided residents unable to drive to reach Hospitals and medical facilities in Fairhaven, New Bedford and Fall River. Special thanks to Frank Gay Director of GATRA who worked with me to get this done! With the guidance of our Town Moderator (Claire Smith) Town Meeting continues its positive environment for open discussion and results. After the Fall Town Meeting, the Moderator and I discussed making the next step for Town Meeting, Electronic voting! The plan is too try this at Fall Town Meeting in October of 2019. Lastly, we officially adopted the stretch code, completed other requirements and became a green community! Our 1st grant was for $205,000. We will continue to see the benefits well into the future. At this point I need to thank my follow Selectmen and Selectwoman and the Town Administrator who worked with me to make this positive progress possible! Respectfully submitted, , Alan Slavin, Chairman Board of Selectmen (April 2018 to April 2019) 2 BOARD OF SELECTMEN APPOINTMENTS Kevin Costa ............................................2021 TOWN ADMINISTRATOR Linda Gay...............................................2021 Derek D. Sullivan .................................. 2019 Peter Teitelbaum, Selectmen’s Liaison AFFIRMATIVE ACTION OFFICER COMMUNITY PRESERVATION Derek D. Sullivan .................................. 2019 COMMITTEE Sandra Slavin, Co-Chair ........................2020 AFFORDABLE HOUSING TRUST FUND Brian Litchfield, Co-Chair (Open Space) ..2021 Sandra Slavin, Chairman ....................... 2020 Sherbie Worthen ....................................2020