Voters agreed to tighten eligibility requirements for candidates running for office, accepted a gift of land to expand Tobey Road, and OK'd the purchase of a new pick-up truck for Wareham Police during Special Town Meeting on Wednesday, May 23.

Voters also agreed to fund various contracts between the town and employee unions and approved a routine budget article that transfers money between departments for the current year's budget.

Contracts approved were those of the Wareham Police Union, the union of Wareham Free Library employees, a "lower managers union" called the United Steelworkers AFL-CIO, Local Union 13507, Unit 4, as well as an "upper managers union" of the same name.

It took just under an hour to get through all of the articles on the warrant during Special Town Meeting on Wednesday, May 23.

"I'd like to thank you very much for coming out, these were very important articles," said Town Moderator Claire Smith as voters exited the auditorium just before 8 p.m. The meeting, originally scheduled for May 21, had to be postponed until Wednesday when it failed to get a quorum of voters.

Election-eligibility amendment to Town Charter

The town voted to amend the Town Charter with the addition of a requirement that candidates running for office in Wareham be a registered voter in Wareham for at least one year prior to the day of the election.

Previously, the charter simply required that candidates running for office be a registered voter and did not specify a period of time.

"This is an article that I feel is very significant, I think, for the function of good government in the Town of Wareham," said Robert Brousseau, who petitioned to put the article on the Town Meeting warrant.

Brousseau said the article was not a residency requirement, but a requirement for candidates to have spent a year to get to know the town and become involved in its issues before running for office.

Voter Manfred Wiegandt, who mentioned that he became a U.S. citizen in 2006, said he believed the requirement would inhibit the town, noting that young residents would not be able to run for office upon turning 18.

Wiegandt also pointed out that qualified people who moved to Wareham would not be able to run for office for a year.

"If Bill Clinton or George Bush moved to Wareham, they would not be able to run for office," he said.

Town Meeting voters ultimately passed the article by a vote of 121 to 50.

Town Attorney Richard Bowen explained that the charter change would have to go to the Attorney General's office to ensure that there are no conflicts with state law.

If accepted by the Attorney General's office, the amendment would then be placed on a ballot for the general voting public to decide whether to accept the amendment.

Tobey Road expansion

Voters unanimously accepted a donation of land that would expand Tobey Road at the intersection of Tobey Road and Cranberry Highway.

The donation is being given in light of Walmart's proposed move from its East Wareham location to West Wareham, which is currently going through the approval process with the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Walmart's proposed West Wareham location is an approximately 26-acre parcel of land at the corner of Tobey Road and Cranberry Highway. Part of that land is directly across the street from Bayside Agricultural, the donor of the land.

Walmart has proposed changes to Tobey Road that would block off the entrance to the Bayside Agricultural property. Bayside Agricultural proposed to donate 8,500 square feet of land that would expand Tobey Road and improve access to its property.

The expansion would also line up Tobey Road and Tow Road and greatly improve traffic flow along Cranberry Highway, as well as improve the ability of trucks on Cranberry Highway to turn onto Tobey Road, said Iain Ward, spokesman for Bayside Agricultural.

Town Meeting's positive vote on the article does not automatically mean that the town gets the land. It only gives the Board of Selectmen the authority to accept the gift of land.

New Police pick-up truck

Voters approved the purchase of a 2012 Dodge Ram pick-up for $19,900, which will be used by the Wareham Police Department.

The pick-up truck will replace an older Wareham Police truck that was damaged in an accident. "Through no fault of the employee driving, our police truck was struck and was deemed a total loss," explained Derek Sullivan, financial analyst for the town.

The list price of the pick up truck was $24,400. The price for additional police necessities, including lights and a police radio, was $4,500, making the total price $28,900. Because the insurance settlement for the truck was $9,000, the end price of the vehicle was $19,900.