2014 Town Meeting - Night Two

We've continued to be busy at town meeting!  Tonight started with the opening of our Special Town Meeting.  This is intended to be a quick mini-meeting with items that need to be addressed quickly.  This is so the results can be sent immediately to the AG's office for approval.  This works in theory, but not so well this year.

The first article was to increase the number of restaurants eligible for an all-alcohol license from 15 to 20.  The revised number would still be less than half the maximum the town could approve.  After some lively debate, we voted in favor of the change.  This will appear on an upcoming ballot for all residents to cast their vote as well.  It might well be on the fall ballot.

We then passed several financial articles in quick succession.  They all involved transfers within the current year's budget.  We passed transfers to the Arlington Youth Counseling Center and the Ed Burns Arena from their respective reserve funds.  We approved a pay increase for the Patrolmen reached under collective bargaining.  We approved a transfer from our insurance account to cover the water damage to the Pierce School.  (That was fun; a lot of speakers tried to figure out who we could sue to recuperate our losses.  Sometimes things just break.)  There was a well deserved note of appreciation to the students at Pierce who organized a drive to restock their library after the loss of books.

We had to adjourn the special meeting with one item on the table.  There is an outstanding article regarding the capital budget and the Central Fire Station rebuild.  The size of the request will be tied to the size of the construction bids, which are not due until May 8.  This means, we cannot vote on this article and close the special until May 12.  This may well be the final day of the regular meeting as well.  (knock, knock)

We then went back to our regular meeting and the discussion about parking in the cemetery.  There was an amendment to the proposed language to exclude visitors to the cemetery from fines instead of only those on cemetery business.    There was a good debate, and it sounded like the motion would carry.  The amendment passed, but the substitute motion failed.  I had voted for it, because I felt it encouraged a reasoned approach to having fines.  The vote of no action passed, so the status quo remains.  I only hope the police department and selectmen will pass some appropriate regulations on their own.

We then kicked it up a notch, approving an honorary position as Arlington's Poet Laureate, expanding and improving the town's regulations to allow for more varied street performances, and changing the name of the Cultural Commission to the Arlington Commission on Arts and Culture (to avoid confusion with the Cultural Council).

We finished the night by correcting a bad situation created by the town long ago.  A property on Venner Road had an easement placed on it in the 40's to allow for the extension of Venner Road to Spring Street.  This was never enacted, but it's placement made the majority of the parcel unbuildable.  This had recently become critical as the owners were unable to sell their property due to the presence of that easement.  The town and the owners had an agreement to sell the easement back to the town for the original sale price (corrected for inflation) plus the amount the owners saved on their property taxes over the previous 15 years.  (Unbuildable land is taxed at a lower rate.)  There was one meeting member who felt this last provision was tantamount to extortion, since it is not required by law.  I would have to believe it was still less than if the basis had been the value of the land rather than the sale price.  The deal was readily approved, and we quickly adjourned for the night.

Just a side note:  we often have youth sports teams hold a bake sale during town meeting.  I find this critical, as there is no where else to get a drink and a snack and get back before break is over, especially at 9:30.  We didn't have anyone this session, and I really missed it.  This is easy money - please sell us goodies, and more importantly, your coffee!