Westborough Advisory Finance Committee Supports State Hospital Deal

The Westborough Advisory Finance Committee has taken positions -- all for -- on 29 of Monday night's 31 special town meeting articles.

The committee will weigh in on the two exceptions, which relate to electronic voting at town meeting, at the meeting, which starts at 7 p.m. Monday in the Westborough High School auditorium.

Article 28 seeks a sense of the meeting: would voters like to see the next town budget proposal include funding for electronic voting at the town meetings for the fiscal year starting July 1, 2014. Article 29 proposes amending Westborough's general bylaws to allow electronic voting at town meetings at the town moderator's discretion.

Monday night's first request asks if voters will suspend Westborough's usual town meeting rules to allow the use of electronic handset voting only during this special town meeting.

The advisory finance committee's recommendations and report are posted on Westborough's website.

Article 2 seeks voter approval for a proposed tax increment financing deal between Westborough and Cumberland Farms Inc.

The 15-year deal would be for 165 Flanders Road.

"The company employs approximately 202 people in Westborough and is planning to expand its business operations and add 79 new jobs," Town Manager Jim Malloy wrote in his statement in the warrant.

"The Company reviewed other locations to expand its operations. The Tax Increment Financing arrangement only applies to the incremental increase in value of the property, so there is no tax loss, only a temporary reduction in how much of a tax increase would be applied to the increase in value of the property. The Town’s involvement also allows for opportunity for state tax benefits to Cumberland Farms."

Five warrant articles deal with Westborough's proposed purchase of roughly 95 acres of the former Westborough State Hospital from the state Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance for $2.2 million.