Walpole Town Meeting

Foxborough Casino

2011-12-15T14:35:00.004-05:00

As your Town Moderator, I do not express an opinion or take sides on issues that come before Walpole Town Meeting. I am an objective arbiter of the rules and procedures of town meeting to ensure the meeting is conducted properly and fairly. However, I do not live in a bubble. Like everyone else, I have been following the issue of a casino being developed on land in Foxborough. For the record, I am dead set against any proposal to build a casino in Foxborough. Period. Build it somewhere else.

But as readers of this blog know, I take a keen interest in the workings of town meetings elsewhere in Massachusetts. So, I am going to follow the casino debate from a Town Meeting perspective. Foxborough has an open town meeting which means any resident can go and vote. As this article points out, Foxborough Town Meeting will have to vote to change zoning, because their current zoning bylaws do not allow for gaming facilities. "The bylaw doesn't provide for gaming," [Bill] Casbarra said about the zoning question. "A casino, as defined by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, would not be allowed under the current zoning bylaw anywhere in Foxboro." So, Foxborough Town Meeting will be required at some point to vote on a zoning change. By statute, changes to zoning by-laws in Massachusetts require a 2/3 vote by town meeting.

Trivia of the day: Foxborough Building Inspector Bill Casbarra taught industrial arts (shop) at Walpole High School for many years before taking his current position.

Please Take the Time to Vote on Saturday

2011-06-02T14:29:00.004-04:00

The Walpole Town election is on Saturday, June 4, 2011. Polls are open from 8:00 a.m. to 8 p.m. This is a crazy time of year, with sports and school events and graduations. However, voting in Walpole is very easy - you are in and out in no time. There are important races this year for selectman, moderator, planning board and school committee. Your vote in these races matters very much to the future of Walpole. Even the unopposed candidates deserve your consideration and vote. Finally and perhaps most importantly (at least to me) are the votes for Town Meeting representative. The fact that there are no contested races this year is irrelevant. Each of these candidates have taken the steps to get on the ballot with the singular objective of representing you, the voter in their respective precincts, at Town Meeting.

Of course, this year you get to decide whether or not the town should buy the Woodworkers property - a $4.7 million proposition. How often do you have to make a four and one-half million dollar decision?

You can even get a sneak preview of the ballot you will see on Saturday.

As I have posted here before, "You, and all the citizens of your town are solely responsible for how well your local government serves you."

I think it will take less time to vote that it did for you to read this message.

Thank you, and good luck to all the candidates.

Welcome

2011-05-27T00:15:00.004-04:00

My letter to the Walpole Times today invited readers to this blog. Welcome if you are visiting for the first time! As the disclaimer at the top of the page states, there is nothing official about this site. It is merely a vehicle for me to share my thoughts with anyone who visits, and to share information from other town meetings and how they may or may not relate to ours. The topics here run the gamut: I post unusual town meeting topics such as Amherst's chicken by-law, I usually post the Walpole town meeting warrant when I receive it from town hall, I have eulogized two town meeting members who were very close to me, I have posted various photographs when I learned how to post them, and I often post letters from other Moderators who express ideas I share with them, more eloquently than I could.

The one theme throughout though is my deep and abiding belief in the sanctity of the Representative Town Meeting form of government we have in Walpole. I believe it has worked well for the town, works well for us now, and will continue to best serve the people of Walpole into the future. Remember when Ron Fucile found that letter from Walpole Town Meeting from sometime well prior to 1776? That was a powerful moment. We heard about how our ancestors came together at a Town Meeting, long before this nation was even formed, in a forum very similar to what we experience today, to express their displeasure with the Crown. I am always mindful that I am but the latest in a long history of moderators of Walpole. I will do my best, as my predecessors have, to preserve this form of government.

As your elected Moderator, I am at your service. Feel free to contact me at any time about any issue. Even the FinCom. All my contact information is on the sidebar.

Thank you for visiting, and I hope you choose to return from time to time.

This is Why . . .

2011-05-26T23:23:00.007-04:00

Take a few minutes from your busy schedules and enjoy these awesome Boyden School fourth graders.

You can even follow along, because the lyrics capture the feeling of this video.

Does this have anything to do with Walpole Town Meeting? I'll let you decide.

Have a great holiday weekend; let's keep it's true meaning in mind.

Jon

Town Meeting Thrives

2011-05-18T16:01:00.007-04:00

On April 28, 2011, I had the honor and privilege to present a lecture on town government to Mr. Don Cormier's 8th grade civics class at Catholic Memorial Middle School in West Roxbury. Mr. Cormier and I had met recently and when he learned I was the Walpole Town Moderator, he asked me to come in and speak to his class. Many students are from the suburbs of Boston, and the town form of government is part of the curriculum. This was an advanced class, and the boys were very attentive and asked challenging and interesting questions. The 45 minutes passed in the blink of any eye. During the lecture, I stressed the value of a Town Meeting form of local government. I specifically used the first of the three quotes below, and I believe the lecture conveyed the spirit of the second two. I have posted these in the past, but fresh from my meeting with these young students, and fresh from a very productive Town Meeting, I believe it is worthwhile to post them again:

“It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” Sir Winston Churchill, Speech in House of Commons 1947.

“We were all friends and neighbors before this meeting; after this meeting we will still be neighbors; hopefully we will still be friends.” Reginald C. (Reg) Brown, Boxborough Town Moderator 1977 to 2005.

“Civility at Town Meeting is not an option.” Various and sundry Town Moderators in Massachusetts

I think the first quote goes without saying.

The second will be up to Town Meeting members to decide.

The third quote is the responsibility of the Moderator. Lack of civility is rarely an issue for Walpole Town meeting, and our Spring Annual Town Meeting was no exception.

Let's hope for better weather soon!

Jon

One Raised Hand in 100 at a Town Meeting Is Far More Important In Your Daily Life Than One X Marked on a Hundred Million Ballots

2011-04-28T18:04:00.005-04:00

With permission from the author, and for your consideration, I offer the following:

From: Howard Hansen
Town Moderator
Stoughton--
"The Birthplace of American Liberty"

To the Enterprise (Brockton):

Low Turn-outs at Polls; No challengers; Write-In winners; Retiring
Elected Officials have No Successors; and New Council Government in
Turmoil; all in Sunday's Enterprise Local Section.

Your editorial "Your Community Needs You" is correct in its message,
but is kind of late for doing any good. It in some ways contradicts a
number of editorial views expressed by The Enterprise over the past two
decades about the need for large towns to "have more efficient
government by shedding those antiquated, ancient, inefficient
public-participating Town Meeting form of Government. I have a file of
Enterprise/Patriot Ledger editorials and I don't remember reading any
that supported retention of Town Meeting government in Weymouth,
Braintree, Randolph, Plymouth, Easton or Bridgewater.

The Massachusetts Moderators Association has been observing this
anti-democratic trend spreading across the Commonwealth. We have been
asking How and Why the "New England Town Meeting" is deteriorating.
There are a number of factors contributing to this situation. The
role of media and educational institutions is a key to how well citizens
of our communities understand what the late Speaker of the House, Thomas
P. O'Neil meant when he said "All politics is Local".

First, the Towns themselves must "Sell" town meeting government.
Every four years there is a heavy promotion for citizens to register to
vote so they can elect a President. We have expedited that process so
that you can register to vote by mail, when you renew a driver's
license, and special voter registration nights at ANY town hall. These
are laudable efforts to get the nation to vote for its President.

But who tells these new voters that the Most Important vote is the
one you make in a Town Meeting and for your town officials? One raised
hand in 100 at a Town Meeting, is far more important in your daily life
than one X marked on a 100 million ballots. You, and all the citizens
of your town are solely responsible for how well your local government
serves you.

This is the message that our newspapers, radio, television,
internet and cable should be delivering. Our Public Schools and Colleges
(Universities) should return to teaching old-fashioned Civics and the
History of American Government.

Howard Hansen

To quote Mr. Hansen: "You, and all the citizens of your town are solely responsible for how well your local government serves you."

Couldn't have said it any better.

Thanks and take care.

Jon

I Could Not Disagree More!

2011-04-28T17:02:00.005-04:00

You may have seen this recent editorial in the Herald entitled "Town Meeting Needs Adjourning - Gone From Quaint to Antiquated."

An appropriate title for a rebuttal would be "Town Meeting Thrives in the Town of Walpole."

I take issue with almost every point made by the author against Town Meeting. At a time where government at all levels continues to intrude into the lives of Americans, Town Meeting preserves the right of citizens to maintain dominion and hegemnony over our own destiny. She fails to mention how towns that switch away from a town meeting form of government to a city form or otherwise, often regret it soon thereafter.

Although the author further fails to make the distinction, it appears she is referring in general to the open town meeting, because her anicdotal evidence of declining interest gets no quarter here in Walpole. Having reviewed our attendance records for the past several years, I can state that our attendance is never less than 80% of RTMs, and the number is usually closer to 85%-90%. Some towns may have an issue with declining interest, or trouble getting a quorum, but we never do. I will never forget that during my first town meeting in October 2004, we carried over to the same night as game seven of the magical and historical ALCS series with the Yankees - we had no problem making a quorum that evening. See walpole-ma.gov/TReports/TR2004.pdf

I invite Ms. Braceras to Walpole Town Meeting on Monday, May 2, 2011 to observe a Town Meeting where dedicated representatives hardly ever "go-along to get-along," but rather where important issues are debated with passion, intelligence, and an abiding devotion to doing what is best for the Town of Walpole. The author derides many articles that come before Town Meeting as "nonsense." Is debating a $67 million budget nonsense, where our Town Meeting representatives will decide whether to spend almost $1.3 million of their fellow citizens tax dollars per week for the next year? I say it is democracy, practiced as it was meant to be practiced.

My next post on this subject will be a poignant essay written by colleague Moderator Howard Hanson of Stoughton, which is in essence a rebuttal to Ms. Braceras article.

30 Minutes Well-Spent

2011-04-28T16:50:00.004-04:00

I am always on the lookout for good information about Town Meeting, whether it relates to Walpole directly, or to the Town Meeting form of government in general. I came across this video on Youtube about Needham Town Meeting. Done by the Needham League of Women Voters, it's 30 minutes long, and it is very well-done and very informative, especially if you may be unfamiliar with the the Town Meeting form of government. If you have the time, take a look. Needham also has a representative town meeting, and almost 100% of the video applies directly to Walpole as well.

Enjoy!

Cherry Sheet Numbers Are In

2011-04-13T16:50:00.009-04:00

Today, the Division of Local Services (DLS) of the Deparment of Revenue (DOR) published the FY2012 local aid estimates based on the House Ways & Means Committee (HWM) budget proposal. These figures are critical to the Town's overall budget makeup and strategy.

Every town is listed so you can compare what different towns get for Chapter 70 money, or in General Goverment support. Click here to go to the DLS website to pull up the numbers. Look for the selection "FY2012 Download Spreadsheet."

Another great place for a different display of this information is here.

If you are a municipal policy wonk like I am, you will find this information fascinating. While Michael Boynton does an excellent job of explaining all this at Town Meeting, if you want you could take a look and get a head start.

Take care.

Jon

Can You See this Ever Happening in Walpole?

2011-04-11T12:08:00.010-04:00

Wayland this year experimented with electronic voting at Town Meeting. Each person was given an electronic voting device, where people pressed 1 for 'Eye', 2 for 'No' and 3 for abstain. Reaction there seemed positive, but I can't see this catching on at all in Walpole. I think our representatives like to hear the vote, and especially, like to see who is voting how when there is a standing count or a roll call vote. I think it takes the human element out of Town Meeting. "All those in favor, please press 1; opposed, press two." Then what?? As Moderator, I know I would miss the real emotion with which many people project their 'eye' or 'no.'

And as some of the comments to the article point out, can't the voting on these gizmos be manipulated? Maybe someday this will be the way we vote, but not soon I would expect.

Two other interesting points from the article. First, Wayland holds their town meetings on Saturday afternoons, as do many Towns. Would that work here?

Also, Moderator Peter Gossels moderated his last meeting after 30 years. Congratulations to such an impressive tenure. I had posted earlier about the longevity of many moderators. I'd like to do this job for 30 years.

Take care,

Jon

Here is the Walpole SATM Warrant

2011-04-07T23:07:00.004-04:00

Thank you WalpoleNews.com, you beat me to it. The popular and informational site has posted the Spring Town Meeting warrant. Click here to see the Warrant in .pdf format. There are 34 Articles this Spring that cover a whole host of issues. You can also get a lot of great information about Town Meeting and Town elections from the Town Clerk's page on the Town of Walpole website.

Is Town Meeting For the Birds?

2011-04-07T22:26:00.008-04:00

Our Spring Annual Town Meeting is less than one month away. Towns all over the Commonwealth will be dealing with interesting issues, including the town of Amherst.

Amherst Town Meeting members invited to visit backyard chicken coop
Published: Thursday, April 07, 2011, 7:00 AM By Diane Lederman, The Republican

AMHERST - With Town Meeting slated to consider amending the backyard chicken bylaw next month, members have the chance to visit a coop as part of a regional chicken coop tour this weekend.

The Planning Board last week voted to support the petition that is being brought to Town Meeting by University of Massachusetts professor John Gerber. The board will offer some modifications on Town Meeting floor.

The petition, which has to receive a two-third’s vote to pass at Town Meeting, would allow up to 12 animals – hens or rabbits – throughout town. The proposal also eliminates the need for a special permit, which is required in some town zones now. The idea is to make it easier and less costly for people to be able to have backyard hens. Gerber said it cost him $210 to go through the permitting process.

Under the proposal, those wanting hens or rabbits would have to register the coop or hutch with town Animal Welfare officer Carol A. Hepburn. Health Director Julie Federman has suggested a $10 fee. Hepburn would inspect the site when someone is registering the first time, Gerber said.

The Town Meeting Coordinating Committee, meanwhile, has notified members that if they have questions, they can visit Gerber’s chicken coop Sunday from 2 to 3 p.m. as part of the annual Pioneer Valley Coop Tour. That tour features open coops in Holyoke, Florence, Northampton, Haydenville and Pelham in addition to Gerber’s coop.

The Select Board is slated to consider whether to support the proposal at its meeting Monday night. Town meeting begins May 2, but the bylaw change likely won’t be presented until later in the meeting, with members to consider the budget first.

»Click here to see the whole article.

But this article got me to thinking. Would Walpole's Town Meeting members want or benefit from a tour of the Walpole Woodworkers property? Town Meeting will be considering this issue under Article 17 on May 2 or May 4, whenever we get to it. I can't remember Town Meeting ever taking a view before, but that doesn't mean it can't happen.

2011-03-09T15:21:00.008-05:00

Please forgive the lengthy absence, but Winter is after all the slow time of year for Walpole Town Meeting. Things will be picking up now, and you can look forward to frequent additions to this site.

This Friday, March 11, 2010, is the Friends of St. Patrick Luncheon. Please go to http://www.friendsofsaintpatrick.org/about.php and you cn also find this event on Facebook. This is traditionally one of the best days during the year for Walpole (along with the Night Before the 4th or the Walpole-Norwood football game, for instance.) Congratulations to the "Turco Girls" for being named citizens of the year.

But the St. Patty's Day luncheon is also the unofficial start to the Spring political season in Walpole. You are apt to see any number of nomination papers either at the luncheon being discreetly passed around for signatures or later on that day at one of the many social gatherings around town.

Anyway, more on this and many other Walpole subjects in the very near future. Thank you.

Jon

The Future of Town Meeting?

2010-10-14T08:45:00.005-04:00

Hope everyone is enjoying the Fall and looking forward to Town Meeting next Monday night, October 18, 2010.

My colleague, Moderator Joe Harrington from Westborough, recently wrote a thought-provoking editorial about the future of Town Meeting. While the first section of the piece discusses why Westbourough should remain an open town meeting rather than representative, keep reading, becase the rest of the article raises some very relevant issues.

I'll just jump ahead and state that I agree 110% with Mr. Harrington's last two paragraphs, subtitled, What’s so special about town meeting, and why should we keep it?. Town Meeting is a form of self-government that we should cherish, protect and never abandon!

Here is the full article:

By Joe Harrington/Town Meeting Moderator
GateHouse News Service
Posted Oct 02, 2010 @ 12:26 PM

WESTBOROUGH — What’s the future of town meeting in Westborough? Many were asking this question after last May’s lightly-attended annual town meeting. It’s worth some more thought and discussion as we approach the fall special town meeting scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 12, because we have options. I’d like to share some ideas for things we might do right now and some options for the intermediate and long-term as well.

Open town meeting, representative town meeting, or city government?

Every Massachusetts municipality has a legislative branch in its government, to do such things as allocate funds to various purposes, make and amend bylaws, and act as a check on executive authority. Westborough’s legislature is its “open” town meeting, where any registered voter may attend, speak, and vote. It deals with such matters as our children’s schools; the condition of our roads and water supplies; the level of police, fire, and ambulance protection we wish to have; and the quality of life in our community as it develops.

No one person or group controls. The elected selectmen set the time, place, and the agenda, which limits what the meeting may consider, and with the town manager, they often take the lead on key issues. The clerk and the registrars of voters establish the voting list, and the clerk has sole control of the record of the meeting. An independent, elected moderator controls procedure, and names an independent advisory board to provide recommendations to the voters. The voters decide the outcomes.

Westborough’s population is approaching 20,000. If we consider the list of Massachusetts towns with populations between 15,000 and 20,000, we find that most of the others utilize open town meeting as do we. In the 20,000-25,000 bracket, about half the towns have open town meeting, while the other half have “representative” town meeting. If we were to adopt this form of town meeting, as have Shrewsbury, Lexington, and some 38 other Massachusetts towns, each of our five precincts would elect a list of representatives. The number of representatives per precinct would likely be between 40 and 60. Any interested citizen could attend and possibly even speak, but only the elected representatives would vote.

Not much would appear to change, at first. I believe that if we were to consider one possible future scenario and look in on a representative town meeting in Westborough, we would see pretty much the same people that we’ve seen at decently-attended meetings in the past few years. The ones who care enough to come to town meeting regularly now would be the ones who would care enough to get the 10-15 signatures necessary to get their names on the ballot. Those who seldom have time enough to come now would be unlikely to make the commitment to regular attendance implied by running for representative. So I don’t believe the makeup of the meeting, relative to those we see these days on an average, routine night, would really change much.

The big difference would appear the first time that a hot button issue (e.g., a contested school budget) came up. Interested citizens could attend, perhaps even speak. But only the opinions of the 200-300 elected representatives would matter, because nobody else would be allowed to vote. Give some thought to how some of our issues might have turned out in the past, had only regular town meeting goers been permitted to vote.

The third option for the legislative body in a Massachusetts municipality is a city council. It might consist of 10-15 councilors, and would play the role now taken by our town meeting. The 5-person board of selectmen would be replaced by a mayor, with or without a city manager. I haven’t met many people who think Westborough ought to become a city, and I certainly don’t. But that’s the third of the three options we have.

I have met plenty of people who believe that representative town meeting is the way we should go. My personal belief is that until such time as attendance at town meeting regularly requires the use of two halls—and we’re not in any danger of that!--open town meeting can serve us well, if we stay alert to possibilities for improvement.

What can we do right now to improve open town meeting?

Of our approximately 11,000 registered voters, between 1percent and 2.5 percent were on hand during the three sessions of this year’s annual town meeting on May 15 and 17. In the past, several times this number was routinely present. And 8-10 years ago, when numerous school issues faced the town, we often overflowed the high school auditorium. With as many as 1,500 voters present, up to half the voters participated from the cafeteria or gymnasium.

Was it the timing of last May’s meeting? A survey taken over the summer indicated that some respondents think so. In 2004 we switched from March to May because severe uncertainty over state aid (typically about one-third of our total revenue) was lasting deeper and deeper into the spring. Under an article on the warrant for the October 12 special meeting, we’ll once again be discussing shifting the date of the annual town meeting, with an eye to improving attendance.

What else might we consider, to make our open town meeting work better? Well, we could decide to start the meetings on time. Our by-laws state that we may not start until a quorum, or minimum number of voters, is present. At last May’s annual town meeting we spent an average of 20 minutes at the start of each of the three sessions waiting for a quorum to assemble. I believe we should reduce that number from 100 to zero at least for the annual meeting and the regular fall meeting.

The usual first reaction to this is to express the fear that it would allow a small group to convene and vote terrible things in secret, but there is no secret about when these meetings are held; it is stated right in the bylaws. Official postings are required at Town Hall and the Library. This leads to meetings being noticed on the Internet, on Westborough TV, and in the two daily and two weekly newspapers that serve our area.

Other towns that have adopted zero quorums typically report that the change leads to better attendance. Why? Because people know that the meeting will start on time. We spent a total of 11½ hours on the May annual town meeting, totaling the time from the posted start to the end of each session, and as earlier noted, an hour of that was devoted to waiting for a quorum to be present.

It’s time to start our meetings at the posted time, and recalibrate people’s expectations of when things will begin to happen. Otherwise, we’ll waste more and more time, as people adjust their arrival times later and later, in keeping with reality. It’s unfair to those who do show up on time. So I asked the Selectmen to insert an article in the warrant for the upcoming special town meeting that would allow us to switch to a zero quorum at least for the two regularly scheduled meetings each year, and I’ll be asking for your vote on the matter on October 12.

This shouldn’t be necessary. We should easily be able to muster 100 on-time voters (and more!). But the town is well run, and in the absence of hot button issues, and in the presence of the many distractions that call people to other pursuits, the voters seem to be entrusting the handling of town meeting issues to the few who care enough to appear. If the rest are willing to leave it to us, at least let us start on time

“Why don’t we just do it all on the Internet?”

The day will come, at some future time when access to the Internet (or whatever replaces it) is universal, when we will easily be able to replicate the town meeting experience without leaving our homes. The essence of that experience is that the topics (but not necessarily the specific proposals) are noticed well in advance; every voter has a right to participate; participants debate; and they vote after shaping the specifics of the proposal. Technically it is possible to do this on line today, at least on a modest scale. However our society is not ready for it; we would be disenfranchising the many who lack Internet access, or who are unfamiliar with or uncomfortable with computers. On the other hand, bear in mind that we disenfranchise today those who are truly unable to be at town meeting in person because of job-related travel, health issues, or dependent care considerations (for examples).

If the Internet is indeed the long-term future, how will the transition come about? One small step in this direction could be electronic voting at our existing meeting. Hand-held devices would allow voters to register their votes electronically and instantly, saving the time during the meeting that we now spend with hand-counting of votes. Such a system would make every vote a secret ballot, and that could change the dynamic of town meeting—some would say for the better. It would be an expensive proposition, but there is talk of sharing such devices among towns, to reduce the costs per town.

Much farther in the future would be the option for voters to observe the proceedings via TV or on a computer screen as many already do, but then to contribute to the discussion from their respective remote locations, and vote as well. This is a much more formidable challenge and I don’t think we’ll see this at our meeting any time soon, but it’s not an unrealistic option in the long-term future. My fervent hope is that when this sort of change is proposed for Massachusetts town meetings, it will not be controlled by people who know all about computers but who aren’t clear about what is important in the town meeting process.

What’s so special about town meeting, and why should we keep it?

Town meeting is special and unique in that it lets the people most directly affected by the issues make the actual decision. We have this privilege because we live in a place that was settled from England centuries ago, where citizens were very used to this manner of settling local questions. In other parts of the country, they either never had this tradition, or they lost it. It takes work, to make it work, but for nearly three centuries we have made it work. Will you be part of it, by attending the Oct. 12 town meeting? Will Westborough still have this privilege, 10 or 20 or 30 years from now?

As I noted at the start, we have options and should think about them. We shouldn’t keep town meeting for the sake of history; we should keep it for its intrinsic merits. It is well worth preserving, and we should make the adjustments that will make it work in the context of contemporary society. If we ever give it up, it will not be long before we’ll be saying “Why did we ever agree to give up the right to be heard and to vote on these local matters that we know about first-hand, and that matter so much to us? Why did we settle for being like the rest of the country, writing letters to our representatives and hoping they listen, rather than casting our own votes?”

Copyright 2010 Westborough News. Some rights reserved

Thank you, and Congratulations!

2010-06-15T15:21:00.002-04:00

Hello Everyone,

First, a heartfelt thank you to all those Walpole citizens who voted for me on
June 5, 2010. As an unopposed candidate, I realized that I would be re-elected, but to get 3700+ votes was very gratifying. I will continue to try to earn your trust.

More to the point, congratulations to our new RTM's. Thanks to Pat McConnell who provided me with the list today. Please join me in welcoming:

PCT. 1 KAREN A. BRADY – 3 YEAR TERM

PCT. 2 JULIE P. SEWELL – 3 YEAR TERM

JENNIFER J. TASHJIAN – 3 YEAR TERM

PCT. 3 PATRICK J. HINTON – 3 YEAR TERM

P. GREGG TEIXEIRA – 3 YEAR TERM

PCT. 5 JOANNE C. MULLIGAN – 3 YEAR TERM (WELCOME BACK!)

PCT. 6 KATHRYN F. SANDVOS – 1 YR. TERM

PCT. 7 ROBERT J. BUCKLEY – 3YR. TERM

PCT. 7 RICHARD A. NOTTEBART - 1 YR. TERM

PCT. 8 KATHLEEN FOLEY GREULICH – 3 YEAR TERM

PCT 8. JOHN STADTLER – 1 YEAR TERM (WELCOME BACK!)

Most of you I already have the pleasure of knowing, so it will be great to have you at Town Meeting. You will be getting some information from me later in the Summer. 'Till then, congratulations again.

Jon

All In The Family

2010-05-12T09:52:00.002-04:00

On May 5, 2010, we had a roll call vote for Article 23, commonly known as the Police Station Article. From when I first became a Town Meeting member in 2001, then as Moderator in 2004, I do not remember any roll call votes being taken. Now we have had two in two years. As this just-completed Town Meeting showed unequivocally, our Town Meeting is very engaged in the process of self-government, and while challenging at times, it was a pleasure for me to moderate the 2010 Spring Annual Town Meeting. I will post a further post mortem in the near future.

The point of this post is as follows. In our town meeting, there are several familial relationships within the membership, which I think is great. The roll call votes the other night brought it to my attention again. So, without naming names, I can identify the following relationships:

5 Married Couples
3 sets of Siblings
3 sets of Father-Son
1 set of mother-daughter

There may be others of which I am unaware, and I didn't immediately recognize out in further degrees of kinship, but I thought this was pretty interesting.

Tenacious of Purpose

2010-04-23T11:30:00.007-04:00

As many of you know, Walpole's Superintendent of Highways & Parks is Bob LeBlanc. Bobby is a long-time friend, fellow 1978 WHS classmate, as well as football and hockey teammate. More importantly, Bobby has done at least two tours of duty in Iraq in service to our country. See http://www.wickedlocal.com/walpole/news/lifestyle/health/x501035876

The motto of Bobby's National Guard unit is "Tenax Propositi" or Tenacious of Purpose. The simplicity yet powerful message of this motto resonated with me, and I have since tried to implemenet it in my personal and professional life, and in my service to Walpole. In looking for its origin, I came across this quote from Horace (the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus):

"Iustum et tenacem propositi virum non civium ardor prava iubentium,non vultus instantis tyranni mente quatit solida."

Which translates to: "The man who is tenacious of purpose in a rightful cause is not shaken from his firm resolve by the frenzy of his fellow citizens clamoring for what is wrong, or by the tyrant's threatening countenance."

The point of this post is that this saying somehow struck me as an appropriate philosophy of the Walpole Town Meeting. What do you think?

Thank You Walpole FinCom

2010-04-16T11:43:00.005-04:00

The following letter appeared on WalpoleNews.com this week. What a great primer for our Spring Town Meeting. This also gives me the opporunity to thank all fifteen members of the Finance Committee and Clare Abril for their monumentous efforts on behalf of the Town of Walpole, especially this time of year. It takes a special committment to be a member of any municipal board or committee, but these dedicated individuals spend an inordinate amount of time at their publice meetings on average of 6 to 8 hours per week during the Spring budget process, which does not begin to account for the many, many additional hours each one spends on these matters on his or her own time. On behalf of the Town of Walpole, my sincerest gratitude to each and every one of you!

To the Citizens of Walpole:
Government is expensive –and admittedly can sometimes be inefficient - but we should all take solace in the fact that public expenditures undergo far more rigorous scrutiny at the local level than by state or federal bureaucracies. For the most part, the Finance Committee, Board of Selectmen, School Committee, Town Administrator and Superintendent can tell you with exactitude how and where the approximately eighty million dollars that Walpole is projected to spend in FY 2011 is going to be used.

It’s no secret that the bulk of that $80 million will be spent on salaries and benefits for the Town’s current and former employees and that personnel costs have been going up faster than inflation. Yet, given the limits of Prop. 2 ½, the Town can count on only modest increases in the amount of revenue that can be raised by taxation each year. Without new construction – and there’s been little of that in these recessionary times – or increases in local aid – which have become even more scarce due to the state’s fiscal problems – the cumulative effect of rising health insurance costs and annual 3% “cost of living” adjustments, merit raises and step and lane increases mandated by collective bargaining agreements means that we start off every budget cycle in a hole. Town officials frequently point to the difference between the finite amount of additional revenue that can be raised each year from taxation and the much larger wage and benefit obligations as creating a “structural deficit” that can only be solved with new revenue sources.

There has also been an ingrained belief, not just in Walpole but everywhere in the public sector, that the services provided by school and municipal departments are so vital that the community should be willing to pay for them, no matter the cost or the financial condition of the Town. No one on the Finance Committee doubts the value of the services rendered by our school and municipal employees. However, as the Town’s workforce gets more senior, the same “level service” budget consumes an ever greater percentage of the overall revenue stream available.

This year in particular, with the School Department facing a multi million dollar shortfall due to already baked in wage increases and reductions in various types of state and federal aid, and with public safety and other town services being stressed to reach prior year levels, the Finance Committee, Selectmen, School Committee, Town Administrator and Superintendent came together early in the budget process to explore alternatives to “business as usual.” Specifically, we examined the propriety of giving “cost of living” increases at a time when many residents had been laid off or had seen their wages and benefits frozen. All agreed that a health insurance regime in which the Town had to pick up 80% of the premium cost for employees hired before July 1, 2003 who had health plans requiring only $5 co-pays seemed out of whack in the current environment. With this as a background, the Town fathers went to work with their various constituent groups and, after much negotiation and compromise, an entirely new budget emerged, one in which raises for all non-union and some union personnel were deferred or cut back and the Town’s health insurance costs were reduced substantially. The result of these measures has saved over $1 million dollars so far, with other municipal unions still involved in negotiations which may produce an even greater savings.

We say “saved” but, in reality, the Town will spend the same amount in FY 2011 after these changes to the budget are made as had been projected before. The savings comes back to the taxpayers in the form of an enhanced level of service. Remember, the amount that the Town can raise by taxation is fixed; it is how that amount is allocated that truly matters. A higher level of wages and a larger health insurance budget means fewer teachers and fewer municipal employees and services. It is that simple. The concessions made by some unions and the decision by the Board of Selectmen with respect to non-union personnel allowed the Finance Committee to direct additional amounts to the School Department budget and to other line items.

Unfortunately, these changes alone will not solve the School’s financial dilemma. That would require more and deeper concessions from the unions in terms of either wages or health insurance cost sharing or both. While the Finance Committee would have welcomed such concessions, please keep in mind that (1) the unions were under no obligation to agree to any changes in their existing contracts and (2), although the Town could impose a wage freeze on non-union personnel and reduce their health insurance benefits, putting non-union personnel at a significant disadvantage to their union brethren does not seem entirely fair.

Turning to the Articles on the Warrant, Article 3 adjusts the salary schedule of non-union personnel to reflect a 3% cost of living increase. Although the non-union personnel will not receive any COL adjustment until January 1, with the result that their overall increase for FY 2011 is 1.5%, their rate ofpay will be 3% higher on June 30, 2011 under this schedule. The vote on Article 2 was 7-4-3, with a minority of the Committee preferring that the salary schedule be adjusted by only the 1.5% increase the non-union personnel will in fact get over the entire year.

Thanks to Mother Nature and a boost in the FY 2010 snow and ice budget, Walpole’s snow and ice deficit is a mere $120,000 this year, down from $818,000 in FY 2009. Yes, we had to deal with the flooding from multiple “100 year storms” but, as the Town Administrator has been heard to remark, we don’t have to plow rain. Article 4 proposes to make up the snow and ice deficit by utilizing money from overlay surplus that the Assessors have released.

Article 5 would take an additional $174,000 from that overlay surplus and funds from the health insurance account to offset other shortfalls in the Town’s operating budgets for the current fiscal year, including Fire Department overtime and unemployment expenses.

Again this year, fiscal constraints have impacted greatly the amount that the Capital Budget Committee has at its disposal to maintain and improve our infrastructure, equipment and physical plant (see Articles 11-14, 18, and 19). The most significant projects include funding for the third and final year of a lease program for school computers ($150,000), a new road surface for East Street ($200,000), a new roof for the Bird Middle School ($400,000), and Phase Two of the renovations to the Delaney Water Treatment Plant ($750,000). All of these projects, with the exception of the school computers, will be paid for by borrowing, as there is little surplus available to fund them from Free Cash and that situation is unlikely to change in the next few years.

Voltaire famously said “the perfect is the enemy of the good.” (Actually, he said “le mieux est l'ennemi du bien” but most people take Spanish these days.). The Finance Committee had that sentiment in mind when we voted 11-1-1 in favor of Article 23 which, if approved by the voters in June, would permit the Town to borrow $8.5 million to fund construction of a new Police Station and the design of a new Central Fire Station. As in 2006, we heard from folks challenging the selection of the Robbins Road site, the design of the building, its projected cost, the wisdom of not combining Police and Fire in one centrally located facility, the absence of a concrete plan for the reuse of the old Town Hall, etc., but the Finance Committee believes the need is so great that postponing the process for another four years to find a perfect solution would be a mistake - and futile to boot.

There were several important Articles that the Finance Committee could not vote on prior to the publication date of this booklet. They include Articles 24 and 25 (dealing with changes to the Town’s Use Table to accommodate a Biotechnology Facility), Article 30 (to amend the Water Resource Protection District as it pertains to a parcel on Route 1), Articles 31-36 (union contracts which are still being negotiated) and possible additional Articles dealing with adopting local option meals and hotel taxes to raise revenue. We will vote on all Articles before Town Meeting begins on May 3.

The Finance Committee will hold a Public Hearing on all the Articles on the Warrant on Thursday, April 29, 2010, at 8:00 P.M. in Room 112 of the Walpole Town Hall.

Special thanks are extended once again to our very able Clerk, Clare Abril, for helping to guide the Committee in reviewing the Warrant and preparing for Town Meeting.

WALPOLE FINANCE COMMITTEE

Thomas P. Jalkut, Chairman
Stephen F. Connell, Vice-Chairman
Lynn P. Donovan, Secretary
Mary Ann Boragine
Thomas J. Bowen, Jr.
Debi Burke
Mark Gallivan
Mary Hickey
Mary Kent
Ralph E. Knobel
Carol A. Lane
Joanne Muti
Lawrence J. Pitman
John W. Stadtler
Paul Stasiukevicius

Clare P. Abril, Clerk

A Sad Day for the Town of Walpole

2010-04-07T23:00:00.002-04:00

The Town of Walpole lost one of its best citizens last week, as we all mourn the death of Stan Kelliher. Stan was a long-time member of the Finance Committee and a Town Meeting member. He is a person I have known most of my life, and he is a man who I have always admired and greatly respected.

Stan was born in Norwood but raised in East Walpole. As a member of the Walpole High School class of 1949, I believe he was a member of a state championship baseball team that included Joe Morgan and John Turco. When Stan returned to Walpole from the Korean War, he went to work in the East Walpole Post office, where he would remain for the next 42 years. Legend has it that in those 42 years, Stan never took a sick day. I don’t know if that’s true, but I wouldn’t doubt it, knowing Stan. You can read more about Stan’s full life at http://www.wickedlocal.com/walpole/newsnow/x1664793017/Obituary-E-Stanley-Kelliher-79.

I have known Stan for most of my life, and in many different capacities. I remember as a little kid going to the shoe store in South Norwood to get shoes from him. I worked for Stan as an umpire for the Babe Ruth league in the 1970’s. I also grew up in the same neighborhood with the Kellihers. Stan’s sons Mike and Tim were the best athletes in the neighborhood, so they ruled summer baseball at the High School and pond hockey on Clark’s Pond in the winter. In high school, I had the great honor to play football with Mike and Tim. Mike was co-captain of the 1975 team that went 9-0-1. Tim was tri-captain of the 1976 team that went 10-1 and won Walpole’s first Super Bowl. Both were excellent players and leaders (Mostly through fear and intimidation, but it worked!). Mr. Kelliher was a huge supporter of the program back then. He was always around and always had an encouraging word. He expected a lot from the players and obviously got if from his own: I always thought it must have been cool to be the father of consecutive captains of the Walpole Rebels, who went a combined 19-1-1 in the two years his two sons were captains. He was the Master of Ceremonies for our Super Bowl banquet, the night I was elected tri-captain for the 1977 season.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that in my opinion, the Kellihers had the most meticulously landscaped yard in Walpole, which Stan did himself. Actually ‘landscaped’ doesn’t do his yard justice; it was groomed to perfection every year.

Many years later, I got the chance to work with Stan. As most of you know, after retiring from the Post Office, Stan went to work for Delaney’s Funeral Home as a “dress man”, along with my father Ray Rockwood and a whole host of other characters. While I was in law school, I worked there once in a while as well, and got to know Stan all over again. There is a fair amount of waiting around as a dress man, and Stan was always a great guy to just talk to. I don’t think Jay’s crew will be the same without him.

Then, when I became Moderator in 2004, Stan was already on the Finance Committee, appointed to the committee by Jim Brady in 1999. I reappointed Stan in 2005 and 2008. Although Stan was quiet at meetings, he hardly ever missed a meeting, and his input and presence were appreciated by all members of the Committee. Stan stayed on the committee as long as he could, finally resigning in September 2009, when his health prohibited him from taking the active role Stan believed being a member of FinCom required. Despite his bona fide credentials as a Townie, Stan kept an open mind to every article that came before the Committee and gave every line in every budget his full attention and objective analysis. I think I can speak for FinCom in saying that he has been missed, and will continue to be missed. Also, like so many others, he had his regular seat at Town Meeting. For my first six years as Moderator, I could always count on Stan to be right there in the second row, and I will miss seeing him there as well.

Everyone who knew Stan will greatly miss him. My thoughts and prayers are with Mrs. Kelliher and all the whole family. Has any of the many groups in Walpole who celebrate a person-of-the-year ever done so posthumously? Now might be the time, because Stan Kelliher deserves such recognition.

Well, at least it wasn't this bad

2010-03-31T16:29:00.000-04:00

2010-03-31T16:19:00.006-04:00

Greetings Wet Citizens of Walpole,

The Town Meeting Rules Committee had a very productive session at our first meeting. Bob Damish is our chairperson, Kathy Garvin is our vice-chair. Our next meeting is on April 12, 2010, at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall.

While assembling some other towns' Town Meeting Rules for our committee to study, I came across three quotable quotes from the Town of Boxborough (Moderator John Fallon). I believe they apply to Walpole as well, especially the third one.

“It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” Sir Winston Churchill, Speech in House of Commons 1947.

“We were all friends and neighbors before this meeting; after this meeting we will still be neighbors; hopefully we will still be friends.” Reginald C. (Reg) Brown, Boxborough Town Moderator 1977 to 2005. [RIP; you are missed]

“Civility at Town Meeting is not an option.” Various and sundry Town Moderators in Massachusetts

Thanks

Jon

Town Meeting Rules Committee

2010-03-18T23:19:00.002-04:00

Hello and Welcome to Spring,

Thanks to Pat McConnell, the Town Meeting Rules Committee will have its first meeting on Monday, March 22, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall. Our Rules have not been reviewed in any systematic way in many years, so I am looking forwarding to this endeavor. If you have any suggestions on how we could make Town Meeting better from a rules perspective, please let me know.

I will keep you up to date on our progress, and you can look forward to a status report at the Spring Town Meeting on May 3rd.

Thanks

Jon

2010 Spring Annual Town Meeting Warrant

2010-03-18T22:32:00.003-04:00

ANNUAL SPRING TOWN MEETING WARRANT

TOWN OF WALPOLE

COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS

Norfolk, ss.

To any constable in the Town of Walpole

Greetings:

In the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, you are hereby directed to notify the inhabitants of the Town of Walpole, qualified to vote in elections in town affairs, to meet in the Auditorium of the Walpole High School in said Walpole on the

FIRST MONDAY IN MAY, IT BEING THE
THIRD DAY OF SAID MONTH, 2010

at 7:30 p.m. then and there to see if the Town will vote to amend the By-laws and Zoning By-laws to said Town and act on the on the following articles

ARTICLE 1: To hear and act on the report of any committee or to choose any committee the Town may think proper and transact any other business that may legally come before the Town. (Petition of the Board of Selectmen)

ARTICLE 2: To see if the Town will vote to approve any amendments to the Personnel By-laws as found on file in the office of the Town Clerk, or do or act anything in relation thereto (Petition of the Personnel Board)

ARTICLE 3: To see if the Town will vote to approve the new salary schedule as recommended by the Personnel Board as found on file in the office of the Town Clerk, or do or act anything in relation thereto. (Petition of the Personnel Board)

ARTICLE 4:: To see if the Town will vote to appropriate by transfer a sum of money to offset the financial impact of the snow and ice deficit on the current year tax levy, or to take any action relative thereto. (Petition of the Board of Selectmen)

ARTICLE 5: To see if the Town will vote to borrow and/or transfer from available funds, a supplemental sum or sums of money to the various operating budgets for Fiscal Year 2010 (July 1, 2009 to June 30 2010) and to see what budgets for Fiscal year 2010 will be reduced to offset said appropriations or reduced due to reductions in local aid, or do or act anything in relation thereto. (Petition of the Board of Selectmen)

ARTICLE 6: To see if the Town will vote to fix the salary and compensation for elected officials of the Town as provided for by the General Laws, Chapter 41, section 108, for their services for the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2010 and to see what sum or sums of money the Town will raise and appropriate or transfer from available funds to defray departmental and incidental expenses of the Town for the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2010 not otherwise provided for, or do or act anything in relation thereto. (Petition of the Board of Selectmen)

ARTICLE 7: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate and/or transfer from available funds a sum of money to the Water Service Enterprise fund to operate the Town of Walpole Water Service Department or to take any other action relative thereto. (Petition of the Sewer and Water Commissioners)

ARTICLE 8: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate and/or transfer from available funds a sum of money to the Sewer Enterprise fund to operate the Town of Walpole Sewer Department or to take any other action relative thereto. (Petition of the Sewer and Water Commissioners)

ARTICLE 9: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, and/or transfer such sum or sums of money as may be required for payment of unpaid bills of previous years, incurred by the departments, boards and officers of the Town of Walpole, or to take any action relative thereto. (Petition of the Board of Selectmen)

ARTICLE 10 : To see if the Town will vote to appropriate or transfer a sum or sums of money from available funds for the purpose of supplementing the stabilization fund as authorized by Chapter 40, Section 5B of the Massachusetts General Laws as amended, or take any action relative thereto. (Petition of the Board of Selectmen)

ARTICLE 11: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, borrow and/or transfer a sum or sums of money to implement a Capital Improvement Program, to protect, improve, and/or modify the physical infrastructure, including but not limited to municipal buildings, facilities, parking lots, fields and other properties, of the Town of Walpole or to take any action in relation thereto. (Petition of the Board of Selectmen)

ARTICLE 12: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, borrow and/or transfer a sum or sums of money as may be required for the purchase of capital equipment, including but not limited to vehicles, machinery, and computer/network systems, for the various departments of the Town of Walpole or take any action in relation thereto. (Petition of the Board of Selectmen)

ARTICLE 13: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, borrow and/or transfer a sum or sums of money to resurface, repair and /or reconstruct certain streets and/or sidewalks, to make drainage improvements in certain Town roads, and to rebuild certain manholes and catch basins in the Town or to take any action in relation thereto. (Petition of the Board of Selectmen)

ARTICLE 14: To see if the Town will vote to appropriate a sum of money for the improvements to various streets within the Town, consisting of the construction, reconstruction or resurfacing of public ways or the extension or widening thereof, including land damages and the cost of concrete, macadam or other pavement or road material of similar lasting character and sidewalks constructed or reconstructed in connection with such improvements; to determine whether this appropriation shall be raised by borrowing or otherwise; or to take any other action relative thereto. (Petition of the Board of Selectmen)

ARTICLE 15 : To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, borrow a sum or sums of money as may be required for the lease of equipment for the various departments of the Town of Walpole, or to take any action relative thereto. (Petition or the Board of Selectmen)

ARTICLE 16: To see if the Town will vote to accept awarded grants from State, Federal, private, and/or non-profit Agencies and to expend said funds without further appropriation and to raise and appropriate, borrow, and/or transfer a sum of money for required matches to such grants or take any action in relation thereto. (Petition of the Board of Selectmen)

ARTICLE 17: To see if the Town will vote to transfer a sum of money from the Ambulance Fund for the purpose of funding the Paramedic Training and Early Separation programs for Walpole Firefighters, or act or do anything in relation thereto. (Petition of the Board of Selectmen).”

ARTICLE 18: To see if the Town will vote to appropriate an additional sum of money for improvements to the Edward J. Delaney Water Treatment Plant; to determine whether this appropriate shall be raised by borrowing or otherwise, or to take any other action relative thereto. (Petition of the Sewer & Water Commission)

ARTICLE 19: To see if the Town will vote to appropriate an additional sum of money for making roof repairs to the Bird Middle School; to determine whether this appropriation shall be raised by borrowing or otherwise, or to take any other action relative thereto. (Petition of the Board of Selectmen)

ARTICLE 20: To see if the Town will vote to authorize the use of the following revolving funds pursuant to G.L. c.44 Section 53E ½ for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2010 to be credited with receipts from the following revenue sources, to be expended under the authority and direction of the following agencies or officials, for the following stated purposes, not to exceed the following spending limits, respectively:

FUND REVENUE
SOURCE AUTHORITY TO SPEND FUNDS USE OF FUND SPENDING LIMIT RESTRICTIONS
/COMMENTS
Library Services Receipts from copiers, the computer center, lost materials and instructional classes Library Trustees Support of copiers, computer center services and instructional classes $35,000 None
Senior Citizen Health Services Medicare reimbursement of flu and pneumonococcal vaccines Council On Aging Senior Citizen Health Related Expenses $20,000
None
Compost Bins Sale of Bins Board of Health Purchase of Compost Bins $10,000 None
Recreation Receipts from recreational programs Recreation Committee Recreational Programs & Services, including salaries & expenses. $448,000 None

Fire Alarm Maintenance Fire Alarm Master Box Charges Fire Department Maintenance of Town Fire Alarm System, including salaries & expenses. $20,000
None

Engineering Services & Inspections Inspection Fees Planning Board Inspections Of roadways, drains, utilities, & related construction of site plans,
subdivisions & roads, including salaries & expenses. $100,000
None

Turco Field
Maintenance Fund User Fees Parks Department Field maintenance, repairs, equipment and supplies including salaries and expenses $50,000 None
or to take any action in relation thereto. (Petition of the Board of Selectmen)

ARTICLE 21: To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of Selectman to acquire, for public parking purposes, the following described land on behalf of the Town by gift or otherwise from Omega Associates:

That certain parcel of land with all improvements thereon, commonly known as and numbered 133-135 Washington St, Walpole, Massachusetts, located on the corner of Washington Street and Mansion Drive (f/k/a Bird Drive), and more particularly described on that certain plan entitled: “133-135 Washington Street,” Plan of Land in Walpole, MA prepared by Guerriere & Halnon, Inc., dated August 27, 2009, a copy of which is on file with the Town Clerk. The property is further described on said plan as follows:

Beginning at a point, at the northerly intersection of Mansion Drive and Washington Street;

Thence, westerly by a curve along Mansion Drive, having a radius of 30.00 feet, a distance of 39.99 feet, to a point;

Thence, westerly by a curve along Mansion Drive, having a radius of 196.00 feet, a distance of 51.30 feet, to a point;

Thence N89° 41’ 30” W, by Mansion Drive, a distance of 10.65 feet, to a point;

Thence N 28° 55’ 35” E, by land N/F of the Bird Estate Limited Partnership, a distance of 122.69 feet, to a point;

Thence S 61° 04’ 25” E, by land N/F of the Bird Estate Limited Partnership, a distance of 80.00 feet to a point;

Thence 28° 55’ 35” W, by Washington Street, a distance of 70.00 feet, to the point of beginning.

Said property contains 8,339 sq. ft. according to said plan.

Or take any other action in relation thereto. (Petition of the Board of Selectmen)

ARTICLE 22: To see if the Town will vote in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 126 of the Acts of 1988, amending Section 4 of Chapter 73 of the Acts of 1986; for those who qualified under Chapter 59, Section 5; additional real estate tax exemption of 50% of exemptions for which said taxpayer qualify under the provisions as set forth therein for FY2011. or take any other action relative thereto. (Petition of the Board of Assessors)

ARTICLE 23: To see if the Town will vote to appropriate a sum of money to pay costs of (i) designing, constructing, originally equipping and furnishing a new police station, including the payment of project management and all other costs incidental and related thereto, and (ii) designing a new fire station, including the payment of project management and all other costs incidental and related thereto; to determine whether this appropriation shall be raised by borrowing or otherwise; or to take any other action relative thereto. (Petition of the Board of Selectmen)

ARTICLE 24: To see if the Town will vote to amend the Zoning By-Laws thereof as follows:

1. By adding in 5. WHOLESALE, INDUSTRIAL: Table 5-B.1 Use Table in Section 5-B, Schedule of Use Regulations, the following use:

USE DESCRIPTION RA RB GR R PSRC B CBD HB LM IND PARKING CODE
v. Biotechnology Facility X X X X X X X A A A 5

And to further amend Section 14: Definitions, 2. Selected Words and Terms:

1. By modifying the definition of “Biotechnology Facility” as follows:

BIOTECHNOLOGY FACILITY – A research, experimental, or testing or product development laboratory or manufacturing facility utilized for the application of scientific study of biological and life processes for medical application instruction and/or commercial purposes, but limited to uses which satisfy the safety requirements described herein as Biosafety Level 1 and Biosafety Level 2 as defined in Section 14 of the Zoning Bylaw and as otherwise regulated by the Town of Walpole. Any activity that includes a Biosafety Level above 2 is prohibited, except as otherwise expressly permitted elsewhere in the Zoning By-law.

2. By inserting, in order, the following definitions to read as follows:

Biosafety Level 1: Biosafety Level I include activities, practices, equipment, safety equipment, and facility design and construction that are appropriate for undergraduate and secondary educational training and teaching laboratories, and for other laboratories in which work is done with defined and characterized strains of viable microorganisms not known to consistently cause disease in healthy adult humans. Biosafety Level 1 represents a basic level of containment that relies on standard microbiological practices with no special primary or secondary barriers recommended, other than a sink for hand washing.

Biosafety Level 2: Biosafety Level 2 includes activities, practices, equipment, safety equipment, and facility design and construction that are appropriate for and applicable to clinical, diagnostic, teaching, and other laboratories in which work is done with the broad spectrum of indigenous moderate-risk agents that are present in the community and associated with human disease of varying severity. To qualify for this designation such agents shall be, with good microbiological techniques, capable of being used safely in activities conducted on the open bench, provided the potential for producing splashes or aerosols is low. Hepatitis B virus, HIV, the salmonellae, and Toxoplasma spp. are representative of microorganisms assigned to this containment level. Biosafety Level 2 shall be deemed appropriate when work is done with any human-derived blood, body fluids, tissues, or primary human cell lines where the presence of an infectious agent is be unknown. Even though organisms routinely manipulated at Biosafety Level 2 are not known to be transmissible by the aerosol route, procedures with aerosol or high splash potential that may increase the risk of such personnel exposure shall be conducted in primary containment equipment, or in devices such as a safety centrifuge cup. Other primary barriers shall be used as appropriate, such as splash shields, face protection, gowns, and gloves. Secondary barriers such as hand washing sinks and waste decontamination facilities shall be available to reduce potential environmental contamination.

Or to take any other action relative thereto. (Petition of the Board of Selectmen)

ARTICLE 25: To see if the Town will vote to amend the Walpole Zoning By-Laws by inserting a new Section 13 entitled Walpole Biotech Overlay District (WBOD), the text of which is on file and can be viewed in the offices of the Town Clerk, Board of Selectmen, and Planning Board, and to further amend the Zoning By-Laws by renumbering Section 13 Site Plan Review as Section 14 and Section 14 Definitions as Section 15, and to make all other housekeeping changes, including repagination and appropriate amendments to the Table of Contents, necessary for the insertion of this section 13, or act or do anything in relation thereto. (Petition of the Board of Selectmen).

ARTICLE 26: To see if the Town will vote to amend the Zoning Bylaw, Section 7: Sign Regulations, the text of which may be found in the office of the Town Clerk, Planning Board, and Board of Selectmen, and further to vote to amend the Zoning Bylaw, Section 14: Definitions, 2. Selected Words and Terms thereof as follows:

1. By adding to the definition of “SIGN, CHANGEABLE”, the following words:

SIGN, CHANGEABLE — A sign whose informational content can be changed or altered by manual or electric, electro-mechanical, or electronic means. Changeable signs include the following types:

(1) Manually Activated: Signs whose alphabetic, picto-graphic, or symbolic informational content can be changed or altered by manual means; and
(2) Electrically Activated: Signs whose alphabetic, picto-graphic, or symbolic informational content can be changed or altered on a fixed display surface composed of electrically illuminated or mechanically driven changeable segments. Includes the following two types:
(a) Fixed Message Electronic Signs: Signs whose basic informational content has been pre-programmed to include only certain types of information projection, such as time, temperature, predictable traffic conditions, or other events subject to prior programming; and
(b) Computer Controlled Variable Message Electronic Signs: Signs whose informational content can be changed or altered by means of computer-driven electronic impulses; and
(3) Electronic Message Centers: Signs capable of displaying words, symbols, figures or images that can be electronically changed by remote or automatic means.

Or act or do anything in relation thereto. (Petition of the Board of Selectmen )

ARTICLE 27: To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of Selectmen to acquire, on behalf of the Town, by purchase, gift or eminent domain, the fee to and/or permanent and temporary easements for public way purposes, including without limitation, drainage, utility, sidewalk, slope, construction and other related easements on the following Assessor parcels located on Washington Street, to facilitate construction of the project entitled Sidewalk/Roadway Improvements, shown on plans on file with the Town Clerk.
42-259, 42-258, 42-258, 42-256, 42-253, 42-251, 42-250, 42-249, 42-248, 42-247, 42-246, 42-245, 42-244, 42-242, 47-3, 47-4, 47-5, 47-88, 47-87, 47-86, 47-85, 47-84, 47-83, 47-82, 47-81-2, 47-81-1, 47-81, 47-80, 47-55, 47-54, 47-53, 47-52, 47-51, 47-50, 47-49, 53-271, 53-270, 53-269,
53-250, 53-249, 53-248, 53-247, 53-246, 53-245, 53-244, 53-243, 53-242, 53-241, 52-78, 53-239, 53-238, 53-237, 52-236, 53-234, 53-230, 53-225, 53-226, 53-272, 53-223, 53-222, 57-1, 53-221, 53-220, 53-219, 53-216

And to raise, appropriate, transfer from available funds, or borrow a sum of money for any and all costs associated with said sidewalk/roadway improvement project, or take any other action relative thereto. (Petition of the Board of Selectmen )

ARTICLE 28: To see if the town will vote, pursuant to M.G.L. c41 §110A, to determine whether any public office in the Town may remain closed on any or all Saturdays, or take any other action relative thereto. (Petition of the Board of Selectmen )

ARTICLE 29: To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of Selectmen to acquire, on behalf of the Town, Sight Distance Easements A and B, shown as “Proposed Sight Distance A 4893 sf +/-“ and “Proposed Sight Distance B 1307 sf +/- both as shown on that certain plan of land entitled “Easement Plan, Oakwood Estates, a Residential Subdivision, a Definitive Subdivision Plan of land in Walpole MA,” dated August 28, 2007, recorded as Plan 68 in Plan Book 576, and to appropriate a sum of $152.00 for recording said documents at the Registry of Deeds, or take any other action relative thereto. (Petition of the Board of Selectmen)

ARTICLE 30: To see if the Town will vote to amend the Water Resource Protection Overlay District map as identified in Section 12.2.B of the Town of Walpole Zoning Bylaw, to change those portions of Assessors Parcel 54-13 which are designated Area 2, Potential Water Supply Area, to Area 3, Primary Recharge Area, such that the entire assessors parcel will be designated Area 3, Primary Recharge Area; said parcel being shown on a plan of land entitled “Water Resource Protection Overlay District Map Change Plan of Land in Walpole, MA” with a scale of 1”=60’ and a date of January 8, 2010, prepared by Merrikin Engineering, LLP, 2 Milliston Road, Suite 1C, Millis, MA 02054; or any other action relative thereto. (Petition of Donnell W. Murphy et al.)

ARTICLE 31: To see if the Town will amend Zoning Bylaw, Section 10-B INDEPENDENT AND ASSISTED LIVING, subsection 1. by adding “or a Rural (R) District contiguous to Route 109” after GR and to amend subsection 1.F. by adding “ or a subsurface sewage disposal system in accordance with Title “5” in a Rural (R) District contiguous to Route 109” after the word sewer, or to take any action in relation thereto and correspondingly amend SECTION 5-b, Table 5-B.1 use table 3. RESIDENTIAL v. Independent and Assisted Living pursuant to Section 10-B to reflect said amendment. Or any other action relative thereto (Petition of Philip H. Macchi II et al.)

And you are hereby directed to serve this warrant by posting attested copies thereof in at least two public places in each precinct in said Town not less than seven days before the day appointed for said meeting.

Hereof fail not make due return of this warrant with your doings thereon to the Town Clerk before the day set for said meeting.

Given under our hands and the seal of the Town this ________day of ______________ in the year two thousand and ten.

BOARD OF SELECTMEN

__________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

By virtue of the within warrant I have notified the inhabitants of the Town of Walpole qualified to vote in elections and town affairs, to meet at the time and place for the purpose mentioned in said warrant by posting attested copies thereof in at least two public places in each precinct of said town not less than seven days before the day appointed for said meeting.

__________________________________
Constable

__________________________________
Date Posted

2010-03-05T13:30:00.000-05:00

Spring 2009 Annual Town Meeting

2009-05-07T23:09:00.003-04:00

Greetings,

I want to thank everyone who participated in this year's Town Meeting: those who helped to prepare, those members who attended, those who set up and cleaned the High School for us, those who broadcast us (although I learned that Town Meeting was not carried on FIOS - which is being investigated). It goes without saying that FinCom puts in an incredible amount of work for Spring Town meeting, as does Captial Budget, and it is a huge benefit for all the town hall staff who attends to answer Town Meeting's question. {I enjoy the irony in the fact that as moderator, I get to appoint the FinCom - the town "penny pinchers" whose primary purpose is to to watch the town's purse strings and save money, but also the Capital Budget committee, whose job it is is to go out and spend the Town's money on the coolest stuff it can find (dump trucks, fire engines, computers!)} I find myself working most closely with, and relying most heavily on, Town Clerk Ron Fucile and Town Administrator Michael Boynton, and I thank them for their advice and counsel.

I love Spring Town meeting for many reasons. The weather is getting nice, many people haven't seen each other in a long time, the youthful musicians who perform the National Anthem - it's a time for rejuvination and renewal, personally and as a town. Town Meeting made some difficult choices this year, but we (well, mostly YOU) proved once again that the system works.

As always, please contact me if you have any questions, suggestions or constructive criticism of how Town Meeting can be run better. It is your meeting, I am here merely to facilitate it.

Good luck to all candidates running for office in June. Hope to see you all at the various candidate events.

Thanks again.

Jon

P.S. Here is another interesting article about the New England town meeting, from a national perspective.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-04-28-town-meeting_N.htm

White Bridge

2009-03-20T11:58:00.004-04:00

These pictures have nothing to do with Town Meeting, but the White Bridge and the Dam are just two of my favorite places in Walpole. In reference to Town Meeting though, as of today, it looks like we will not be dealing with the Phase II Zoning Re-Write this Spring, maybe in the Fall.

Take Care

http://www.walpole-ma.gov/HistCommDocs/TownForest/images/White%20Bridge,%20Town%20Forest,%20Walpole_jpg.jpg

Walpole Town Forest

2009-03-20T11:43:00.001-04:00

Welcome to Walpole High - Location for Walpole Town Meeting

2009-03-05T18:34:00.003-05:00

Hi All,

Just playing around with different options, like uploading pictures. Here, of course, is the site of our Town Meetings, Walpole High School. As you may know, the High School is celebrating 100 years at its Common Street location this year. The event will be on April 15, 2009 at 6:00 p.m. at the High School.

The next post contains a link to a very interesting article about how many moderators stay in the position for decades

Take care.

Jon

Long Live the Moderators!

2009-03-05T16:23:00.004-05:00

Hi Everybody,

This article appeated in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette News on March 3 or 4. It's about some moderators in Massachusetts who have served as such for several decades. With permission of the author, please take a look and enjoy:

http://www.telegram.com/article/20090304/NEWS/903040426/1116

I have a long way to go to catch up with some of these guys!

Please contact me with any questions, comments or suggestions for May's Town Meeting.

Take care,

Jon

CONGRATULATIONS TO RTM DAVE SMOLINSKY

2009-02-11T09:52:00.003-05:00

Our heart-felt congratulations go out to Dave Smolinsky and his family for his recent promotion to Police Sergeant on the Walpole Police Force. Dave is also an RTM from Precinct 1!

Here's the story from today's Daily News Transcript

By Keith Ferguson/Daily News staff
Daily News Transcript
Posted Feb 11, 2009 @ 12:35 AM
WALPOLE —
Officer Dave Smolinsky, a Walpole native and 13-year veteran of the force, was promoted to sergeant last night in an unanimous vote by selectmen.
In his interview with selectmen, Smolinsky said participating in police programs that deal directly with the community has helped him in becoming a better leader.

"A lot of people think being a police officer is all about arresting bad guys," Smolinsky said. "There's a lot more we do."

Smolinsky has been heavily involved in the child passenger safety seat program in town and was integral in recently securing a $20,000 grant for safety equipment. He also signed up last year for the force's new school mentor program where officers are assigned to elementary schools to talk with students on occasion and develop positive relationships.

"When you deal with people in a positive fashion, it has a lasting impact," he told the selectmen.

Selectmen also considered Walpole Officers Chris Mackenzie and Joe Zanghetti for the promotion made available by the retirement of Sgt. Steven Kenney some time ago.

Selectmen Chairman Cathie Winston commented several times how lucky the town is to have three very qualified in-house candidates.

Ultimately the board relied on the recommendations of Police Chief Richard Stillman and the department's commanding officers to break what Selectmen Chris Timson called a "photo finish" between the applicants.
"They're three good guys," Stillman told the board. "You would have made a good decision with any of them."

The chief did add that making a recommendation was difficult since all of them show great potential. He assured the board, who were disheartened about telling Mackenzie and Zanghetti, that the two young officers would receive plenty of other opportunities for promotion.

Smolinsky said he sought the promotion so he could help improve the department and guide new officers in the department.
He said he is aware times are tough, but he would eventually like to see more officers on the force, improve technology and have the department pay for more training courses for officers.

The biggest obstacle in becoming a sergeant, Smolinsky said, would simply be acclimating himself to the new position and its responsibilities.
Smolinsky grew up on Winter Street and has lived in Walpole for 35 years. He now lives in East Walpole.

Best of luck in he new position Dave, and we look forward to seeing you around town, and at Town Meeting in May.

JWR

2009-02-04T13:02:00.001-05:00

Hello Folks,

This Notice about the upcoming Public Forum was published by the
Zoning ReWrite Committee today, February 4, 2009.

Hope to see you there. Thanks.

Jon

NOTICE OF PUBLIC FORUM on
ZONING BYLAW REWRITE
Phase 2, Use Table

Tuesday, February 10, 2009, 7:00 P.M.
Auditorium, Johnson Middle School, Robbins Road

The purpose of this public forum is to provide an opportunity for Representative Town Meeting members and other Walpole residents and interested parties to obtain a full understanding of work to date on the proposed changes to the Use Table of the Zoning Bylaw, which is described as Phase 2 of the Town’s comprehensive rewrite of the Zoning Bylaw, and which will be an article on the Walpole 2009 Spring Town Meeting. Members of the consultant team working on the rewrite, the Horsley Witten Group, will be giving the presentation. Questions on the proposed changes to the Use Table will be answered, but specific recommendations or suggestions for further changes to the Use Table should be directed to the Planning Board at the official Hearing on this Town Meeting article, which will take place on March 19, 2009. In the interim, recommendations or suggestions for further changes to the Use Table may be sent by email to the Planning Board at djohnson@walpole-ma.gov.

Something We All Should Be Aware Of

2009-01-17T15:58:00.005-05:00

Hope everyone is surviving the cold weather. Don't worry, by Spring Town Meeting, the flowers will be in bloom, the Red Sox will be playing, and the negative 2 degrees I saw on the Walpole Coop Clock yesterday morning will be long forgotten.

In keeping with the theme of my most previous post, which is unfortunately our ongoing municipal fiscal crisis, I though I would post the following here. It is available on the Town Website, but I'd like to have in on this site as well. The MMMA report is only seven pages, but contains some really good ideas - many of which may come before you at Town Meeting at some point in the future.

Here goes:

From Michael E. Boynton, Town Administrator:

On Tuesday January 13, 2009, the Walpole Board of Selectmen voted to endorse and recommend the proposals for Municipal Relief presented by the Massachusetts Municipal Management Association. In these times of severe economic distress, it is critical that cities and towns across Massachusetts be provided with tools such as those listed in the MMMA document to control costs and better manage budgets. This endorsement and recommendation has been transmitted to Walpole’s Legislative Delegation (Senator Timilty, Representatives Kafka, McMurtry, Rogers and Ross) for their action on Beacon Hill.

Proposals for Municipal Relief

Take a look and see what you think. Thanks.

Jon

2009-01-15T21:07:00.003-05:00

Hi Folks,

First off Happy New Year. I hope you all enjoyed the holiday season. It has been a while since I have posted anything here, and it's good to be back.

As you will see below, it is not going to be a happy fiscal new year. In fact, the news is bleak. Michael Boynton authorized me to share the email below with you. This is the environment in which the Town will be creating the FY '10 budget that we will be reviewing and voting on at Town Meeting in May.

Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments, and I am sure Mike Boynton would be happy to talk to you as well.

Take care.

Jon

----- Original Message -----
From: Michael Boynton
To: Jalkut, Tom ; Abril, Clare - BOS & FinCom ; Lynch, Lincoln ; Nancy Gallivan ; Berube, Cindy - BOS ; Cathie Winston ; Chris Timson ; Cliff Snuffer ; DeNapoli, Al ; Johnson, James ; Sullivan, Dave
Cc:

Sent: Tuesday, January 13, 2009 5:24 PM
Subject: Town Financial Picture - Spending Restrictions

Hello All,

At 3:45PM today I held an emergency meeting with Town Department Heads. The topic was our growing local deficit projection for FY’09, as well as projections for FY’10. FY’09’s outlook as of current is as follows:

Interest Income: $150,000 expected shortfall
MV Excise Income: $300,000 expected shortfall based on commitment now being sent out
Snow & Ice Deficit: $400,000 projected (likely higher based on today’s $201,000 actual deficit)
MINIMUM PROJECTION: $850,000 DEFICIT (not including any additional State Aid cuts)

In addition, we continue to monitor other department budgets that are trending toward a deficit, such as the Fire Department, and will work with the Board of Selectmen and FinCom to address those as soon as possible.

As a result of this, I have instituted the following:

1) Emergency/Contractual Spending Only (repairs, must-do maintenance, contracts, etc.)
2) All Purchase Orders over $100 to be reviewed by Town Administrator.
3) Town Administrator to approve any scheduled overtime (non-public safety).
4) Finance Team to review all existing FY’09 accounts with large balances for possible reallocation.
5) Personnel & Asst. TA to review Insurance Accounts for any projected surplus.
6) Dept. Heads to review operations and recommend any additional cost savings opportunities.

These measures alone will not close the above gap. The following options must be considered, but not finalized until full extent of State Aid cuts are known:

1) Use of a portion of cash reserves
- Free Cash $850,000 ($1.7m balance – hold $850,000 for FY’10 uses)
- Debt Reserve Stabilization Fund $350,000 ($767,000 balance – possibly use more as needed)
- General Stabilization Fund $ ??? ($1.3m balance – last resort)

2) Accelerate POSSIBLE layoffs projected for FY’10.

As far as FY’2010 projections are not at all better. We are anticipating the following at this time:

1) 10% State Aid Reduction from FY’09 base ($1.1m – without Foundation Budget Increase, Net Effect = $2m +/-)
2) 20% Motor Vehicle Excise Reduction ($600,000+)
3) 41% Interest Income Reduction ($175,000)
4) $0 In Prison Mitigation (Suggested: NEVER Again into budgets if we EVER get it back).

The impacts of these cuts are approaching $4m in shortfalls (higher with 5.9% School Budget Increase).

As soon as the Governor’s FY’09 and/or FY’10 budget(s) are announced, we will rapidly need to put a plan in place to address the shortfall. I appreciate any and all assistance you and your Boards can provide. I am confident that we can work through the challenges, and invite you to call me with any questions you may have.

Thank you!!

Michael

Fall 2008 Town Meeting

2008-09-18T12:35:00.004-04:00

Greetings everyone!

I hope each and every one of you had a restful and enjoyable summer. I love this time of year because Town Meeting is only about one month away. Monday, October 20, 2008 will be the first night. Information packets will be going out to our 18 new Town Meeting Representatives within a day or two. Also, our Introduction to Town Meeting class is currently scheduled for Monday, October 6, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. in the Newall Senior Center. I will confirm this in plenty of time. The "class" is geared specifically for new RTMs, but of course all of you, and the public, are more than welcome to attend. There is no final exam!

Obviously, I am still a novice at blogging. I do have the Warrant for Town Meeting. (You will be getting it in the mail sometime later.) I wanted to post it here somehow, just not the whole thing because it is 24 Articles. I do have it in an attachment to an email, so if you like to get a head start in looking at the Warrant, just drop me a quick email, and I will forward you in Word and .pdf versions.

That's it for now. Please contact me anytime with any questions you may have.

Jon

Congratulations New Town Meeting Representatives

2008-06-12T00:32:00.004-04:00

First of all, thank you to all the voters who re-elected me to be your Moderator. This will be my fifth term, and I am more excited about this year than ever! As always, I will try to make Town Meeting as meaningful and productive an experience for all RTMs as possible. We owe our citizens alot - it seems now more than ever. So, let's keep working together to provide Walpole with the best government we can.

Conratulations to the 18 new Walpole RTMs. I look forward to working with you. You can expect to be hearing about our orientation meeting sometime in mid to late September. Here are the new reps:

Precinct 1
Larry Pitman
Mary Towle

Precinct 2
Karen Fallon
Christopher Maloof

Precinct 3
Joanne Damish
Ron Mariani

Precinct 4
Richard Brown
Peter Scott
Gerald Sheppard

Precinct 5
John Murtagh
Martha Ann O'Connell
John Vaillancourt

Precinct 6
Ann Marie Kannally

Precinct 7
Ann Dedrick
Susan Kelly

Precinct 8
Cathryn Conti
Theresa Montminy
Richard Regan

I have known some of you for many years, some of you I have recently met, and I look forward to meeting everyone else. I welcome you to Town Meeting, and I look forward to working with each and every one of you. You can and should contact me at any time with any questions you may have. For the Representatives no longer serving, the Town thanks you for your valuable service.

It looks like Precinct 3 went for the experience factor, by picking two very seasoned veterans in Joanne Damish and Ron Mariani, both of whom are former selectmen (persons?).

This got me to thinking, and by my calculations, Walpole Town meeting now has 12 current and former selectmen as town meeting representatives. If I missed anyone, I aplogize. This group of people represents a tremendous amount of collective knowledge and wisdom about town government. They could be a great resource for new RTMs, and I'm sure they wouldn't mind acting as a soundingboard if you had any questions or suggestions. Each one cares deeply about the welfare of Walpole. Thye are:

Clem Boragine
Michael Caron
Joanne Damish
Joe Denneen
Al DiNapoli
Susan Maguire
Ron Mariani
Joanne Muti
Jim O’Neil
Cliff Snuffer
Chris Timson
Cathie Winston

I guess that's it for now. Again, congratulations to all new RTMs. Welcome, and I hope to see you soon.

Jon

Spring 2008 Town Meeting

2008-04-30T08:10:00.001-04:00

Hello Town Meeting Members,

I am in full preparation mode for next Monday night's Spring Town Meeting, as I am sure you are. There are 46 articles on the warrant. Some we see every year at this time (budgets, snow and ice deficit, street acceptances, enterprise funds, revolving funds), and some articles, like those concerning the Economic Development Industrial Commission (EDIC) {Articles 30-34}, are new. You will also consider whether to buy a new fire truck, among many other capital items.

Our workload may be diminished somewhat, because, from what I understand, none of the contracts (Articles 25 through 29, inclusive) are ready for your review and/or vote yet. Those articles may all be for no action. Also, we have 6 street acceptances {Articles 35-40}, and if appropriate, and with your consent, you may choose to vote those as a block.

Having at least some of the TELLERS identified before the Special Town Meeting was a real time-saver on the night of Town Meeting. Therefore, if anyone knows now they would like to be a TELLER for the Spring Town Meeting, please let me know.

If anyone has any questions or comments before Monday, I would enjoy hearing from you. Thank you.

Jon

2008-03-08T22:33:00.005-05:00

Here is some important information about the Walpole Special Town meeting to be held on Monday, March 10, 2008.

Due to the intense interest in the subject matter of the Special Town Meeting, we are expecting a large turnout on Monday night. Some people may be unfamiliar with Town Meeting procedures in general, and a Town Meeting at Johnson has its own set of peculiarities. Town Meeting was held at Johnson Middle School until 2003. We are back there for this Town Meeting because the Walpole High School play had been scheduled for the same night. As usual, thanks to Walpole Cable Television, the meeting will be televised.

Preliminarily, first let me start off by saying that, as the Town Moderator, I express no opinion on any of the three articles before Town Meeting. The Moderator must be an impartial official, who by statute, presides and regulates the proceedings, deciding all questions of order, and making public all votes. I sometimes analogize my role as that of umpire or referee. I have no interest in the outcome of the game, only that the game is played fairly and by the rules. I have no vote that would influence the outcome of any particular article. My objective by posting this announcement is to ensure that Town Meeting runs as smoothly and fairly as possible. Again, nothing herein is to be construed as a position one way or the other on any of the articles.

I do feel it is important for me to try to clear up some misconceptions that have recently come to my attention. This town meeting is about the Town’s zoning by-laws, and not about the Competitive Power Ventures power plant proposal per se. It is not a referendum on the CPV proposal, and it is not, as some citizens have wondered, a vote by Town meeting to approve or not approve the CPV proposal. While it might become germane during our debate on Article 2 to discuss power plants in general, this particular project is not the focus of this Town Meeting. I have been asked whether CPV was going to give a presentation to Town Meeting. I can assure you they are not. And to keep the debate on track, no placards, signs, balloons, posters, etc., either in favor of or against CPV, will be allowed inside the Johnson Auditorium or the cafeteria. Written material for display or to be handed out is allowed inside the building, as discussed below.

Normally at Town Meeting, I just announce the procedural rules at the beginning of the meeting. Town Meeting members are very familiar with these rules. For this meeting, since we expect some people who may be unfamiliar to the rules of Town Meeting, I wanted to summarize some of the rules for you.

Civility

I introduce the meeting by stating that we should treasure this form of government, because through open deliberation, we can achieve the best decisions for the Town of Walpole. We may see some spirited debate over a number of issues on Monday evening. Please let me be clear: I require the debate to remain on the issues, and respectful at all times. You have elected me to run Town Meeting with proper decorum, and I intend to do so.

Seating

Please note that RTM members, town officials, member of town boards or committees, should sit in the front portion of the Johnson Auditorium. There is an aisle that creates this natural break. All other visitors must please sit on the other side of the break, toward the rear of the Auditorium. This line of demarcation is done to ensure accurate voting.

Due to the expected crowds, Town Clerk Ron Fucile, WCTV, school officials, and the Building Department have made arrangements to accommodate overflow attendance by having the Johnson Cafeteria rigged for sound and with two TVs. The Walpole Fire Department will be on hand to monitor safe room capacity. If the Auditorium seating if full when you arrive, there will be ample seating in the Cafeteria.

Speaking and Use of Written Materials

At Walpole Town Meetings, we follow a set format for speakers, in order of priority, as follows:
1. Primary spokesperson for or against the motion
2. FINCOM spokesperson
3. Town Officials with relevance to the motion
4. RTM Members
5. Walpole citizens: must identify themselves and their address. Initially have 5 minutes, which can be enlarged by Town Meeting vote

For non-residents attendees, the practice Town Meeting has followed in the past, and we will use Monday night is this. I will accept a motion from an RTM and second to allow the non-resident to speak. The speaker may address Town Meeting if a simple majority of RTM members agree. The speaker is initially limited to 5 minutes. Town Meeting may vote to extend the time. If you are a non-resident who wishes to speak, or know of someone who wishes to speak, please see me no later than 7:15 p.m. on Monday night.

When you are recognized to speak, please wait for a microphone. We have student volunteers from the WHS National Honor Society, called runners, who will bring the microphone to you. You must address all questions, and comments through the Moderator.

For any speaker, if you use facts and figures when speaking, please reference your source. If the source is a document, please have copies available to the members. These copies should be place on tables outside the auditorium where RTMs check in.

Town Meeting Rule 13 states as follows: "Any written information distributed, inside the building, to Town Meeting Representatives must be identifiable as to the responsible individual. In the case of a committee or citizen group, written information, distributed inside the building, must include the name of the Chairman or authorized representative of said group."

Tellers

Our first form of taking a vote is by voice vote. If I can't tell which side prevails by the 'loudness' if you will, I call for a standing vote. That's where the Tellers come in. There are two tellers assigned to each of the three main section of the auditorium. I ask for the six Tellers’ votes first. Then, I ask all those RTMs voting ‘yes’ to stand. The two tellers for each section count the standing people. They compare to come up with an agreed number. Then I have the people sit, and ask those voting ‘no’ to stand. The Tellers count those, and between the two, come up with an agreed number. Then I ask the Tellers to report the yes's and no's. The Town Clerk and I tally up the Tellers’ yes and no votes with the votes the Tellers have reported, and determine whether the vote has passed or not.

There are many more nuances of our rules too numerous to mention here. These are the most important for Monday night. Walpole’s full set of Town Meeting Rules can be found on the Town of Walpole website on the Town Clerk’s page. The direct link to the Rules is http://th.walpole.ma.us/TMrules.pdf

If you have any questions or comments, please contact me in any of the following ways:

Home phone (508) 668-4073
Cell (508) 468-5771
Home email: jon.rockwood@verizon.net

Monday, I can be reached at work:

Work email: jrockwood@gelermanbuschmann.com
Work phone: (781) 769-6900
Cell (508) 468-5771

Thank you very much for your attention and I look forward to seeing you Monday night.

Jon Rockwood, Moderator

2008-02-13T22:22:00.004-05:00

Belated Happy New Year everyone. Because the Special Town Meeting was set up to deal with a zoning re-write, we knew it was going to be very important. However, it has become somewhat complicated, and we, as a Town Meeting, need to keep our "eye on the ball" so to speak. The Special Town Meeting is now less than one month away. Last night's (February 12, 2008) selectmen's meeting dealt in large part with whether there would be one, two, or three articles. With the permission of the author, I am posting an article from today's online version of the The Daily Transcript. Thanks to Jeb Bobseine, and as you will see, his article captures some of the complexities that we, as Town Meeting, will be asked to deal with.

By Jeb Bobseine, Daily News staff
GateHouse News Service
Wed Feb 13, 2008, 01:17 AM EST

WALPOLE -
A special Town Meeting next month will vote on what businesses will be allowed in town.Last night, the Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to support articles 1 and 2 on the warrant.The special Town Meeting is scheduled for March 10, and will deal with the zoning bylaws rewrite that has taken place over the last six months.

The zoning work has been overseen by the Planning Board as well as the consulting firm Horsley Witten Group. The zoning bylaws in article 1 have been characterized as the first introduction between the town and businesses hoping to come here. Town Meeting will vote on whether to offer the ``welcome mat'' for businesses ranging from a restaurant to a power plant.Selectmen Chairman Al DeNapoli credited the time and energy the Planning Board put into the rewrite.

Town Meeting will also debate article 2, which would determine what businesses should be allowed in what zoning areas, if at all. This article would amend the table of uses to ban coal elevators, sawmills and bulk petroleum storage plants anyplace in Walpole, as well as giving the town control over ``any other lawful uses,'' according to Town Administrator Michael Boynton.

This article emerged from the debate over the proposed power plant in South Walpole.In December, the public outcry by hundreds of residents over certain ``noxious uses'' caused selectmen to work with the Planning Board to specify what types of business should be allowed in town.{ At the time, Boynton said the concern was that any lawful use that is not included specifically in the ``table of uses'' in a new zoning bylaw would be allowed in.}A final public forum on the zoning bylaw rewrite will be held tomorrow night in Town Hall.

The Planning Board and the Finance Committee will discuss both article 1 and 2, and make their final recommendations.Selectmen Vice Chairman Chris Timson hoped the two boards could come together on the two articles.

Planning Board member Nancy MacKenzie said this was not the case, yet.In a final move{ that even DeNapoli agreed was initially confusing}, selectmen voted to add a third article to the warrant.In the event that article 1 is not passed, the town would still be governed by the existing zoning bylaws, and not the rewrite, Boynton explained.If article 1 fails, article 3 would amend the current bylaw to include the specific disallowed uses in article 2. ``It's a Band-Aid, a good Band-Aid,'' DeNapoli said.

It would make it so that ``if it's not listed, it's not allowed,'' Boynton said.

Jeb Bobseine can be reached at jeb@walpoletimes.com or 508-668-0243, ext. 13.

2007-12-16T16:44:00.000-05:00

Please access the link below to read a very interesting federal case about a Massachusetts Town Meeting.

http://www.ca1.uscourts.gov/pdf.opinions/07-1876-01A.pdf

Briefly, the ruling is as follows: Where a judge refused to issue a preliminary injunction mandating that plaintiffs, who owned property in a town but were not registered to vote there, be allowed to speak at a town meeting, the judge acted permissibly and no violation of the plaintiffs' First Amendment rights occurred.

Thanks to Rolly Cuniff, Precint 4, for sending it along to me.

Happy Holidays everyone.

RTM Mildred Rockwood Has Passed Away

2007-11-28T22:53:00.001-05:00

It is with a sad heart that I report here that long-time RTM Mildred Rockwood passed away this morning, at the age of 87. Of course, she was "Auntie Millie" to me, and was simply a wonderful woman. She was so very supportive of my involvement as Moderator. She loved being an RTM, and even up until the very end, there was very little that happened in town where Millie was not one of the first to know (having the police scanner going all the time helped). Even with the untimely deaths of her husband Rocky in 1975 and son Alan in 2003, Millie seemed to enjoy life more than most people I know. A loving family (which included about half of Walpole), 12 grandchildren, and this great town of Walpole were her sources of great pleasure in life. So, Auntie Millie, who always sat in the first seat of the last row of the left section at Town meeting, say hello to Uncle Rocky and Moody for us, and know that Walpole Town Meeting will miss you terribly.

The announcement from Delaney's Funeral Home can be accessed below.

http://www.meaningfulfunerals.net/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=166385&fh_id=10354&s_id=A157652498F2D30453C18AC8F530643E

2007-11-09T21:40:00.000-05:00

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING SESSION
on
ZONING BY-LAWS REWRITEThursday, November 29, 2007
7:00 P.M.
Town Hall – Main Meeting Room

This public meeting session will be the second in a series of four focused sessions on specific sections of the Town’s comprehensive rewrite of the Zoning By-Laws. The specific Sections of the rewrite that will be addressed on November 29 are:
· SECTION 5: USE REGULATIONS
· SECTION 6: DIMENSIONAL REGULATIONS
· SECTION 7: SIGN REGULATIONS
· SECTION 8: PARKING REGULATIONS

These four public meeting sessions are providing an opportunity for Walpole residents to comment on text changes proposed within the rewrite in preparation of the articles that will be presented for the special Town Meeting scheduled for March 10, 2008 to specifically address the comprehensive rewrite of the Zoning By-Laws. Members of the consultant team, Zoning Study Committee, Planning Board, and staff, all of who are working on the rewrite will be in attendance to present work to date on the rewrite and to seek public input. A complete copy of the existing Zoning By-Laws and a complete draft of the text of the Zoning By-Laws rewrite are available for viewing on the Town web site. Hard copies of a side-by-side comparison of the text of the existing Zoning By-Laws and the draft of the Zoning By-Laws rewrite are available in the Planning Board office. Any and all comments and suggestions are welcomed and encouraged.

Welcome!

2007-11-07T21:44:00.000-05:00

Welcome Town of Walpole to the Moderator's Blog. Hopefully we can do some creative and interesting things here, to make Walpole Town Meeting more meaningful for RTM and citizens' alike.

Over the next several months, Walpole Town Meeting will likely be called upon to vote on two very important issues. One is zoning, and the other is the proposed PILOT agreement for the power plant proposal. Perhaps those two issues can general some discussion here.

Comments are always welcome. Thanks.