📌Orleans 2019 Town Meeting

Your voice and vote are important!

Town Meeting starts Monday, May 13 at 6pm at the Nauset Middle School

Vote Tuesday, May 21, from 8am to 8pm at the Orleans Senior Center

ON THE WARRANT:

ARTICLE 16: Fund Comprehensive Water Resources Management Plan (CWRMP):

This is the critical vote to build the new sewer system. If approved, $47,382,800 will be allocated. Orleans is taking advantage of all available financial assistance to minimize taxpayer Impact. Once approved, Orleans will qualify for interest-free loans from the MA State Revolving Fund. Repayment of the loan will not begin until 2024 when the system is operational.

MORE HELP FROM THE COMMONWEALTH: The Clean Water Trust, enacted this year, can provide funding for 25% of the total costs. MA Dept. of Environmental Protection can provide up to 10% loan forgiveness. That reduces the Orleans’ costs to $30,729,478 over 30 years!

BETTERMENTS: Sewer users will provide another $9 million in betterment fees over 30 years.

THE REMAINING $21 MILLION: there could be little or no impact on the Orleans Property Tax, if voters approve increasing the Orleans hotel/motel excise tax from 4% to 6% (ARTICLE 19) and consent to dedicate this revenue to sewer debt retirement over 30 years (ARTICLE 18).

ARTICLE 18: Special Purpose Stabilization Fund:

To earmark the revenue from the Orleans Hotel/Motel tax to retire sewer debt, removing it from the Orleans property tax burden.

ARTICLE 19: Authorize an Increase of the Orleans Hotel/Motel Excise Tax from 4% to 6%:

The new short-term rental tax is now part of the rooms excise tax. If the rooms tax can be raised to 6%, conservative estimates of revenue from the hotel/motel excise tax over 30 years could be over $21 million, enough to keep the remaining sewer debt off of Orleans the property tax!

To quote Andrew Gottlieb, Executive Director of the Association to Preserve Cape Cod: “Want to refuse financial assistance from a tax paid by non-Cape residents and in doing so increase your own property tax burden? I suspect not!” Indeed, Andrew, indeed!

Raising the Orleans room tax to 6% will result in a total State/local rooms tax rate of 14.45%, still below the 15% charged by other New England states.

ON THE BALLOT:

If Article 16 passes at Town Meeting, it will appear as Ballot Question #1 when you vote on Tuesday, May 21; 8 AM to 8 PM, Orleans Senior Center.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND AN OPPORTUNITY TO ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT ARTICLES #16, #18 AND #19 BEFORE TOWN MEETING, DON’T MISS THIS WEEK’S BOARD OF SELECTMEN’S MEETING, IN PERSON OR WATCH ON CHANNEL 18. KEEP READING!

Town Meeting Warrant and Pre-Town Meeting Notice for May 8, 2019

The Board of Selectmen will host a Pre-Town Meeting on Wednesday, May 8, 2019 at 6:30 PM in the Nauset Room at Town Hall for interested voters to review the warrant and answer questions pertaining to the Annual or Special Town Meeting on May 13, 2019. A copy of the warrant is available for review on the town website at Orleans Town Meeting Warrant and was published in the April 26, 2019 edition of The Cape Codder.

***FOR A REPLAY OF ORLEANS CITIZENS FORUM PANEL DISCUSSION OF THESE ARTICLES HELD THURSDAY, APRIL 25, USE THE FOLLOWING LINK*** Orleans Citizens Forum – Warrants Spring 2019

📌Orleans 2019 Town Meeting

Your voice and vote are important!

Town Meeting starts Monday, May 13 at 6pm at the Nauset Middle School

Vote Tuesday, May 21, from 8am to 8pm at the Orleans Senior Center

ON THE WARRANT:

ON THE BALLOT:

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND AN OPPORTUNITY TO ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT ARTICLES #16, #18 AND #19 BEFORE TOWN MEETING, DON’T MISS THIS WEEK’S BOARD OF SELECTMEN’S MEETING, IN PERSON OR WATCH ON CHANNEL 18. KEEP READING!

About Orleans Pond Coalition

Our Mission

Your voice and vote are important!

Town Meeting starts Monday, May 13 at 6pm at the Nauset Middle School

Vote Tuesday, May 21, from 8am to 8pm at the Orleans Senior Center

ON THE WARRANT:

ON THE BALLOT:

***FOR MORE INFORMATION AND AN OPPORTUNITY TO ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT ARTICLES #16, #18 AND #19 BEFORE TOWN MEETING, DON’T MISS THIS WEEK’S BOARD OF SELECTMEN’S MEETING, IN PERSON OR WATCH ON CHANNEL 18. KEEP READING!***

About Orleans Pond Coalition

Our Mission

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND AN OPPORTUNITY TO ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT ARTICLES #16, #18 AND #19 BEFORE TOWN MEETING, DON’T MISS THIS WEEK’S BOARD OF SELECTMEN’S MEETING, IN PERSON OR WATCH ON CHANNEL 18. KEEP READING!