Annual Town Meeting May 7: $50 million on the table
Published on May 2nd, 2001
STONEHAM, MA - The 2001 Annual Town Meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Town Hall Auditorium on Monday, May 7.
At this meeting, town officials will ask citizens to spend almost $50 million.
There are 44 articles on the warrant, summarized below. Unless otherwise noted, town officials support the articles.
Article 1 is the Town Election, which will be held on April 3, 2001. The election is traditionally listed as the first article on the annual meeting warrant even though the election concludes a month before the meeting gathers.
Article 2 sponsored by Selectmen asks citizens to approve other necessary appointed town officers. Who these people might be is left a mystery; this is a traditional just-in-case article.
Article 3 sponsored by Selectmen is a presentation of reports from town officers and committees and may also ask citizens to approve new committees. The Middle School Feasibility Committee will present a preliminary report.
Article 4 sponsored by Selectmen fixes the salaries of elected officials. The only proposed change this year is a cost of living increase for the Town Clerk from $49,800 to $51,300 a year.
The Finance Board opposes the article, recommending cutting Selectmen salaries from $3,000 to $2,000 a year.
Article 5 sponsored by the Planning Board asks citizens to approve removal of a 35 day limit on processing of special permits from the Stoneham zoning bylaw because no such time limit exists under state law. Adding a local limit adds pressure to an already overburdened inspectional department, the Planning Board argues.
Article 6 sponsored by the Planning Board asks citizens to remove a stipulation from the zoning bylaw that the Board of Appeals notify the Building Inspector about requests for variances. The Planning Board argues that since the Building Inspector denies a permit, he knows who will be looking for a variance before the Board.
Articles 5 and 6 would move language from the section of Town Code that Town Meeting must vote to change, the first 15 chapters, to the portion of the Code town boards can alter on their own.
Articles 7 & 8 are also sponsored by the Planning Board. The articles ask citizens to approve clarifications intended to make requirements for landscaping and screening around parking areas consistent throughout the zoning bylaw. As the code stands, two sections say different things, and neither clearly takes precedent over the other.
Article 9 defines body art. The Planning Board sponsors this article and the next.
Article 10 asks the town to add “body art” as defined in Article 9 to the “adult uses” section of the zoning bylaw.
Article 11 sponsored by the Planning Board asks the town to approve removal from the zoning bylaw of the requirement of the signature of the Chairman of the Board of Health on occupancy permits. State law covers this matter outside the zoning bylaw. A health inspector could satisfy the law, and the added language in the Stoneham code makes the process unnecessarily complex, the Planning Board argues.
Article 12 is sponsored by citizen Frank Walsh of 3 Bancroft Place. His article asks to make a change in language allowing accessory uses in the Business District. The existing language allows “...customary business accessory uses without outside storage, but not including non-permanent trailers...” The article asks citizens to delete the above italicized section.
Zoning articles need a two-thirds majority vote to pass.
Article 13 sponsored by the Selectmen asks citizens to hold condominiums to the same recycling standards as house-owners. Selectmen say this will help the town cut costs.
Article 14 asks citizens to approve an increase in weight and measures fees. “The increase will bring us into line with similar communities,” said Acting Town Administrator Ron Florino.
Articles 15, 16 & 17 sponsored by citizen John DeGeorge of 148 Franklin St. ask the Town to clean-up sections of the Stoneham Town Code which are out of date or contradictory.
Article 15 is opposed by Selectmen. DeGeorge argues that language about removing individuals from appointed committees for cause does not belong in the section of the Town Code dealing with the elected Selectmen. Selectmen think it makes sense to leave the language there because they appoint the committees in question.
Article 16 asks to delete a section of the Town Administrator Act requiring the TA to update the Personnel By-law each year.
Article 17 asks to delete the section on committees from the Town Code because it is out of date. Selectmen indefinitely postponed the article.
Article 18-22 are sponsored by the Fire Department. Article 18 asks the citizens to approve a requirement that contractors must pay for a fire detail on all blasting sites.
Article 19 asks that all new buildings have exterior boxes, which can only be opened by the Fire Department, containing keys to all units.
Article 20 asks that new buildings with greater than 5,000 square feet of floor space have alarm systems wired directly into the station.
Article 21 asks citizens to approve an increase in Fire Department fees for the first time in 20 years.
Article 22 asks for the above fees to go into the Fire Department budget. The Finance Board opposes the article and Selectmen decided to indefinitely postpone it.
Article 23 sponsored by Selectmen is the annual article asking citizens to accept roads as public ways. This year portions of Daniel Drive, Dapper Darby Drive, Roberts Way and Ellen Road may join the fold.
Articles 24 & 25 ask citizens to accept Sullivan Lane as a public way. Due to a pending lawsuit between a property owner abutting the road and the Town of Stoneham, Selectmen separated this road from the others. The first article is sponsored by the Selectmen, the second by the Sullivan Way abutter. Selectmen recommended their version, and the property owner coalesced.
Article 26 sponsored by Selectmen asks citizens to change the language of the Town Administrator Act to require that the Town Administrator live in Stoneham, not just in Massachusetts near Stoneham.
Articles 27-31 are sponsored by DeGeorge. Article 27 echoes Article 26 but also asks citizens to grant Selectmen the right to waive the residency requirement for the Town Administrator.
Article 28 asks citizens to increase the membership of the Selectmen from five to seven members.
Article 29 asks citizens to require a four-fifths vote of the the full Board of Selectmen to appoint a Town Administrator.
Article 30 asks the town “to adopt and implement” limitations on the authority of acting Town Administrators.
Article 31 asks the town “to adopt and implement a two phase system that utilizes a ballot and poll booth voting on all Town Meeting articles.” DeGeorge said that some towns in New Hampshire use such a system: first, articles are debated and amended in a daylong session, and then citizens go to the polls a day or two later to vote final approval or denial.
Selectmen and the Finance Board oppose articles 27-30, and Selectmen were still thinking about Article 31 as of Tuesday.
Article 32 sponsored by Selectmen asks the citizens to approve establishment of an account funded by revenue from vending machines and pro shop sales at Stoneham Arena. The money would go toward stocking the pro shop and vending machines. It’s a revolving fund, in the finance lingo.
Article 33 sponsored by the Board of Selectmen asks citizens to vote to petition the state legislature to pass legislation (subject to a later town election vote) to specify restrictions on rehiring personnel who want to return to municipal work after a period off the job.
The relevant department head has to OK the potential rehire. The former employee must meet all criteria met by current employees. And the former employee must swear that he did nothing while off the job that would have been grounds for dismissal.
Article 34 sponsored by Attorney Charles Houghton, representing Stoneham Theatre owner Al Symes, asks citizens to petition the state legislature to pass legislation (subject to approval by a town election vote) to allow theaters with 300 or more seats to sell and serve alcohol.
Selectmen oppose the article. The Finance Board supports it.
Article 35 sponsored by Selectmen is the annual water main maintenance article. The Selectmen will ask citizens to appropriate $300,000 from water receipts.
Article 36 sponsored by Selectmen is the annual sewerage maintenance article. Selectmen will ask citizens to appropriate $300,000 from sewer receipts.
Article 37 sponsored by Selectmen asks the citizens to spend $385,000, according to Florino, to balance the fiscal 2001 budget. Utility costs and the extent of snow removal surprised the town. Florino said the money will come from surpluses in line items and funds left in open articles. For example, $12,000 is left over from the North School fuel tank article appropriation.
Articles 38 and 39 are sponsored by the School Committee. The articles are phase two of a two-year School Department plan. Article 38 asks citizens to approve borrowing $136,000 to cover technology needs of the schools.
Article 39 asks for $194,000 worth of borrowing for textbooks and materials. According to Superintendent Joe Connelly, the new curricula under Education Reform, including preparing for MCAS, are driving these costs.
Article 40 sponsored by the Board of Selectmen asks for $20,000 from fiscal 2002 tax levy for the Beautification Committee.
Article 41 is sponsored by the Board of Assessors. Every three years the Board asks the town to appropriate money from the Overlay Surplus Account (money leftover from a reserve fund to pay property tax abatements) to carry out a revaluation of town property. The Board will ask for $150,000 in fiscal 2002 to get started.
Article 42 sponsored by Selectmen is an annual article, asking citizens to spend $50,000 from the Perpetual Care Cemetery Trust Fund on Lindenwood Cemetery.
Article 43 sponsored by property owner John Aruda of 18 Emerald Court asks the town to build and pay for a sanitary sewer extension over town property to Aruda’s home. Neighbors who want to hook into the system have worked out a payment plan, but the town will have to front $21,000, from sewer surplus funds. Public Works Director Bob Grover said that since abutters are supporting the project, he is in favor of the work.
Article 44 sponsored by Selectmen is the fiscal 2002 Town of Stoneham budget. The town will ask citizens to appropriate $47,439,805 from taxes and available funds.
The School Department budget will be underfunded by $161,000. Florino hopes utility costs will be lower than expected to help make up this difference. If not, town officials will have to reconcile the difference at the October 2001 Town Meeting.
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