By MAUREEN DOHERTY
NORTH READING — If voters were expecting a long night at the annual Town Meeting on Monday, June 9 with a total of 31 warrant articles on the docket, they’d be right.
But the Select Board also made things a little more interesting this past Monday night when they voted to squeeze one more timely item into the night’s agenda — sponsoring a one-article Special Town Meeting concerning the sale of 97 Main Street.
Voters may recall that 97 Main Street is currently occupied by Ocean State Job Lot, which holds a lease with the land owners, Stop & Shop and its parent company. This property has been for sale for a few years. Several months ago, the Select Board voted to pursue negotiations with the company to potentially purchase the property given its centralized location along the town’s commercial corridor and its two points of egress on Rtes. 28 and 62.
Because it involves the potential purchase of real estate all negotiations since the vote to pursue negotiations have been held in executive session, as is permitted under the Open Meeting Law, so not many details have been made public yet.
As Select Board Chairman Stephen O’Leary pointed out, it is not unusual for there to be a Special Town Meeting within a regular Town Meeting.
The difference between the two is that under the town’s charter a quorum of 150 voters is needed to conduct the business of a Special Town Meeting, which should be easy to do on June 9 given the public’s interest in the budgets of both the town departments and the school department.
O’Leary stated procedure would be to have the Town Moderator call the regular session of the meeting to order at 7 p.m. and then call for it to be recessed temporarily to enable the Special Town Meeting to be called to order at 7:05 p.m. Once Article 1 of this Special Town Meeting is completed and adjourned regular Town Meeting would return to session. No quorum is required for it.
By combining the meetings, the town saves money by not having to host a Special Town Meeting on a different night. The printing of the June Town Meeting warrant was held off by a day in order save potential space to add a couple of pages of text if the board approved the Special Town Meeting.
The language of the Special Town Meeting is as follows:
“Acquisition and Appropriation – 97 Main Street
To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Select Board to acquire for general municipal purposes by gift, purchase, or eminent domain, and upon such terms and conditions as it deems appropriate, the land or any portion thereof or interest therein with all improvements, buildings and structures located thereon, and appurtenant rights thereto, known as 97 Main Street, identified as Assessors’ Parcel 10 213/024.0-0000-0036.0, and as funding therefor and any and all costs incidental and related thereto, to raise and appropriate, appropriate by transfer from available funds, and/or borrow a sum of money, and further to authorize the Select Board to enter into all agreements and take all action necessary, convenient or appropriate to carry out such acquisition; or what it will do in relation thereto.”
The vote was unanimous.
Town Meeting warrants should arrive in the mail of every residential address in town this coming Saturday or by next Tuesday (a day later due to the holiday). The warrant will also be posted online on the town’s website.
On Monday, June 2 at 7:30 p.m., the public is invited to participate in the informational hearing hosted by the Select Board. Questions from the public about any of the 31 articles of the regular Town Meeting plus Article 1 of the Special Town Meeting will be on the table. The public is encouraged to attend, learn more about each warrant article and bring their questions to the board in order to engage in discussions with the goal of becoming more informed in advance of attending the actual town meeting.
Voters should bring their warrants with them to the informational hearing on June 2, and to Town Meeting on June 9.
Electronic voting
When voters check in at Town Meeting on June 9 they will be handed electronic voting devices for the first time. Prior to being put to use in a real vote, all attendees will be given the opportunity take a practice vote. Town Administrator Michael Gilleberto said the vendor is also required to be present at this initial meeting to provide any assistance that may be needed.