Testimony before Joint House & Senate Committee on Local Affairs.
January 31, 1996

Chairman Leahy, Chairman DeLeo, distinguished members of the Committee on Local Affairs, Senator Jajuga and Representative Cousins. Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you this morning. My name is Tom Iacobucci. I am the vice-chairman of the Amesbury Board of Selectmen joining me today is Peter Parcellin a fellow Amesbury Selectman.

In 1993 Amesbury and Merrimac residents came together to form the Lake Attitash Association. In 1994, the Town of Amesbury formed its first Parks and Recreation Committee. Last year, residents formed the Powow River Watershed Association and this past fall, the Town established a Lakes and Waterways Commission to provide guidance to the Town in its planning, management, proper care and maintenance of the community's water resources.

Amesbury is a community that is wealthy in its natural resources, as well as the generosity of its residents, who volunteer their time to their community. In order to assist these organizations' efforts, the Amesbury Town Meeting voted last May to authorize the Board of Selectmen to petition the Legislature to seek this special legislation which is currently before you.

This home rule petition would allow the Town of Amesbury to create a Lakes and Waterways Trust Fund, to be partly funded by fifty percent of all fees and fines collected by the Town of Amesbury that relate to waterways usage, such as mooring fees, dock fees, fines from citations issued by the Harbor Master, and the like. Trust Fund moneys would then be used solely for waterways purposes: for instance, maintenance of the waterways -- signage, hazard removal, maintenance of town lands providing public access to the waterways -- as well as safety programs, educational and recreational activities and other waterways-related purposes. Perhaps most importantly, it would allow the Town to properly fund its Harbor Master operations, which are currently run on a totally volunteer basis: the Harbor Master and his deputies volunteer their time; they use their own, personally-owned, boats; they pay for safety and rescue equipment out of their own pockets. Currently, the only contribution the Town makes to its Harbor Master program is to pay for the gasoline they use in their boats. While we're not intending to professionalize the Harbor Master program -- we expect to continue to rely on volunteers to contribute their time -- creation of this Trust Fund would allow the Town to at least provide vehicles, safety equipment and supplies.

The Trust Fund would be established under the provisions of General Laws Chapter 40, section 5G and Chapter 60B, section 2, subsection III, which currently allow towns such as Amesbury to create a Lakes and Waterways Improvement and Maintenance Fund, which is to be funded by fifty percent of the boat excise taxes collected within the town's jurisdiction. This special legislation would allow Amesbury to add to that funding source fifty percent of fees and fines generated by waterways usage.

The Town Meeting article passed unanimously. I ask that you favorably report on this home rule petition, so that the stated will of the residents of Amesbury can be enacted into law.

On behalf of all Amesbury's residents I would like to again thank you giving me the opportunity to speak before you today.