Marijuana regs, town dept budgets could draw most debate at Saturday's public hearing

COPYRIGHT2017© LEBANON - Tomorrow could well be the most beautiful day this spring, but Lebanon residents will have to forgo a chunk of it if they want to be good citizens and attend the Public Hearing on the ballot prior to Town Meeting voting on May 9.

The hearing begins at 10 a.m. at the Lebanon Elementary School and will feature the potential for discussion and debate on many of the 46 referenda items.

Besides the usual potential for controversy over department budgets there is sure to be debate over moratoriums on various marijuana enterprises including social clubs, testing labs and retail stores within the town.

The biggest budget item, however comprises Emergency Services, whose general budget was soundly defeated at last year's Election Day voting but later funded during an emergency town meeting just days before the start of the 2016-17 fiscal year.

The main Emergency Services budget this year comes in at $452,000 - about the same as last year - but in addition there is a $75,000 Capital Reserve Fund referendum for the department (last year's was $50,000) and another to purchase a $300,000 ambulance, with $55,000 to be raised an appropriated this year and a $100,000 down payment coming from the reserve account.

All in all, that would have the department raising and appropriating about $682,000 this year with an additional $150,000 committed to the ambulance buy over the next three years.

Meanwhile, despite going from four days being open to just three, the Transfer Station budget increased about $15,000, up to $386,000 from last year's $371,000.

Another item that may draw scrutiny is the Town Offices budget, which went up about $40,000 - from $378,000 to $419,000 - in the very same year a budget line item showed $40,000 set aside to pay for property assessing.

There are also several referenda that should draw little angst, such as money to fight the European Naiad, which threatens Milton Three Ponds; and bridge money, which could expedite the rebuilding of the New Bridge Road bridge into Milton.