Hamilton Voters to Decide on Budget, Patton Gift and Water Infrastructure

Hamilton voters on Saturday morning will decide on the 2013 school and town budget, whether to accept the gift of the Patton estate and have their say on millionof dollars worth of improvements planned for the water infrastructure.

The full warrant for the meeting, with a list of all 27 warrant articles, is attached to this article. Some of the artciles that are "not controversial" can be bundled together in a consent agenda in Article 1-3 that allows several of the artciles can all be voted at once.

The meeting starts at 9 a.m. in the auditorium at .

The $24.8 million town and school budget is Article 2-15. As part of that article, voters will decide whether to back the School Committee’s proposed budget – – or will consider other options, including a so-called “giveback” of money from its excess and deficiency fund” at the start of the fiscal year versus a "giveback" after the money is certified by state officials in the fall.

Article 2-15 will ask voters to approve up to a $5 million bond to pay for improvements to the water system. The bond would be paid from water rates, and not from taxes.

Article 5-1 will be where voters decide . The Patton Family Gift Advisory Committee has been meeting to determine the best use for the property, .

A citizen’s petition also asks voters to approve spending $19,500 on a study to create plans for a bicycle and walking path along Essex Street.

The decision to sell a parcel of land off Lake Drive, on Pleasant Pond, will also go before voters in Article 5-4. Six years ago Town Meeting authorized selling the land and it was moving ahead earlier this year, , outlining their concern that if sold it could cut off important access to the pond.

Live coverage of the meeting is coming to Hamilton-Wenham Patch, with updates on our live blog here on Patch on Saturday morning.