By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — The Town Council last night approved several articles for the Nov. 8 Regular Town Meeting warrant.
The articles expected to draw the most interest at Town Meeting are those initiated by the Bylaw Review Committee. Daniel Lieber, chairman of the Bylaw Review Committee, was at last night’s Town Council meeting to discuss those articles.
Lieber reminded the board that bylaw reviews are initiated every five years as provided by the Town Charter. He noted that the current Bylaw Review Committee was appointed by the Town Council in 2022. An appropriation for a Special Municipal Counsel to assist the Bylaw review Committee was authorized by Annual Town Meeting the same year. Attorney Mark Bobrowski has served in that role.
Lieber stressed that role of the Bylaw Review Committee was primarily to clean up language. The committee looked at and made changes to several areas of the General Bylaws, including:
•Ch. 147 – Sidewalk Cafes (clarifying enforcement).
•Ch. 148 – Newsracks (clarifying when a newsrack is deemed abandoned)
•Ch. 154 – Peace and Good Order (updating for consistency with Massachusetts General Laws).
•Ch. 191 – Scenic Roadways (removing reference to defunct county bodies).
The committee also undertook a comprehensive re-codification of the Zoning Bylaws. They reviewed the existing bylaws under Chapter 190, checking and updating for consistency with Massachusetts General Laws and case law. In so doing, they collaborated with the Planning Board, the Zoning Board of Appeals and town departments, including the Planning, Building, Public Safety, Public Works and Health departments. Input was also solicited from the public and local businesses.
Lieber said that the committee worked to make the Zoning Bylaws simpler to read and information easier to find. He stressed that no changes were made to dimensional regulations or those related to density.
The Town Council did not vote on the bylaw-related Town Meeting articles as those will be sponsored by the Bylaw Review Committee.
The Town Council did vote last night to approve several other articles for the November Town Meeting.
Director of Assessments Victor Santaniello explained an article to authorize a home rule petition to allow the town to continue to offer a senior citizen property tax exemption.
Santaniello said that 243 seniors participated in the program this year, calling it “very successful.”
He explained that he has been trying to get the Senior Tax Exemption approved as a state-wide local option to avoid having to go for a home rule petition every three years.
The Town Council voted to approve the article for Town Meeting.
Town Engineer William Renault was at last night’s meeting to present several Town Meeting articles related to drainage.
One was a betterment article to improve drainage systems for Middlesex Avenue and Middlesex Court. Renault explained that the two private streets are subject to constant flooding due to poor drainage. He said that a majority of the 14 abutters support moving forward with the drainage improvements. Because the streets are private ways, the abutters will split the $250,000 cost, spread out over 20 years.
Renault explained that during the conceptual design for the drainage project, the Engineering Division identified town drainage located on properties at 15 Traverse St. and 100 Nahant St. that do not have easements. The former Franklin School property (100 Nahant St.) is where the Traverse Street drainage outfalls. It appears that the Town failed to reserve the drainage easement prior to the sale of the property, Renault explained.
Therefore, the Engineering Division recommended that the Town Council also include a warrant article to secure drainage easements on the 15 Traverse St. and 100 Nahant St. properties at the fall 2025 Regular Town Meeting to facilitate the drainage project.
The Town Council approved both drainage-related articles for Town Meeting.