BOS moves election, town meeting to June

In a two-hour remote meeting Tuesday night, the Canton Board of Selectmen agreed to postpone the town election from Tuesday, April 7, to Tuesday, June 16, and move the first night of annual town meeting from Monday, May 11, to Monday, June 22. The second session of ATM would be held on Wednesday, June 24.

Town offices are closed to the public indefinitely due to COVID-19. (Moira Sweetland photo)

Both dates were first approved by the School Department for facility use and by Town Clerk Tracy Kenney, whose lone request was not to hold both events during the same week.

Selectmen Chair Chris Connolly and Selectman Tom Theodore, who are both running for reelection, abstained from the discussion and vote on the town election dates.

Following the 3-0 vote, resident Lisa Lopez, who is also a candidate for selectman, asked Kenney to put in place a campaign to promote the availability of early voting by mail for the new election date. (Early voting applications can be requested now). Kenney said the ballots have already been printed with the original April 7 date but can still be used. In accordance with recently approved legislation, Kenney will implement procedures to facilitate early voting by mail for any qualified voter who submits a written request for a ballot. All ballots must be received by the town clerk’s office before the close of polls on June 16. Election day changes will be publicized on the town website and through a Reverse 911 message.

Regarding town meeting, all five selectmen agreed to move it to June 22 and 24, and Connolly will confer with Town Counsel Paul DeRensis on the appropriate procedure. One option is legislative approval, and this may be available since so many communities are moving their town meeting dates due to the COVID-19 emergency. Another option is the past practice of having the town moderator, Finance Committee, and BOS chair formally meet at CHS on May 11 to open the meeting and then move the date to June 22. The only catch is that all FinCom reports and article documentation would have to be ready and in place by the evening of May 11.

Also on Tuesday night, selectmen reaffirmed the local state of emergency and the decision by Governor Charlie Baker to extend the closure of all non-essential businesses to May 4. Selectmen extended the closure of all public buildings, town- and school-owned ballfields and playgrounds, and the Pine Street recycling facility until May 4.

As of April 3, the state Department of Public Health had reported 10,402 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Massachusetts, including 1,045 in Norfolk County. The number of Canton cases has grown to 42 as of April 3, according to the town website. There have been 192 deaths statewide (as of April 3) attributed to COVID-19.

In a comment to the Canton Citizen, Police Chief Ken Berkowitz echoed the opinion of many national and local officials that the state may be facing the peak of COVID-19 within the next two to three weeks. “The next couple of weeks are going to be very challenging for our town and for our department,” he said. “There is no doubt that we will be tasked with some very difficult assignments. Some may fall under traditional police work; some may fall under our community caretaker role. Although the times may be uncertain, I am certain about our ability to get through this together as a cohesive unit. The officers at CPD and the firefighters at CFD are well trained and equipped for this challenge. I hope our residents know how hard these folks are working to get us all through this as safely as possible. I commend and thank all the first responders and medical professionals that are fighting this virus back.”

Besides the operational setbacks and financial impact of closing non-essential businesses in Canton, selectmen were informed Tuesday night that the town will be taking a hit of between $1.3 and $1.5 million in local receipts. This will impact the FY21 budget set for passage at the June town meeting. The Finance Committee and selectmen are currently reviewing a variety of cost-saving options, including a reduction in cash capital spending, elimination or reduction of many one-time capital projects, or a reduction in new spending on personnel appointments.

Both boards will also review a proposal by Selectman Mark Porter to temporarily lower the 15 percent reserve fund target to 14 or 13 percent. Finance Director Randy Scollins said he still favors maintaining the 15 percent mark because of its importance to Canton’s AAA bond rating, which significantly reduces borrowing costs.

The one-time projects under review include the traffic improvements at the Sherman-Angela/Pleasant Street intersection, the Earl Newhouse Waterfront upgrades, pond vegetation control, additional security cameras for the library and schools, and added personnel, including COA outreach workers, DPW operations superintendent, and added staffing hours for the Conservation Commission.

The FinCom will review the options on April 2 (tonight) and send their conclusions to selectmen …

See this week’s Canton Citizen for more highlights from the March 31 selectmen’s meeting. Click here to order your subscription today.

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Posted by Mike Berger on Apr 3 2020. Filed under News, Town Government. Both comments and pings are currently closed.