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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1980-11-04-State-Election-Warrant WARRANT FOR STATE ELECTION Town of Lexington Commonwealth of Massachusetts Middlesex, ss. To either of the Constables of the Town of Lexington, in said County, Greetings: In the name of the Commonwealth you are hereby required to notify and warn the inhabitants of said town who are qualified to vote in elections to meet in their respective voting places in said Town, PRECINCT ONE, HARRINGTON SCHOOL; PRECINCT TWO, BOWMAN SCHOOL; PRECINCT THREE, JONAS CLARKE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL; PRECINCT FOUR, SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL; PRECINCT FIVE, CARY MEMORIAL BUILDING: PRECINCT SIX, WILLIAM DIAMOND JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL; PRECINCT SEVEN, ESTABROOK SCHOOL; PRECINCT EIGHT, FIRE HEADQUARTERS BUILDING; PRECINCT NINE, MARIA HASTINGS SCHOOL, TUESDAY, THE FOURTH DAY OF NOVEMBER, 1980 From 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. for the following purpose: To cast their votes in the State Election for the election of candidates for the following offices: ELECTORS OF PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FIFTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT COUNCILLOR SIXTH COUNCILLOR DISTRICT SENATOR IN GENERAL COURT FOURTH MIDDLESEX SENATORIAL DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE IN GENERAL COURT FIFTEENTH MIDDLESEX REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT TWO COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MIDDLESEX COUNTY SHERIFF MIDDLESEX COUNTY And to take action on the following questions: _ ! , ci r J •• '65 QUESTION NO. 1 PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION Do you approve of the adoption of an amendment to the Constitution summarized below,which was approved by the General Court in joint sessions of the House of Representatives and the Senate on September 7, 1977, by a vote of 262-1, and on May 28, 1980, by a vote of 192-0? Yes No SUMMARY The proposed amendment would add a new article to the state Constitution which would prohibit discrimination against handicapped people. It would provide that no otherwise qualified handicapped individual could, on the sole basis of that handicap, be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or subjected to dis- crimination in any program or activity. QUESTION NO. 2 LAW PROPOSED BY INITIATIVE PETITION Do you approve of a law summarized below, which was disapproved by the House of Representatives on May 6, 1980, by a vote of 5-146, and on which no vote was taken by the Senate before May 7, 1980? Yes No SUMMARY The proposed law would limit certain taxes , and change laws relating to school budgets and compulsory binding arbitration. It would impose a limit on state and local taxes on real estate and personal property equal to 21% of the full and fair cash value of the property being taxed. If a locality currently imposes a tax greater than 21/2% of that cash value, the tax would have to be decreased by 15% each year until the 21% level is reached. If a locality currently imposes a tax of less than 21%, it would not be allowed to increase the tax rate. In either situation, a city or town could raise its limit by a 2/3 local vote at a general election. The proposed law would provide that the total taxes on real estate and personal property imposed by the state or by localities could never be increased by more than 21% of the total taxes imposed for the preceding year, unless two thirds of the voters agreed to the increase at a general election. It would further provide that no law or regulation which imposes additional costs on a city or town, or a law granting or increasing tax exemptions, would be effective unless the state agrees to assume the added cost. A division of the State Auditor's Department would determine the financial effect of laws and regulations on the various localities. The proposal would limit the amount of money required to be appropriated for public schools to that amount voted upon by the local appropriating authority. It would also repeal the law which provides for compulsory binding arbitration when labor negotia- tions concerning police and fire personnel come to an impasse. In addition, the petition would provide that no county, district, or authority could impose any annual increase in costs on a locality of greater than 4% of the total of the year before. The proposed law would also reduce the maximum excise tax rate on motor vehicles from $66 per thousand to $25 per thousand, and it would allow a state income tax deduction equal to one half of the rent paid for the taxpayer's principal place of residence. QUESTION NO. 3 LAW PROPOSED BY INITIATIVE PETITION Do you approve of a law summarized below, which was disapproved by the House of Representatives on May 6, 1980, by a vote of 2-147, and on which no vote was taken by the Senate before May 7, 1980? Yes No SUMMARY The proposed law would limit local property taxes and state taxes and would provide for increased state aid for local educational purposes. The act would limit local property taxes in the years 1981 through 1984 to the amount levied in the previous year increased by the percentage increase in personal income of the residents of the Commonwealth during the previous year. The local property tax limit could be exceeded to offset decreases in local aid, to cover shortages for prior years and to pay court judgments. Pension and retirement allowances, payments to other governmental units, principal and interest on any indebtedness, unemployment compensation, amounts required to be raised as a condition of a state or federal grant, and costs for special education programs would be excluded from the property tax limit. These local limits would be reduced by any excess taxes actually collected over the tax limit for the preceding year. The limit would not apply to any municipality having a general tax rate of less than $35 per thousand of equalized valuation. The tax limit could be exceeded by a two-thirds vote of the local appropriating body. The cost of regional and independent vocational schools would be subject to the same limitations. The proposed law would also limit state taxes imposed in the years 1981 through 1984 to an amount no greater than that imposed the previous year, increased by the percentage increase in the personal income of Massachusetts residents in the previous year. This state tax limit could be exceeded only to increase local aid or to assume other costs approved by a two-thirds vote of the state legislature. The amounts necessary to pay principal and interest on state indebtedness, pensions, retirement allowances, unemployment compensation, and court judgments, and money required to be raised as a condition of a federal grant would not be subject to the state tax limit. The total amount of local aid for any year which would be subject to legislative appropriation could not be less than the total amount of aid for the preceding year increased by half the increase in collected state taxes during that preceding year. The state tax limit would be reduced by any excess taxes actually collected over-the tax limit for the preceding year. The proposed law also would require, subject to legislative appropriation, a gradual increase in the percentage of local educational costs paid by the Commonwealth to a level of 50% in 1984. The proposal would also require, again subject to legislative appropriation, that school aid paid by the Commonwealth in any year between 1981 through 1984 must be at least 15% greater than that provided in 1980. C: QUESTION NO. 4 REFERENDUM ON AN EXISTING LAW Do you approve of a law summarized below, which was approved by the House of Representatives on November 1, 1979, by a vote of 83-62, and which was approved by the Senate on November 1, 1979? Yes No SUMMARY The law provides for increases in the salaries of members of the legislature and the constitutional officers of the Commonwealth. The law increases salaries of members of the legislature by an annual amount varying from $1,853 to $17,923. The size of the raise conferred on a particular individual depends upon his position within the legislature. The law has the effect of setting the base salary for a legislator at $20,335, but under the law legislative salaries range as high as the approximately $55,920 paid to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The salaries of the constitutional officers are increased either by $20,000, in the case of the Governor, or $10,000 in all other cases. The law raises the annual salary of the Governor to $60,000, that of the Attorney General to $47,500, and the salaries of the Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of the Commonwealth, Treasurer and Receiver General, and the Auditor to $40,000. The law also amends the statutes pertaining to the organization of the offices of the Secretaries of Administration and Finance and of Human Services and to the compensation of senior officials within those offices. It gives the Secretaries of Administration and Finance and of Human Services greater flexibility in establishing positions and setting salaries for those under their supervision. QUESTION NO. 5 PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION Do you approve of the adoption of an amendment to the Constitution summarized below, which was approved by the General Court in joint sessions of the House of Representatives and the Senate on November 30, 1977, by a vote of 257-8, and on September 18, 1980, by a vote of 179-6? Yes No SUMMARY The proposed amendment would limit the power of the legislature to impose certain costs on cities and towns. It would provide that any law which imposes additional costs upon two or more cities or towns by regulating the compensation, hours, status, condi- tions, or benefits of municipal employment would not be effective within a municipality until it accepts the law by vote or appropriation of money. Local acceptance would not be required if the legislature either passed the law by a two-thirds vote, or provided, during the same session in which the law was enacted, that the additional costs would be assumed by the Commonwealth. QUESTION NO. 6 PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION Do you approve of the adoption of an amendment to the Constitution summarized below, which was approved by the General Court in joint sessions of the House of Representatives and the Senate on September 7, 1977, by a vote of 264-0, and on September 19, 1980, by a vote of 162-0? Yes No SUMMARY The proposed amendment would change the procedure by which the Legislature declares a measure to be an emergency law, making it effective when it is signed by the Governor. The amendment would allow the Legislature to make such a declaration by a voice vote, rather than by a recorded vote, as now required. The amendment would maintain the existing option allowing for a formal roll call vote. QUESTION NO. 7 THIS QUESTION IS NON-BINDING Shall the Senator from this district be instructed to vote in favor of legislation requiring a moratorium on the construction and licensing of new nuclear power plants, and mandating instead that the state promote energy conservation and renewable energy sources such as hydro-electric and solar power? iV C The polls will be open at 7:00 a.m. and will remain open until 8:00 p.m. And you are directed to serve this Warrant seven days at least before the time of said meeting as provided in the By-Laws of the Town. Hereof fail not, and make due return on this Warrant, with your doings thereon, to the Town Clerk, on or before the time of said meeting. Given under our hands at Lexington, this twentieth day of October, A.D. , 1980. 7-7 Y%, J ---7 a.,,,,,, ., , ._0_,„_____ /72/ , , „„ �.e/L,6 .1<7-7,,,v„--,------ . elei men // 'y ,Y1 '` of Lexington / A true copy, Attest: �.).1.2.4.44406_ Consjlable of Lexii/gt� - r_ - 0 'Lb t, ..i 27 ifl fi' IJ CONSTABLE'S RETURN I •7 71 To the Town Clerk: I have served the foregoing warrant by posting a printed copy thereof in the Town Office Building, Cary Memorial Building, and in a public place in each of the precincts of the Town and also by sending by mail, postage prepaid, a printed copy of such warrant ad- dressed to each dwelling house and to each dwelling unit in multiple dwelling houses, apartment buildings, or other buildings in the Town days before the time of said meeting. Attest: Const.4l$ of Lexington