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Positions Under Review:

• Affordable Housing
• Hazardous Waste
• Solid Waste
• Zoning

The Plymouth Area League of Women Voters’ position on acquifer protection has three aspects:

A. Support League anti-pollution goals involved in the development of the pond management protection plan.

B. Support each town within the Plymouth-Carver Aquifer.

C. Create a Water Resource Committee to develop a comprehensive watershed-management plan to ensure an integrated and sustainable management of land use and water resources. The plan should include but not be limited to the following:

1. Promote water conservation as individuals and as a community.
2. Improved protection of areas up gradient of ponds and wells.
3. More stringent ground water district.
4. New developments should mimic natural hydrology including bio-retention ponds or rain gardens, open vegetated channels and infiltration of roof runoff.
5. Regional approach to protection of the aquifer.
6. Educate residents about the aquifer

The Plymouth Area League of Women Voters supports the Community Preservation Act.

The Community Preservation Committee enacts the regulations of the Community Preservation Act (MGL Chapter 44B), which allows communities in Massachusetts to place a surcharge of up to 3% on property taxes. The Act mandates that a committee be formed to oversee these funds and create an application procedure to determine which applications for funding will be brought to Town Meeting for approval. A minimum of 10% of the funds must be allocated to affordable housing, 10% to historic preservation and 10% to land conservation. An additional 5% can be set aside each year for administrative costs. The remaining 65% may be allocated to one or more of the three general purposes in accordance with local priorities.

The Community Preservation Act permits cities and towns to establish a restricted fund from which monies can be appropriated only for:
a) the acquisition, creation and preservation of open space
b) the acquisition, preservation, rehabilitation, and restoration of historic resources
c) the acquisition, creation, preservation, rehabilitation, and restoration of land for recreational use
d) the acquisition, creation, preservation and support of community housing
e) the rehabilitation and restoration of open space or community housing that is acquired or created using monies from the fund
f) a municipal affordable housing trust

All of the communities in the LWV of the Plymouth Area have adopted the CPA: Duxbury 2001, Plymouth 2002, Marshfield 2002, Bourne 2005, Kingston on 2005, Carver 2006 and Plympton 2008.

The Plymouth Area League of Women Voters believes that Plymouth County government is not sustainable in the twenty-first century. We believe the state can take over everything the county does and do it more efficiently.

The Education goal of the Plymouth Area League of Women Voters is to advocate for a school system that will effectively educate all students to meet high academic standards and prepare them to become responsible citizens in the 21st century.

This includes advocating for appropriate funding to ensure that our local schools are able to provide a high quality, well rounded education in an environment that supports and aids all students by furnishing a safe and healthy environment with related services and programs to improve the lives of individuals in a changing and complex global society. (Services should include small class size, technology, music and art programs and staff such as classroom aides, nurses, counselors, mental health providers and librarians to enhance the lives of youth in our community.)

Health and Family Living Curriculum – Support a quality health and family living curriculum in the Plymouth Area Schools.

(This position was approved for the interim, but is currently under further revision,)

The Plymouth Area League of Women Voters’ position on a Family Crisis Center has two aspects.

A. Continue to support a crisis telephone and a center for battered spouses, battered children and rape victims.

B. To promote public education and awareness that:

• Supports an integrated response to domestic violence;
• Supports and acknowledges the expertise of local battered women’s shelters;
• Strives to create a Commonwealth where family violence will not be tolerated.

A. Emergency Response:

The LWV of the Plymouth Area should pursue an educational role with regards to the current emergency response plan, and advocate for a specific emergency plan in the event of an issue at the Pilgrim site.

B. Waste Storage:

As more nuclear plants are decommissioned, work with LWVUS, interested state LWVs and other parties to advocate for safe high and low-level waste storage. Work to educate the community about the problems regarding radioactive waste and urge local, state, and federal legislators to move toward the resolution of the waste disposal issue. Work with legislators and others to require real-time monitoring of individual dry-storage casks. Read more about our legislative advocacy.

C. Cancer/Leukemia Study:

Encourage ongoing and additional health studies by local, state and national agencies. Continue investigation of the impact of Holtec Pilgrim on the people in the Plymouth area.

The Plymouth Area League of Women Voters continues its support of the operation of a public library system in the Plymouth area which meets or exceeds state standards for staffing, space and materials.

The Plymouth Area League of Women Voters supports the review and update of Plymouth’s Town Charter.

A. Support the enforcement of the 1973 Zoning By-Laws as amended in the Town of Plymouth and monitor any proposed changes and their impact on town growth.

B. Support the review and update of Plymouth’s zoning by-laws.