Quick Town Meeting approves nearly $2M; 30 articles pass, 2 posted
Published on October 25th, 2000
STONEHAM, MA - The Oct. 23 Town Meeting approved everything the Town asked for, totaling approximately $2 million, with unanimous votes on 29 of 32 articles.
Two articles sponsored by the Board of Health were indefinitely postponed — Article 6 asking for appointment authority and Article 16 asking for additional money for personnel.
Article 14, asking to pay cash for a $280,000 fire truck instead of bonding the purchase, passed with a visible majority. Former Selectman Tony Kennedy of Janice Lane was the vocal minority. He argued that the Town should not spend that great a sum in cash.
"I believe the $280,000 belongs in a savings account," Kennedy said. "The money is better spent spread out over the years."
Kennedy compared the lump sum payment to giving a child $10,000 in cash up front for four years of spending money at college.
Selectmen Darin Leahy used his own metaphor to respond:
"We don't want to be stuck with big car payments when we lose our job," Leahy said referring to a possible recession.
Finance Committee Chairman Richard Gregorio assured citizens that 10 percent of the 2000 surplus went into savings, the Town Stabilization Fund.
But Kennedy was still wary.
"Why do we have to spend the money just because it's there?" he pleaded. Some people in attendance agreed with him, but most didn't, and the money was spent.
The only other action at the rather tepid meeting came on Article 9 in the form of an amendment. Article 9 — a citizen's petition from Franklin Street resident John DeGeorge — asked to keep the warrant for any special town meeting open for at least 14 days, to close the warrant at least four weeks before the meeting, and to publish the warrant opening and closing dates in some newspaper within seven days of opening the warrant.
Selectmen asked that the language be changed so that for the "October Special Town Meeting" the warrant be open for at least seven days and close at least two weeks before the meeting. The newspaper posting time was not altered, and no changes were made regarding any other special town meetings.
"This reduces the time frame...in case of emergencies," Selectman Conti said.
DeGeorge voted with the majority for the amendment, and then the majority voted with DeGeorge to pass his article.
At 9:45 p.m. Town Hall emptied.
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