Selectmen will hold a public hearing on Monday to discuss the warrant for the Oct. 4 special town meeting, which includes a request to impose a .75 percent local sales tax on restaurant meals and articles seeking $1.023 million in capital expenditures.

The meals tax, which selectmen estimated would generate $250,000 a year, was defeated at town meeting in June.

Department heads are expected to attend the public hearing, which begins at 7:50 p.m. Monday, to lobby for their capital expenditures.

The Fire Department tops the list with four articles totaling $471,000, which includes $34,000 for breathing apparatus; $415,000 for a pumping engine; $10,000 for a generator for the South fire station; and $12,000 for paging devices.

The School Department has three articles totaling $153,000, which includes $20,000 to replace damaged equipment; $98,500 to buy or lease a new school bus; and $34,500 to replace the air conditioning compressors and make repairs to the John T. Nichols, Jr. Middle School.

The Public Works Department seeks $136,000 for two articles, which include $120,000 for a sidewalk plow and $16,000 for a truck-mounted sander for ice and snow.

Other department expenditures include $58,422 for two police cruisers and $115,000 for a backhoe for the Water Department.

The Wastewater Department is seeking $20,000 to fund engineering services to pre-design permitting for an upgrade to the wastewater treatment facility.

The special town meeting warrant is available at www.middleborough.com.

On September 27th, the Board of Selectmen supported most of the expenditures sought by town departments at next Monday’s fall special town meeting. Selectmen met Monday and decided to recommend the majority of the 34 articles on the warrant except $415,000 for a Fire Department pumping engine and $120,000 for a sidewalk plow for the Department of Public Works.

Town Manager Charles J. Cristello recommended that out of the $958,053 available in free cash, $573,830 be used to fund 14 articles and $384,223 be placed in the stabilization fund.

Sources: EnterpriseNews.com, September 14, 2010 and September 28, 2010.