By Ethan Forman
DANVERS — This year may be remembered as the year of the Special Town Meeting.
There have been three so far, including one held on the same day as the regular Town Meeting in May, and two more are on tap.
Tuesday, selectmen voted to hold a Special Town Meeting on Dec. 14 for the sole purpose of plugging a $600,000 budget shortfall.
Drops in projections for revenue from motor vehicle excise taxes, building permits and investment income caused the shortfall.
The town has money squirreled away in various accounts, but it needs a Town Meeting vote to appropriate it. A Finance Committee hearing is scheduled for Dec. 9.
In August, the town held a Special Town Meeting to discuss a hotel/motel room tax, a meals tax, and the merger of North Shore Technical High and Essex Agricultural and Technical High.
This past Monday, Special Town Meeting approved nearly $80 million for the Danvers High renovation and addition project.
Another Special Town Meeting is planned for January or February to tackle zoning articles.
To close the budget gap, Town Manager Wayne Marquis plans to tap a $636,000 revenue stabilization fund and move money from other reserve accounts. The account was created in May to cover the potential for revenue shortfalls.
Marquis said the town will tap half of this fund, and find money elsewhere, from projects that came in under budget, such as the Riverside School parking lot, savings on vehicle and computer purchases, and savings from the public works budget.
Staff writer Ethan Forman can be reached at 978-338-2673 or by e-mail at eforman@salemnews.com.
