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TOWN MEETING RESULTS-2006 Budget and Warrant
The 2006 Budget is posted at the bottom of the Budget Committe webpage as an additional link.
The 2006 Warrant follows here with the results typed in
after every article printed in red.
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TOWN OF NOTTINGHAM
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
2006
To the inhabitants of the Town of Nottingham in the County of Rockingham in said State,
qualified to vote in Town Affairs:
YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED TO MEET AT THE NOTTINGHAM COMMUNITY CENTER IN SAID NOTTINGHAM ON TUESDAY THE 14TH DAY OF MARCH 2006 NEXT AT 8:00 O’ CLOCK IN THE FORENOON TO ACT UPON THE
FOLLOWING SUBJECTS;
Articles # 1, # 2, # 3, and #4 will be acted upon on Tuesday March 14, 2006 at the Nottingham Community Center from 8:00AM to 7:00PM.
Articles # 5 through # 27 will be acted upon on Saturday March 18, 2006 at the Nottingham Elementary School at 9:00AM.
Article # 1: To choose by ballot all necessary Town Officers for the ensuing year.
SEE TOWN ELECTION RESULTS LISTED SEPARATELY UNDER
NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR ARTICLES #1, #2, #3 AND #4.
Article # 2: Are you in favor of adoption of Section XVI. Residential Development Timing and Phasing Ordinance to the Nottingham Zoning Ordinance to read as follows: Shall the Town balance regional growth pressures with the Town's ability to accommodate and pay for such growth, while protecting natural resources and preserving the Town's rural character and landscape by creating a new section of the Zoning Ordinance that controls the timing of subdivisions and uses a phasing plan for implementation of subdivisions?
SEE TOWN ELECTION RESULTS LISTED SEPARATELY UNDER
NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
XVI. RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT TIMING AND PHASING ORDINANCE
A. PURPOSE: The intent of this Ordinance is to balance regional growth pressures with the ability of the Town of Nottingham to accommodate such growth with due consideration for public facility and service provision, fiscal constraints, protection of natural resources, preservation of the Town’s rural character and landscape, and the need to continually monitor land use regulations designed to promote orderly growth.
B. AUTHORITY, MUNICIPAL: The timing and phasing of development limitations contained within this ordinance are derived from the policies, objectives and recommendations found in the adopted Nottingham Master Plan, 1987, as may be amended. The Planning Board, at its discretion, shall undertake periodic updates of the Master Plan as changing conditions warrant reexamination of its policies, objectives and recommendations. This ordinance supports the implementation of the adopted Nottingham Capital Improvement Plan, as may be amended.
C. AUTHORITY, STATE: Pursuant to the provisions of the New Hampshire Revised Statues Annotated R.S.A. 674:22, the Town of Nottingham adopts the Residential Development and Timing Phasing to be administered by the Planning Board in conjunction with the Subdivision and Site Plan Regulations of the Town of Nottingham.
D. TIMING OF SUBDIVISION DEVELOPMENT: When a plat is recorded with Rockingham County Assessor of Deeds, there shall be no additional lot(s) of record created from this plat or parent lot for at least four (4) years from the date of recordation. Lot line adjustments are exempt from this provision.
E. PHASING OF SUBDIVISION DEVELOPMENT: All subdivision applications shall provide a phasing plan specifying the number of dwelling units that can be constructed in any one phase and the total number of phases and estimated timing involved, subject to the Town of Nottingham Subdivision and Site Plan Regulations.
Recommended by the Planning Board
SEE TOWN ELECTION RESULTS LISTED SEPARATELY UNDER
NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Article # 3: Are you in favor of amending Section III, J. Signs of the Nottingham Zoning Ordinance to read as follows:
J. Signs
The purpose of the sign regulation is to:
Encourage the effective use of signs as a means of communication in the Town of Nottingham.
Maintain and enhance the appearance and aesthetic environment of the Town.
Retain the Town's ability to attract and encourage economic growth.
Minimize potential adverse effects of signs on nearby public and private property.
Enable fair and consistent enforcement of these sign regulations.
1. Maintenance, Repair, Removal, Inspection
The owner of any sign shall regularly inspect each sign belonging to them and it shall be the duty of said owner to keep their sign(s) in good repair and appearance at all times.
When any sign becomes insecure, in danger of falling, or is otherwise deemed unsafe or if any sign shall be unlawfully installed, erected, or maintained in violation of any of the provisions of this ordinance, the owner shall immediately make a sign conform to the provisions of this ordinance, or shall remove it.
2. Specifications
Commercial/Industrial: Only one sign shall be located on commercial/industrial property and shall be no larger than thirty-two (32) square feet in area. The maximum height shall not exceed fifteen (15) feet.
Residential: Only one permanent sign shall be located in a residential or agricultural zone with approval of a major home occupation section: III. C. 4., and shall not exceed sixteen (16) square feet in area. The maximum height shall not exceed eight (8) feet.
Computation of area of individual signs: The area of a sign shall be the surface area of the sign, which shall be considered to include all lettering or elements of the sign, accompanying designs and symbols together with the background, whether open or closed, on which they are displayed, but not including any supporting framework and bracing which are incidental to the display itself and which are not designed to attract attention. Where a sign consists of letters or symbols affixed to a surface or building, without any distinguishing border, panel or background, the area of the sign shall be considered to be the smallest rectangle or shape, which encompasses all of the letters or symbols.
Computation of height of a freestanding sign: The height of a sign shall be computed as the distance from the base of the sign at normal grade to the top of the structure.
3. Placement
All signs shall be prohibited within public rights-of-way areas except as provided and except traffic control devices and directional signs deemed necessary for the public welfare and safety authorized by municipal and state agencies.
No sign shall be designed or so placed as to endanger, obscure, confuse, or otherwise create a hazardous condition to motor vehicles and/or pedestrians.
4. Illumination Standards
Signs may be illuminated only by continuous white light sources so placed that they will not constitute a hazard to street or highway driving by glare.
Lighting fixtures used to illuminate a sign shall be externally mounted on the top of the sign structure.
All such fixtures shall contain light shields to prevent light pollution.
Bottom-mounted sign lighting shall not be used.
No neon, LED, or tubular gas filled signs shall be allowed.
No flashing or animated signs or signs with visible moving parts or intermittent lighting to create a visual effect of movement shall be allowed.
Signs shall be illuminated only during business hours.
5. Design and Construction
All signs shall be designed and constructed of durable materials, and in accordance with the requirements of the Ordinance, the Building Code, and the Electrical Code.
6. Other Signs Allowed
The following signs are exempt from the requirements of section J., but are subject to the standards contained herein. Any failure to comply with these standards and any other provisions of the section shall be considered a violation of this ordinance.
Signs not exceeding two (2) square feet in area that are customarily associated with a principal residential use and that are not of a commercial nature, including nameplate signs posted on private property relating to private parking or warning the public against trespassing or danger from animals.
Signs erected by or on behalf of or pursuant to the authorization of a governmental body, including legal notices, identification and informal signs, and traffic, directional, or regulatory signs.
Incidental signs relative to parking spaces, loading spaces, stacking lanes, entry and exit drives, direction of traffic flow, and pedestrian ways on private property that do not exceed four (4) square feet each.
Flags of any governmental organization when not displayed in connection with a commercial promotion or as an advertising device.
One sign per lot containing messages that the real estate on which the sign is located (including buildings) is for sale, lease, or rent, together with information identifying the owner or agent. Such signs shall not be illuminated and shall not exceed four (4) square feet in area for residential property and twenty-five (25) square feet in area for commercial property, and shall be removed within seven (7) days after sale, lease, or rental.
Construction site identification signs. Such signs shall not be illuminated, and may identify the project, the owner or developer, architect, engineer, contractor and subcontractors, funding sources, and may contain information related to the sale or leasing of the premises. Such signs shall not exceed twenty-five (25) square feet in area and shall not be installed prior to Site Plan approval, Subdivision approval, or building permit issuance and shall be removed within ten (10) days of issuance of the Certificate of Occupancy or the discontinuance of construction whichever comes first.
Displays, including lighting erected in connection with the observance of holidays.
Signs erected in connection with elections or political campaigns pursuant to RSA 664:14-17-a, Political Advertising.
Building marker signs and historical marker signs that do not exceed four (4) square feet in area.
Signs that are recognized as contributing to the National Register status of a property.
Banners displaying an "Open" or "Sale" message, provided that only one (1) of said banners shall be permitted per principal use, that the size of the banner shall be no greater than three (3) feet by five (5) feet, that the banner shall be flown only during the hours when the principal use is open for business, and that the height of any pole shall not exceed ten (10) feet.
All temporary signs shall not exceed a total of 16 square feet in area and may be displayed not more than two weeks prior to the event. Such signs shall be removed within two (2) days after the event has finished.
7. Nonconforming Signs
Any sign not conforming to the terms of this Ordinance, upon the date of its adoption, shall be allowed to continue nonconforming. Nothing herein shall prevent the substantial restoration or reconstruction, within one year, of a sign destroyed in part or whole by fire or other casualty so long as this use does not result in a new or increased violation.
8. Definitions
Signs: Any device used for visual communication which is employed for the purpose of bringing the subject thereof, to the attention of the public, or to display, identify, or publicize the name and produce or service of any person.
Free standing signs: A sign principally supported by a structure affixed to the ground, and not supported by a building, including signs supported by one or more columns, poles, or braces placed in or upon the ground.
Recommended by the Planning Board
SEE TOWN ELECTION RESULTS LISTED SEPARATELY UNDER
NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Article # 4: Are you in favor of amending the definition in Section XV. 27 Junk of the Nottingham Zoning Ordinance to read as follows:
Any material, machine, rubber, metal or plastic product or debris which no longer serves a purpose or which no longer can be made useful including the accumulation of or the parts contained therein, two or more unregistered vehicles or which is detrimental, may incur a health hazard or injurious or a nuisance to the neighborhood.
Recommended by the Planning Board
SEE TOWN ELECTION RESULTS LISTED SEPARATELY UNDER
NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Article # 5: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Eight Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($850,000) to fund the Town’s portion of a Conservation Easement by the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests (SPNHF) on the property commonly known as the Mulligan Land (Map 29 Lot 8 and Map 47 Lot 2). The parcel is 2,036 acres, more or less, and is bounded by Stage Road (Route 152), Stevens Hill Road and the Town of Deerfield. Eight Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($850,000) of such sum to be raised through the issuance of bonds or notes and in compliance with the Municipal Finance Act, RSA 33:1 et seq., as amended; to authorize the Selectmen to apply for, obtain and accept federal, state, or other aid, if any which may be available for said project and to comply with all
laws applicable to said project; to authorize the Selectmen to issue, negotiate, sell and deliver said bonds or notes and to determine the rate of interest thereon and the maturity and terms thereof; and to authorize the Selectmen to take any other action or to pass any other vote relative thereto. The Board of Selectmen & the Budget Committee recommend this appropriation. (2/3 Ballot Vote Required)
PASSED 277 YES 12 NO
Article # 6: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Four Hundred Seventy Three Thousand ($ 473,000) to fund the construction and related construction engineering services for the replacement of the Freeman Hall Road Bridge over North River, a Town-owned bridge with critical deficiencies. Four Hundred Seventy Three Thousand Dollars ($473,000) of such sum to be raised through the issuance of bonds or notes and in compliance with the Municipal Finance Act, RSA 33:1 et seq., as amended; to authorize the Selectmen to apply for, obtain and accept federal, state, or other aid, if any which may be available for said project and to comply with all laws applicable to said project; to authorize the Selectmen to issue, negotiate, sell and deliver said bonds or notes and to
determine the rate of interest thereon and the maturity and terms thereof; and to authorize the Selectmen to take any other action or to pass any other vote relative thereto. The Board of Selectmen & the Budget Committee recommend this appropriation. (2/3 Ballot Vote Required)
PASSED 271 YES 15 NO
Article # 7: To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Selectmen to enter into a lease/purchase agreement in the amount of $227,610.00 which includes principal and interest, payable over a (6) six year period at a payment not to exceed $ 37,934 per year for the purchase of a grader for the Highway Department and to raise and appropriate the sum of $ 37,934 for the first year’s payment. The Board of Selectmen & the Budget Committee recommend this appropriation. (Majority Ballot Vote Required)
PASSED 264 YES 24 NO
Article # 8: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $ 2,900,254, which is the Budget Committee recommended amount for the 2006 operating budget. The Board of Selectmen recommends $ 2,900,254. This article does not include appropriations voted in other warrant articles. (Majority Vote Required)
PASSED
Article # 9: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $1.00 and to authorize the Selectmen to purchase a 3-acre (more or less) parcel of land located at the intersection of Priest and Stage Roads for the sum of $ 1.00. The purchase will be from the School District, for the purpose of building a new Fire / Rescue Department facility. Construction of the proposed facility shall be underway prior to July 1, 2011 or ownership shall revert to the School District. The Board of Selectmen & the Budget Committee recommend this appropriation. (Majority Vote Required)
PASSED
Article # 10: Shall we modify the elderly exemptions from property tax in the Town of Nottingham, based on assessed value, for qualified taxpayers, to be as follows: for a person 65 years of age to 75 years, $98,700.00; for a person 75 years up to 80 years, $138,125.00; for a person 80 years of age or older, $179,600.00. To qualify, the person must be a New Hampshire resident for at least 5 years, own the real estate individually or jointly, or if the real estate is owned by such person’s spouse, they must have been married for at least 5 years. In addition, the taxpayer must have a net income of less than $ 35,000.00 or if married, a combined net income of less than $ 45,000.00; and own assets not in excess of $ 150,000.00
excluding the value of the person’s residence. The Board of Selectmen & the Budget Committee recommend this appropriation. (Majority Vote Required)
PASSED
Article # 11: Shall we modify the disabled exemption from property tax in the Town of Nottingham? The exemption, based on assessed property value shall be $98,700. To qualify, the person must have been a New Hampshire resident for at least 5 years and own and occupy real estate individually or jointly, or if the real estate is owned by a spouse, they must have been married for at least 5 years. In addition, the taxpayer must have a net income of not more than
$ 35,000.00 or, if married, a combined net income of not more than $ 45,000.00; and own net assets not in excess of $ 150,000.00 excluding the value of the person’s residence. The Board of Selectmen & the Budget Committee recommend this appropriation. (Majority Vote Required)
PASSED
Article # 12: Shall we modify the blind exemption from property tax in the Town of Nottingham? The exemption, based on assessed property value shall be $33,150. To qualify, the person must be legally blind as determined by the blind services program, bureau of vocational rehabilitation, department of education. The Board of Selectmen & the Budget Committee recommend this appropriation. (Majority Vote Required)
PASSED
Article # 13: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $ 34,750.00 for a Mosquito Control Program in Nottingham. The Board of Selectmen recommends and the Budget Committee does not recommend this appropriation. (Majority Vote Required)
DEFEATED
Article # 14: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $ 111,250.00 for highway construction and reconstruction of Gebig Road, Devonshire Drive and Deerfield Road. This is a non-lapsing appropriation per RSA 32:7,VI and will not lapse until the work is complete or not later than one year after the end of fiscal year 2006, whichever occurs earlier. The Board of Selectmen & the Budget Committee recommend this appropriation. (Majority Vote Required)
PASSED
Article # 15: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $ 35,000 to be added to the exiting Fire Department Building Capital Reserve Fund. The Board of Selectmen & the Budget Committee recommend his appropriation. (Majority Vote Required)
PASSED
Article # 16: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $ 20,000.00 to be added to the Capital Reserve Fund previously established for the purpose of purchasing trucks for the Highway Department. The Board of Selectmen & the Budget Committee recommend this appropriation. (Majority Vote Required)
PASSED
Article # 17: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $ 20,000.00 to be added to the Capital Reserve Fund for the purpose of purchasing Fire/Rescue vehicles. The Board of Selectmen & the Budget Committee recommend this appropriation. (Majority Vote Required)
PASSED
Article # 18: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $24,848.00 in support of the following Social Service Agencies:
The Board of Selectmen & the Budget Committee recommend this appropriation. (Majority Vote Required)
PASSED
Article # 19: To see if the Town will vote to accept Camelot Court as a Town Road. (Majority Vote Required) (By Petition)
PASSED
Article # 20: To see if the Town will vote to accept Minuteman Lane, Revolutionary Lane, Washington Lane, and Patriots Lane (from the Station 13+50 to where it intersects with Revolutionary Lane) as Town Roads. (Majority Vote Required) (By Petition)
PASSED
Article # 21: To see if the Town will vote to accept Shannon Drive as a Town Road. (Majority Vote Required) (By Petition)
PASSED
Article# 22: To see if the town will vote to accept as a town road, when constructed to the specifications of the Town of Nottingham and the State of New Hampshire, that portion of a proposed road known as Gatchell Drive, located in the Town of Nottingham, located approximately 400 feet south of the Route 4 and Route 152 intersection. The road will come off Route 152 and head in a westerly direction for a total of 1,000 feet to service a 10 lot subdivision in the Town of Northwood, NH. The first 100 feet of the road will be located in the Town of Nottingham with the remainder located in the Town of Northwood. The proposed road is part of a subdivision approved by the Town of Nottingham Planning Board and conditionally approved by the Town of Northwood Planning Board. There will be no buildings constructed on land
located in the Town of Nottingham and, therefore, will have no enrollment or financial impact on the Nottingham School District. The Town of Northwood has agreed to do winter maintenance of the small section of road located in the Town of Nottingham. (Majority Vote Required) (By Petition)
DEFEATED
Article # 23: To see if the Town will vote to accept the following as a Class V public highway:
A certain parcel of land situated on the northeasterly side of Garland Road in Nottingham, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, being shown as “Parcel A” on a plan entitled “Subdivision-Plat of Land for Sharon Lutes” in Nottingham, NH-June 2005-Scale 1”=50’ by Landry Surveying, LLC to be recorded.
The said “Parcel A” contains 0.06 acres or 2,480 Sq. Ft., more or less, all according to said plan. Said plan is recorded at the Rockingham County Registry of Deeds as Plan No. D-32929.
PASSED
Article # 24: To see if the Town will vote to accept the following as a Class V public highway:
A certain Roadway Easement as shown on a plan of land entitled “Tax Map17 Lot 9, Subdivision Plan of Land in Nottingham, NH, as drawn for Michael Sullivan Construction”, Scale: 1”=50’, Date: 2/10/05, prepared by James M. Lavelle Assoc., Stage Road Jnct., Hampstead, N.H., said plan being recorded in the Rockingham County Registry of Deeds as Plan D-32673, to be recorded.
PASSED
Article # 25: To see if the Town will alter the method for choosing members of the Planning Board from election to appointment by the Board of Selectmen pursuant to RSA 673:2 II (c). (By petition) (Majority Vote required).
DEFEATED
Article # 26: This is a Non-binding Referendum for the people of Nottingham proposed by the Conservation Commission and the Natural Resource Committee.
By my vote in the affirmative, I acknowledge and agree with the following statements:
· Nottingham’s rural character is of significant value.
· Open farmland and forested lands define the rural character of Nottingham.
· Large blocks of land are significant components of the natural resources in Nottingham and its rural character.
o (The three largest blocks in Nottingham are the Steven’s Hill / Mulligan Forest parcel bounded by Route 152 and Steven’s Hill Road, the Kennard Hill parcel that is bounded by Route 156 and Ledge Farm Road and extends into Epping, and Pawtuckaway State Park. Smaller blocks include the Quincy Pond parcel in the west part of town and the Cedar Waters parcel by Smoke Street that also overlies a large surface aquifer.)
· Large blocks of land provide habitat for wildlife, protect plant communities, and conserve watersheds, wetlands, and aquifer recharge zones.
· It is important to provide connections for wildlife (called greenways) between the large blocks of land in Nottingham to other smaller blocks in our town as well as to those lands that we share with our neighboring communities.
· A completely volunteer, informal and educational initiative called the Four Generals’ Greenway would encourage property owners to protect Nottingham’s forested lands, farmlands, large blocks and their connecting areas, wetlands and aquifer recharge zones.
· This Greenway initiative will not replace best practices for protection of those smaller habitats and sensitive areas that do not lie in these areas. Vernal pools, critical wetlands, and uplands will continue to have high value for property owners and the community.
· Municipal groups in Nottingham will continue to provide information and follow the wishes of the community in planning for development within our town.
By my vote in the affirmative, I agree and endorse all of the above statements, and I encourage municipal groups to regard my vote as we plan for Nottingham’s future.
Approved by vote at Nottingham Conservation Commission meeting of 01/09/06.
PASSED
Article # 27: To transact any other business, which may legally come before this meeting.
Given under our hands and seal this Tenth day of February in the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand and Six.
A True Copy Attest:
___________________________ ____________________________
William P. Netishen William P. Netishen
___________________________ ____________________________
Mary L. Bonser Mary L. Bonser
___________________________ ____________________________
Peter M. Bock Peter M. Bock
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