RESIDENT John Barrette was ushered away from the microphone at Town Meeting Monday by Police Chief Mark Zimmerman (right) and a detail officer. He was ruled out of order by the moderator for continuing to speak on a matter not germane to the business before the voters and left the meeting of his own accord. (Maureen Doherty Photo)
By MAUREEN DOHERTY
NORTH READING — In spite of a few fireworks at the outset of Monday night’s October Town Meeting, the 144 voters in attendance worked their way through the 21 warrant articles in about 67 minutes.
Prior to any discussion on the 21 articles on the October Town Meeting, the 144 voters in attendance granted admittance to a few dozen out-of-town staff and other nonvoting guests.
As they were taking their seats in the designated areas for nonvoters, Town Moderator John Murphy proceeded to give an overview of the procedures to be followed by all participants at Town Meeting, including the requirement that anyone seeking recognition from him to speak must go to the microphone in the center aisle, “wait to be recognized, state your name and address for the record, and please speak to the motion on the floor.”
Before Murphy had completed his explanations on this and other rules designed to run an orderly meeting, resident John Barrette of Dogwood Lane walked to the mic and sought to be recognized by the Moderator even though no motions were on the floor.
Without first stating his name or address per the stated Town Meeting procedure, Barrette asked the moderator: “How much time do I have?” Puzzled, Murphy asked Barrette: “What recognition are you seeking?”
Barrette replied that he wished to speak to the minutes of the Annual Town Meeting from June 12. Murphy immediately told Barrette: “It’s not allowed at this meeting, thank you.”
However, Barrette proceeded to read from a prepared statement he had in hand.
According to a statement on the matter issued by Town Administrator Michael Gilleberto, Barrette “continued to speak, reading a COVID/mask/vaccine-related statement. He was asked by the Moderator to stop, declined to do so, and was warned that he would be removed from the meeting if he did not stop. The Moderator conferred with Town Counsel, then warned Mr. Barrette again that if he did not stop speaking he would be removed from the meeting.
“Mr. Barrette continued to speak, and the Moderator asked that the microphone be turned off,” Gilleberto recalled, adding, “The Police Department detail officer assigned to the meeting and Chief (Mark) Zimmerman met Mr. Barrette at the microphone; Chief Zimmerman confirmed with the Moderator that he wished for Mr. Barrette to be removed, and the detail officer and Chief Zimmerman walked to the back of the room with Mr. Barrette and spoke further with Mr. Barrette. Mr. Barrette then left the meeting.”
The entire incident lasted less than three minutes. Murphy then asked Select Board Chairwoman Liane Gonzalez to lead the attendees in the Pledge of Allegiance prior to moving on to the evening’s business.
Under Article 1: Hear and Act on Reports of Town Officers and Committees, two reports were given. Abby Hurlbut, a member of the town’s Facilities Master Plan Committee as well as chair of the Finance Committee, provided an update on the status of the plans to expand and modernize the town’s Fire Station, which was built in the mid-1960s. She also noted that voters would be asked to pass over Article 11 because the $780,000 they previously requested to prepare the design development and construction documents have been covered by an ARPA grant.
John Rogers, chair of the town’s Recycling Committee, gave an update on the town’s requirement that homeowners exceeding the two-barrel weekly limit on trash removal they must use overflow trash bags, which can be purchased for $2.50 each in rolls of 10; that through a partnership with the DPW and a private hauler, residents can participate in a home composting curbside pick up program; and the Recycling Committee would be asking voters to pass over Article 20 to “regulate sustainable food ware and packaging” used in items such as restaurant take-out containers made from polystyrene (Styrofoam) because they would be making the proposal in June.
Article 2: Prior Year Bills: The town’s books are now balanced for FY 23 for $40 for a Fire Dept. meeting expense and $185 for repairs to a cemetery trailer from the DPW expense account.
Article 3: Appropriate Money to Stabilization Fund was passed over. The current balance is $4,399,104.
Article 4: Voters approved transferring $250,000 from Free Cash into the Capital Improvement Stabilization Fund. Prior to this transfer it had an account balance of $1,374,740.
Article 5: A total of $26,304 was voted to be transferred into the Solid Waste Stabilization Fund, which had an account balance of $149,673 prior to the transfer. This fund is used to help stabilize trash rates for ratepayers.
Article 6: Appropriate Money to Participating Funding Arrangement Fund: A total of $198,496 was voted to be transferred into the PFAF from Free Cash, which represents the town’s share of the surplus funds generated from active employees on the town health insurance plan in FY23. The fund is used to stabilize health insurance rates for the town employees who get their health insurance from the town. Prior to this transfer, the PFAF had a balance of $1,925,390.
Article 7: Voters unanimously voted to amend five accounts in the FY24 Operating Budget previously approved at June Town Meeting as follows:
- Transfer $179,000 from Free Cash to Line 101 to cover to debt service;
- Amend Line 105 “Water Dept. Debt” to be funded by $240,766 from Water Enterprise Retained Earnings and $847,576 from Water Revenue;
- Increase Line 107 Hillview Country Club Expenses to be funded by $146,900 from Hillview Revenue;
- Increase Line 112 Parks and Recreation Salaries by $25,060 to be funded by Recreation Revenue and
- Increase Line 123 Parks and Recreation Expenses, by $44,390 to be funded from Recreation revenue.
Article 8: Rescind Authorization to Borrow: ARPA to the rescue: Voters unanimously approved rescinding previously approved “authorization to borrow” amounts totaling $262,000
for improvements to the intersection of North/Central Street because this exact amount is now being paid through federal ARPA funds as recommended by the Select Board. The breakdown was $$65,000 for design expenses and $197,000 for construction expenses.
Article 9: Voters approved amendments to the FY24 Capital Budget as follows:
- $75,000 from Free Cash to cover a shortfall for the Hood School boiler replacement. June Town Meeting previously approved $225,000.
- $300,000 from Free Cash for KidSpot renovations to be expanded by Parks and Recreation Dept.
- $600,000 from Free Cash for the Burroughs Road bridge design and construction to be expended by the DPW. If it is determined that he bridge cannot be repaired these funds will be put to use toward the design of a replacement bridge.
- Amend funding source for capital project to replace a 2012 Ford Escape with an F150 hybrid to be funded by $55,000 from Water Enterprise Retained Earnings.
Article 10: Appropriate Money for Legal Expenses – 20 Elm Street Litigation was passed over, as the town does not need more funds in this account at the present time.
Article 11: Appropriate Money for Fire Station Design Development and Construction Documents: This article was passed over as the $780,000 needed is being covered by an ARPA grant.
Article 12: Voters approved a $75,000 expense from Free Cash to conduct a townwide review of the existing conditions of all culverts and bridges given the multiple failures that have cropped up in town due wear and tear.
Article 13: Voters authorized an Article 97 Home-Rule Petition before the state legislature to facilitate the construction of the new Chestnut Street Bridge. It is necessary for a section of a bridge abutment to be built on a portion of land currently under protection of Article 97 that is less than 2,500 square feet in area. The ConCom has approved of the petition.
This road was closed at the recommendation of the MassDOT in the spring of 2023 and the town hopes to complete the bridge design in “late 2024” and anticipates construction to start in the 2025, according to Town Administrator Michael Gilleberto.
Article 14: Voters approved transferring $49,588.17 into the new Opioid Settlement Special Purpose Stabilization Fund created last June as a place to deposit the town’s share of the class action Opioid settlement for a future use.
Article 15: Voters approved appropriating $25,000 from current opioid settlement funds received in FY23 to be used for “Substance Abuse Treatment, Mitigation and Prevention by the town’s Community Impact Team (CIT), which will use these funds for a “recovery coach.”
Article 16: A Secondary School Building Project Debt Service Special Purpose Stabilization Fund was approved by the voters at Monday’s Town Meeting under Article 16 and a total of $2,624,529, which was certified as Free Cash, was transferred into the fund which represents the proceeds from the settlement with the owners project manager and designer of the Middle/High School
According to Gilleberto, the exact utilization of the funds will be determined “after the final project reimbursement has been received from the Mass. School Building Authority.”
Article 17: Voters also approved appropriating money to cover grant deficits of $15,010 to cover a State 911 grant deficit and $2,089 from a state Community Compact grant.
Approval of Article 18 by the voters now enables the Hillview Commission to enter into Golf Course Management Contracts for terms in excess of three years if doing so is advantageous to the town. The HC, which is appointed by the Select Board, now has the standing ability to approve longer contracts. As
Select Board member Stephen O’Leary pointed out, under the town’s charter, the Town Administrator is authorized to sign contracts on behalf of the town and the board.
Article 19: A two-thirds vote of Town Meeting has authorized the town to transfer a parcel of land at 7 St. Theresa’s Street “from the tax title custodian to the Select Board for general municipal purposes, including convenience.”
The vote further authorized the Select Board to convey this parcel, or a portion of the parcel “for the sole purpose of securing the construction…of 1 or 2 residential units of affordable housing to be maintained as such in perpetuity, and upon such further terms and conditions. The wetlands delineation previously requested by Town Meeting voters was done. This parcel is located in the town’s affordable housing overlay district and according to Town Planner Danielle McKnight, it would be ideal for single-family home, but at most two or a duplex at the location and the deed would be structured to maintain the affordability clause.
Article 20: Amend Code of North Reading to Regulate Sustainable Food Ware and Packaging: This article was passed over.
Article 21: Voters accepted the street acceptance of Eaton Circle, a small subdivision built off Mt. Vernon Street on the former Balcomb farm property. It has been certified as ready for street acceptance.
Article 22: The voters overwhelmingly authorized a Home-Rule Petition to be sent to the state legislature on behalf of retired Police Executive Officer / Detective Lieutenant Thomas J. Romeo. Voters were asked to rectify an error in the date of hire provided by the Middlesex County Retirement System to him at the time of his application to retire.
Select Board member Stephen O’Leary explained to the voters that this error resulted in the loss of $18,000 per year on his pension amount. At the behest of Rita Mullin, the voters also offered Romeo a standing ovation in honor of his 38 years of service to the town.