2018 Town Meeting - Night Three

I wasn't able to get to Town Meeting tonight until around 8:30.  I had a work commitment in Billerica at 8:00 for all of 10 minutes.  However, I ended up just missing the presentation, discussion, and vote on the Minuteman School budget.

Next up was the Town Budget Appropriation.  First, we participated in what has been a common occurrence this year, correcting typos.  (More on that later.)  We then started going through the budgets one-by-one.  We had the usual "how much salt did we use" discussions, the "why are we spending so much more on this this year than last year" questions, and the "while we're discussing this department's budget, I have a question about the department" questions.

We made it through all but four of the budgets tonight, including the school budget.  On Wednesday night, we will start with the Special Town Meeting.  This seven article meeting is called to address issues that need to move on a quicker pace.  We should be able to do it in less than a night.

We have seen an unusually large number of typos in the reports issued to town meeting this year.  The authors are all very apologetic, and I understand how they arise.  It is however, disconcerting to not be certain that the information being presented is accurate.  I hope that the committees can give themselves the extra time that they need to proofread their information next year.

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What happens on the floor of Town Meeting is only a part of the meeting.  The conversations that take place at the break and immediately after adjourning are a huge part of what we do.  I had a conversation with the Building Commissioner regarding a constituent matter, the ZBA budget, and what the department does with incoming fees.  I then spoke with the Police Chief about reporting overnight parking violations.  I was able to find out whether a particular project was eligible for Symmes Fund funding.  Lastly, I was able to speak with the DPW Director about the signal at Swan Place.  These conversations are possible because all of the department heads need to be at Town Meeting to answer questions and defend their budget requests.  This is the most informative aspect of Town Meeting