Town Meeting is Here!
By Gregory T. Federspiel
April 25, 2025
All voters are encouraged to attend the Annual Town Meeting on Monday, April 28th. The meeting starts promptly at 6:30PM at the Memorial Elementary School. The High School a cappella group will be performing prior to the start of the meeting so come early to enjoy the entertainment and avoid the lines to get in.
All households should have received the Finance Committee’s Annual Report by now. The report contains all of the articles (items to be voted on) that will come before the assembled. Please remember to bring this report with you to the meeting as it will be your guide for all votes. The report is also available on the Town’s web site here.
There are 22 articles in this year’s warrant for the Annual Town Meeting. About a third of them are related to budgets for the upcoming fiscal year that begins July 1. This includes the Town’s annual operating and capital budgets, the School District’s operating and capital (debt service) budget, and the Community Preservation Act funded projects. Other budgetary articles include funding for the vocational school district, the annual contribution to the Town’s retiree health insurance trust fund (OPEB – Other Post Employment Benefits) and the revolving funds for the Park and Recreation Department and the Board of Health.
There are 7 articles that propose various amendments to the Town’s zoning regulations. Three are related to Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU’s). A new state law requires that ADU’s up to 900 square feet (or half of the current dwelling whichever is smaller) be allowed by right (without the need for a special permit) in districts that allow single family homes. Towns can require that these “standard” ADUs meet certain requirements, and this is what Article 8 proposes. In Article 9, larger ADUs up to 1200 square feet (or 50% of the existing house size, whichever is smaller) are proposed to be allowed but only after being granted a special permit by the Planning Board. In both cases the ADU is not to be used for short term rentals. If the articles do not pass, Article 10 seeks to prevent ADUs, as currently allowed, from being used for short term rentals.
Other zoning amendments include a rewrite of the floodplain section (Article 7) in order to comply with state and federal guidelines. Without the proposed changes homeowners and businesses within a floodplain may not be able to obtain insurance. Article 11 proposes adding two associate members to the planning board. Article 12 seeks to clarify when site plan reviews are required. Article 13 recommends eliminating the introduction to the zoning regulations which currently has outdated state law references - better to include
this introductory information on the Town’s website so that it can be kept current without the need for zoning amendments.
In Article 14 the Town’s general bylaw related to water bans during a drought gets an update to be consistent with current law and to provide clarity as to what outdoor uses can still take place during an outdoor water use ban. Article 17 asks votes to approve a local option for granting veterans property tax relief that tracks inflation.
Three citizen petition articles round out the warrant. One asks the Board of Health to rescind a recently enacted ordinance that prohibits the sale of tobacco products to anyone born since January 1, 2004. This is an advisory vote only as the BOH has the authority to enact public health ordinances. A second petition article seeks voter approval to pursue special legislation from the state to allow the Town to ban certain rodenticides. This is normally a state level matter but more and more towns are seeking authority to regulate certain chemicals locally. Lastly a petition article seeks to increase the fines for violating the Town’s construction noise ordinance. The state sets the maximum fines for ordinances like these thus this article is likely to be passed over.
This Annual Town Meeting marks the last time Town Moderator Alan Wilson will wield the gavel. After 30 years (!!) Alan is not seeking re-election. No doubt there will be a rousing standing ovation for Alan as there should be.