You are hereby notified to bring your votes for Town Officers, and any other questions, to the Town Hall on Tuesday, the ninth day of March next, between the hours of 10:00 of the clock in the morning until 9:00 of the clock in the evening to act upon the following:

ARTICLE ONE: To vote by non-partisan ballot for the following Town Officers:
Selectmen: 1 for 3 Year Term
Tax Collector: 1 for 1 Year Term
Treasurer: 1 for 1 Year Term
Town Clerk: 1 for 3 year Term
Moderator: 1 for 2 Year Term
Library Trustee: 1 for 3 Year Term
Budget Committee: 2 for 3 Year Terms
Trustee of Trust Funds: 1 for 3 Year Term
Cemetery Trustee: 1 for 3 Year Term
Planning Board: 2 for 3 Year Terms
Supervisor of the Checklist: 1 for 6 Year Term

(Click here for sample ballot)

ARTICLE TWO: To see if the Town will vote to adopt the Amendment to the Acworth Zoning Ordinance (concerning mobile homes) as proposed by the Planning Board. Copies of the complete amendment are available for review at the Town Office, and will be available the day of voting. The following question will appear on the Official Ballot:

"Are you in favor of the amendment to the existing Town of Acworth Zoning Ordinance as proposed by the Planning Board? The amendment clarifies that mobile homes are permitted in the Rural District to exactly the same extent as other types of homes, but that mobile home parks, designed for two or more mobile homes, are prohibited in all zoning districts. It also revises the definition of ‘mobile home’ so as to be consistent with state law."

Furthermore, you are hereby notified that discussion and voting on the following articles will commence at 7:30 of the clock in the evening on March 9 next at the Town Hall:

ARTICLE THREE: To see if the Town will accept the minutes of the Town Meeting of March 10, 2009.

ARTICLE FOUR: To see if the Town will empower the Selectmen to serve as pound keepers, measurers of wood and fence viewers.

ARTICLE FIVE: To see if the Town will authorize the Selectmen to borrow money in anticipation of taxes.

ARTICLE SIX: To see if the Town will vote to confirm the authority of the Board of Selectmen to set or amend fees for any license or permit program already established in the Town, or for the use or occupancy of any previously-established public services or facilities. Prior to setting or amending fees, a public hearing with 7-days’ notice shall be held as required under RSA 41:9-a.

ARTICLE SEVEN: To see if the Town will vote to elect the Road Agent.
By citizen petition

ARTICLE EIGHT: To see if the Town will vote to elect the Road Committee.
By citizen petition

ARTICLE NINE: To see if the Town will vote to appropriate fifty five thousand dollars ($55,000) for the purchase of a used loader for the Highway Department with fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) to come from fund balance and five thousand ($5,000) to be raised by taxation.
Budget Committee recommends this article

ARTICLE TEN: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate one hundred seventy two thousand dollars ($172,000) to pave 3,640’ of Cold Pond Road which received surface and drainage improvements in 2009 plus approximately 3,800’ which will receive surface and drainage improvement in 2010 and of this total, to authorize twenty five thousand dollars ($25,000) to be withdrawn from the Cold Pond Road Paving Capital Reserve Fund (created in 2006), with the remaining one hundred forty seven thousand dollars ($147,000) to come from taxation.
Budget Committee recommends this article

ARTICLE ELEVEN: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the Budget Committee recommended sum of $813,836.00 for general municipal operations. This article does not include Special or Individual articles addressed.

ARTICLE TWELVE: To see if the Town will vote to discontinue the Revaluation Capital Reserve Fund created in 2001 which was emptied of funds following the 2006 Revaluation.

ARTICLE THIRTEEN: To see if the Town will vote to establish a capital reserve fund under the provisions of RSA 35:1 for the future revaluation of the Town and to raise and appropriate the sum of twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) toward this purpose and to appoint the Selectmen as agents to expend from the fund.
Budget Committee and Board of Selectmen recommend this article

ARTICLE FOURTEEN: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate nine thousand dollars ($9,000) to reprint 500 copies of the history of Acworth known as These Acworth Hills. First printing of These Acworth Hills was voted for in 1986. The last available copy of that printing was sold in 2009. Revenues from sales go into the general fund.
Budget Committee recommends this article

ARTICLE FIFTEEN: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) to be added to the Highway Equipment Capital Reserve Fund established at Town Meeting in 2000.
Budget Committee does not recommend, Board of Selectmen recommends this article

ARTICLE SIXTEEN: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate one hundred thirty eight thousand five hundred dollars ($138,500) for the purchase price and transaction costs associated with acquiring and placing a conservation easement on an 83 acre tract abutting the Gove Town Forest and identified on the Acworth Tax Maps as Map 201-Lot 109 with fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) to come from the Acworth Conservation Fund, five thousand five hundred ninety four dollars ($5,594) to come from private donations, four thousand nine hundred ninety nine dollars ($4,999) to come from a NH Moose Plate Grant, and one hundred twelve thousand nine hundred seven dollars ($112,907) to come from taxation.
Budget Committee does not recommend this article

ARTICLE SEVENTEEN: To see if the Town will vote to allocate on an annual basis 50% of the Land Use Change Tax to the Conservation Fund.
Budget Committee does not recommend this article

ARTICLE EIGHTEEN: To see if the Town will authorize the Selectmen to establish and implement a mandatory "pay-by-bag" program for solid waste disposal, whereby refuse must be deposited in specifically designated bags or containers, and to establish reasonable fees for such bags or containers under the procedures of RSA 41:9-a.

ARTICLE NINETEEN: To see if the Town shall adopt the provisions of RSA 31:95-c to restrict all revenues from waste disposal fees to expenditures for managing the Town’s recycling and solid waste management program. Such revenues and expenditures shall be accounted for in a special revenue fund to be known as the Waste Management Fund, separate from the general fund. Any surplus in said fund shall not be deemed part of the general fund accumulated surplus and shall be expended only after a Town Meeting vote to appropriate a specific amount for a specific purpose related to the purpose of the fund or source of the revenue.

ARTICLE TWENTY: To see if the Town will vote to confirm the authority of the Board of Selectmen to make contracts for the transport, disposal, or recycling of solid waste upon such terms as they believe are in the best interest of the Town and consistent with state law.

ARTICLE TWENTY-ONE: To see if the Town will vote to adopt the provisions of RSA 41:14-a; enabling the Selectmen to acquire or sell land, buildings or both. Prior to taking any such action, the Selectmen must seek recommendations of the Planning Board and Conservation Commission, must hold public hearings 10-14 days apart, and must wait an additional ten days to see if 50 voters file a petition requiring the matter to be brought to a Town Meeting vote.

ARTICLE TWENTY-TWO: To transact any other business that may legally be brought before this Town Meeting.

Given under our hands and the seal of the Town of Acworth this 15 ^th day of February, 2010. A True Copy of Warrant Attest: Board of Selectmen:
John Tuthill
Tom Esslinger
Gretchen Abendschein