By MAUREEN DOHERTY
NORTH READING — A total of 200 voters dispensed with 20 warrant articles in just over three hours at October Town Meeting Monday night.
The electronic clickers used to tabulate most votes taken have proven to be popular with the attendees and has helped to speed up the process.
Among the actions taken by voters, the town’s prior years’ bills were paid (three small bills totaling $1,878.75), six adjustments were made to specific line items in the FY26 operating budget; a request to reconstruct the broken elevator at the Flint Memorial Library will move forward ($500,000); funds used to erect a temporary ramp to the library’s front door ($30,000) will be replenished to ensure other planned and previously funded repairs to town buildings would remain available.
Additionally, $150,000 was appropriated to continue the planning process for an intergenerational center and/or senior center in the long-term and another $30,000 was approved to evaluate and procure rental space to alleviate existing space constraints at the Senior Center.
Another $50,000 was approved to enlist the services of a broker to help the town dispense with the surplus Mill Street property that was originally purchased when the town would have needed a pump station at the Reading town line if the town had gone to the MWRA for its water provider. Back in 2018, the town approved an alternative plan for a 99-year lease to purchase its water from Andover so this residential land with a single family home is no longer needed. A prior bid process earlier this year yielded no bidders for the property.
Four articles were also passed over, including a request from the School Department to address the aged-out modulars at the Hood and Little Schools and potentially replace them with a permanent addition at the Hood. The committee updated the voters on the need for the project to move forward at a future town meeting.
Article 1: Hear and Act on Reports of Town Officers and Committee: Select Board Chairman Stephen O’Leary provided an extensive update on the numerous construction projects throughout town, including the good news that the Park Street bridge will soon be opened; and Select Board Vice Chairman Vincenzo Stuto provided an update on the 20 Elm St. 40B proposal. A new date for this continuing public hearing is proposed to be Wednesday, Oct. 29.
Article 2: Prior year bills for drain cleaning ($1,000) and technical services for the Police Department ($878.75) were approved by a vote of 180-9.
Articles 3 and 4 were both passed over.
Article 5: By a vote of 179-7, the sum of $3,790,208 was transferred from Free Cash into the Capital Improvement Stabilization Fund, which is a fund used to “reduce the need for borrowing for certain projects and to pay down debt service.” The balance prior to the transfer was $2,442,865.
Article 6: Voters approved a transfer of $11,681 from Free Cash into the Solid Waste Stabilization Fund by a vote of 178-6. It is used to offset future solid waste costs and help keep fees lower. The sum represents the amount remaining in the Solid Waste Management budget at the end of the last fiscal year. It had a balance of $190,149 prior to the transfer.
Article 7: By a vote of 177-6, a total of $182,000 was added to the town’s Participating Funding Arrangement Fund which offsets the town’s share of future health insurance costs for town employees. This reserve account had a balance of $2,255,686 prior to the transfer.
Article 8: Six line items in the FY26 Operating Budget were amended by a vote of 158-22 as follows:
• $2,830,240 from the Secondary School Building Project Debt Service Special Purpose Stabilization Fund to Line 101 Debt Service to pay down the Bond Anticipation Note for the Middle/High School construction project;
• $550,000 from the Water Infrastructure Stabilization fund to Line 105 Water Enterprise Debt to pay down the bond anticipation note for 9 Mill Street, which is expected to be sold after October Town Meeting;
• $50,000 from Water Enterprise Retained Earnings to Line 103 Water Enterprise Expenses to fund real estate broker services for the conveyance of 9 Mill Street;
• $40,000 from the Solid Waste Stabilization Fund instead of raise and appropriate for Line 55 Solid Waste Management Expenses to fund the Solid Waste Management budget.
• $9,800 from Line 51 DPW Salaries to Line 63 Elder Services Expenses to fund a second day of leased space for programming;
• $30,000 from Line 18 Accounting Salaries to Line 17 Finance Salaries to fund the position of Assistant Finance Director. (This position has remained vacant since the current Finance Director was promoted from the assistant position to the department head position.)
Article 9: A new revolving fund to pay for events and activities for the town’s veterans, like field trips and activities was established by a vote of 174-4 to “Amend code – Chapter 66, Finance – Add Veterans Services Revolving Fund” and the limit was established at $50,000. It will work similar to the town’s other revolving accounts, such as that used to collect user fees for Parks and Recreation. The limit of $50,000 can only be adjusted by a vote of a future Town Meeting
Article 10: Rescind Authorizations to Borrow was passed over as no action was needed to be taken at this time.
Article 11: By a vote of 180-4, the FY26 Capital Budget was amended with two appropriations from Free Cash to fund $535,000 in street paving projects and $500,000 from for the reconstruction of the Flint Memorial Library elevator.
Article 12: FY26 Fund Town Building Repairs: Voters approved this article by a vote of 171-5 in the amount of $30,000 to fund improvements and/or repairs to various municipal buildings.
Article 13: Appropriate money for continued planning, design, permitting, and/or construction of modular replacements at J. Turner Hood and E. Ethel Little Elementary Schools was passed over and an update was provided by Tim Sutherland of the School Committee. A “Statement of Interest” has been submitted to the Mass. School Building Authority (MSBA) for a permanent structure at the Hood School.
Article 14: Voters (161-14) approved a $15,000 transfer from Free Cash to maintain ongoing invasive weed treatment programs and services at Martin’s Pond. Select Board member Rich Wallner explained that they have been able to keep the invasive species at bay for the most part but they found milfoil in the middle of the pond this summer which they plan to address early next spring, prior to the annual Town Meeting in June.
Article 15: By a vote of 166-8, a total of $12,500 was transferred from the Opioid Stabilization Fund to fund additional substance abuse, mitigation and prevention efforts in town. These are funds received for this purpose from “class-action type opioid litigation settlements (that the Town is a party to) to be used for substance abuse, mitigation, and or prevention as is generally required under the terms of the settlements.”
Voters agreed to table Article 16 until Article 17 was voted as both addressed needs at the Senior Center. Ultimately, both articles were passed.
Article 16: Voters approved the appropriation of $150,000 to continue facilities planning efforts concerning a possible intergenerational center and or senior center.
Article 17: Voters approved $30,000 by a vote of 131-41 for the town to seek space to rent for a re-located Department of Elder Services and/or Senior Center.
Article 18: Voters accepted MGL Chapter 138, Section 12D – Conversion of Wine and Malt Beverage Licenses to All Alcoholic Beverage Licenses by a vote of 141-7
Article 19: Voters authorized the Select Board to acquire interest in land for sidewalk at 239 North Street (Map 14, Lot 10) by a vote of 132-14. “The owner of 239 North Street is required to construct a sidewalk along North Street as a condition of a Site Plan Approval from the Community Planning Commission.”
Article 20: Voters approved by a margin of 122-13 to Amend Code – Zoning Bylaw – Floodplain District to confirm the location of the floodplain overlay district and its relation to underlying zoning districts. It also exempts Accessory Dwelling Units from the prohibition on accessory structures in the floodplain overlay district; and corrects section numbering.