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 The 2008 Town Meeting concluded on Wednesday, May 28, after backing a selectmen-supported home-rule petition that aims to control subdivisions. Read the proposal here >>. After extended debate, a number of amendments were rejected on voice votes, and the selectmen's motion passed, 132-14.
2008 Town Meeting information
Meeting No. 9 (May 28)
Meeting No. 9 of the 2008 Town Meeting on Wednesday, May 28, approved requests to the state Legislature to enact subdivision control tailored to Arlington and allow pension-obligation bonds. For
unofficial details
and comment about May 19, see Dan Dunn's blog. For official details, see the town's Web site.
Meeting No. 8 (May 21)
Meeting No. 8 of the 2008 Town Meeting on Wednesday, May 21, approved
school and town budgets among many articles as progress picked up. For
unofficial details
and comment about May 19, see Dan Dunn's blog. For official details, see the town's Web site.
Members consideredan amendment from Fincom Chair Allan Tosti aimed at clarifying Article 44, which deals post retirement benefits. Tosti wrote to the Town Meeting e-mail list May 21:
"The problem is not with the FinCom recommendation on
Article 44, but with he insurance budget. The State statute was not
well written and requires that all benefits for retirees go through this new
account created by this article. The Town Counsel agrees that there is
nothing illegal in the FinCom proposal, but that we have to require that the
benefit premiums for retirees be paid through this new account. That
is what the amended budget does and the language has been agreed to by Town
Counsel, the Town Manager, Comptroller and Treasurer.
"The procedure
that I will recommend to you on Wednesday night is to finish the budgets
first, including this amendment to the Insurance budget. If we can
finish the budgets reasonably quickly, reconsideration of Article 44 will be
moved and voted and then we will move to Minuteman. If the budgets take
too long, we can move right to Minuteman and then OPEB. If we can
finish the budgets, Minuteman and the OPEB articles on Wednesday, it will be
a good night.
Meeting No. 7 (May 19)
On Monday, May 19, meeting No. 7 approved the capital budget and
rejected a retirement measure for spouses. For unofficial details
and comment about May 19, see Dan Dunn's blog. For official details, see the town's Web site.
Report about Thompson, Stratton
Meeting No. 6 (May 14)
Meeting No. 6 of the 2008 Town Meeting, held Wednesday, May 14,
approved six articles, clearing the way for candidates who are older
than 32 to seek jobs in police and fire departments. The meeting
continued to discuss the capital budget. For unofficial details
and comment, see Dan Dunn's blog. For official details, see the town's Web site.
Meeting No. 5 (May 12)
Meeting No. 5 of the 2008 Town Meeting, held Monday, May 12, rejected a
number of attempts to change the current bylaw controlling dog behavior
and sided with the selectmen's call to let the Green Dog program have
another year to determine solutions. For unofficial details
and comment, see Dan Dunn's blog. For official details, see the town's Web site. The meeting also:
- Approved no action on a second dog-related article (29),
- Approved the selectmen's stance on notifying abutters (Article 27),
- Backed the selectmen's Community Development Block Grant plans,
- Supported a home-rule petition to ask the Legislature to put on the 2009 town election ballot a question on whether to raise the number of all-alcohol licenses from 10 to 15, and
- Began to hear police/fire age-exception articles.
Meeting No. 4 (May 7)
Meeting No. 4 of the 2008 Town Meeting on Wednesday, May 7, rejected a plan to ban gasoline-powered leaf
blowers, as well as the selectmen's proposed restrictions on time and sound, 72-97. For unofficial details
and comment, see Dan Dunn's blog. For official details, see the town's Web site.
Also on May 7, Town Meeting backed a resolution under Article 26 (snow-and-ice removal), in a voice vote. It says: "Resolved that the Department of Public Work's budget
for Snow and Ice Removal will target pedestrian safety including the
removal of snow from curb cuts, heavily travelled sidewalks and route
to schools as directed by the oard of Selectmen. In no way does this
relieve the abutters responsibilities under Title III Section 24,
Section 25, and Section 26 of the Bylaws."
Proponents had backed away from the wording of the original article, which could have led to a bylaw change and had an impact on the town budget. Instead, they substituted a general resolution.
Discussion about Article 28 (canine control) began May 7 and continues to session No. 5, Monday, May 12.
Meeting No. 3 (May 5)
Meeting No. 3 of the 2008 Town Meeting on Monday, May 5, included a
continuing discussion of the proposed affordable-housing trust, which
resulted in a vote of no action, as well as a new discussion of
leaf-blower noise, which was continued to May 7. For unofficial details
and comment, see Dan Dunn's blog. For official details, see the town's Web site.
Meeting No. 2 (April 30)
Meeting No. 2 of the 2008 Town Meeting on Wednesday, April 30, included
a vote to reject reconsideration of Article 5, which would have given
the town planner more control over the look and feel of signs on
businesses. The vote was
105 to 72. For many more unofficial details, see Dan Dunn's blog. For official details, see the town's Web site.
Meeting No. 1 (April 28)
The 2008 annual
Town Meeting in Arlington opened Monday, April 28, at Town Hall. After Clarissa Rowe, the new chairwoman
of selectmen, presented the State of the Town Address,
and John Leone took over as moderator, after 19 years of leadership by John Worden, an effort by town planners to
affect the look of signs on businesses failed on an initial vote. For some unofficial details, see Dan Dunn's blog. For a bare-bones official report, see the town's Web site.
Town joins state retirement system
Before the discussion of warrant articles began, John Bilafer, the former town treasurer who chairs the town's retirement board, announced that last month the board had voted to invest the Arlington's retirement funds in the state retirement pool. The local board will track the state's performance and has the power to withdraw funds.
The state pension money has outperformed Arlington's because of the size of the state pool and because the town cannot invest in some options that the state may.
If the state pension investments perform as they have, Arlington could see more money available for its budgets.
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