TM commences Monday with eye toward safety, expediency

Note: The full version of this story appears in the June 18 print edition of the Citizen.

Public safety and expediency are the focus of Canton’s upcoming annual town meeting, set for Monday, June 22, on the CHS turf field beginning at 6 p.m.

During a remote information session held on June 15, Town Moderator Richard Staiti and Finance Committee Chair Tim McKenna responded to residents’ questions for two and a half hours concerning the 28 essential articles scheduled to be acted upon, including 22 from the regular warrant and six as part of a special town meeting that will commence at 7:05 p.m. Whatever regular town meeting articles remain after 7:05 will resume once the STM has been completed.

McKenna and Finance Director Randy Scollins also updated residents on the town’s plans to cut another $1 million from the town’s FY21 budget if the state legislature reduces local aid by 10 percent and the federal government does not allow communities to use funding from the CARES Act for lost revenue. In Canton’s case, the town has received a little over $2 million in federal funds and has spent roughly $300,000 on COVID-related expenses.

Dave Emhardt, chair of the Capital Planning Committee, said his committee hopes to issue a recommendation later this week to trim the municipal and school capital budgets by $100,000 each as a first step toward the cutbacks. The School Committee has also accepted a recommendation by Town Administrator Charlie Aspinwall and Scollins to trim the school budget by $333,000, which includes a possible reduction in school capital spending.

If it rains on June 22 or if there is a threat of rain or thunderstorms, the town meeting would be rescheduled to the following day, Tuesday, June 23, at the same start time. Staiti said the town will provide sanitized seats and hand sanitizer, and selectmen will ask Norfolk County Mosquito Control to sweep the field at some point prior to the meeting. Attendees are urged to bring their own copies of the ATM/STM warrants, which were mailed to residents. There will be no additional materials distributed at town meeting. Seats will be arranged eight feet apart and there will be no standing in line at the two microphones provided.

The list of essential, non-essential and consent agenda articles is not set in stone. There could be changes prior to the start of town meeting and the ultimate decisions will be made by Staiti, who said Monday night that the categorization of articles as essential or non-essential was based on the recommendations of several town officials. Staiti added that every article is important, but those deemed essential are meant to keep the town operating or to act on pending grants or state and federal bills impacting the town. He suggested that the town could hold a special town meeting in August or September to consider the 32 non-essential articles.

Selectmen have also approved a procedural change requiring seven voters to request removal of an article from the consent agenda (which can be voted on as a group). Under the previous rules, any one voter could request a “hold” on an article and have it removed from the consent agenda.

As of June 16, the 22 articles deemed essential are articles 1 (elect a moderator), 2 (adopt rules), 4 (consent agenda), 7 (salaries of elected officials), 8 (pay bills of prior year), 11 (revolving spending limits), 12 (capital spending), 15 (insurance proceeds), 18 ($500K for Special Education Stabilization Account), 20 (Community Recognition Fund), 22 (Community Preservation recommendations), 23 (TNC Shuttle funding), 28 (easement at 293 York St.), 29 (easement for water wells), 31 (funding for redesigning Sherman/Pleasant St. intersection), 33 (Earl Newhouse Waterfront improvements), 34 (easement for JFK utility), 36 (Small Cell Wireless Bylaw), 39 (transportation costs reimbursement), 42 (change Board of Selectmen to Select Board), 52 (Flood Plain District), and 54 (municipal and school operating budgets) …

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Posted by Mike Berger on Jun 19 2020. Filed under Uncategorized. Both comments and pings are currently closed.