By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — Voters will be dealing with a dozen articles when the 2025 Regular Town Meeting gets underway at 8 a.m. tomorrow in the Galvin Middle School auditorium.
Under Article 1, voters will be asked to hear and accept the final report closing out last year’s (FY2025) budget.
Article 2 will ask the voters to apply $4,050,000 in Free Cash toward the current year’s (FY2026) budget. This annual article allows the town to use free cash to balance the the budget. The town currently has almost $13 million in its Free Cash account.
Under Article 3, voters will be asked to use $225,000 from the Water Division retained earnings account to supplement the FY2026 Water Division budget. This transfer is described as a precautionary measure, which is based on available data at the time articles needed to be submitted for Town Meeting. This appropriation will cover any shortages in revenue, should water consumption not net “average” performance level. No supplementary funds are requested for the Sewer Division budget.
Article 4 asks voters to authorize the town to petition the legislature to pass special legislation to allow the town to offer a means-tested, senior citizen property tax exemption. The town has offered this discount to qualifying seniors for a number of years. Last year, 243 local residents participated. Under the current system, the town must file a home rule petition every three years to allow the program to continue.
Article 5 asks Town Meeting to appropriate $250,000 to make specific repairs to Middlesex Street and Middlesex Court to address persistent flooding. A majority of property owners on these private ways petitioned the town to make the repairs to improve drainage on the streets. The residents will repay the town over 20 years via an additional amount applied to their property tax bills.
Article 6 is related to Article 5 and would allow the town to accept drainage easements on properties at 15 Traverse Street and 100 Nahant Street. A sum of $1 is requested for the purposes of this article.
Under Article 7, voters will be asked to amend Chapter 147 of the General Bylaws entitled “Sidewalk Cafes,” by adding the following text: “Compliance with the terms of a sidewalk cafe street use permit shall be enforced by the Police Department. Whoever violates such terms, or operates a sidewalk cafe without such a permit, shall forfeit and pay to the Town a fine in the amount of $100 for the first offense, $200 for the second offense occurring within one year from the first offense, and $300 for each offense occurring thereafter within one year of the first offense. Each day, or portion thereof, that any violation continues shall constitute a separate offense. Any such violation may, in the sole discretion of the Police Department, be made the subject matter of noncriminal disposition proceedings under MGL c. 40, § 21D. Nothing contained herein shall be construed to limit any other means of enforcement.”
Article 8 seeks Town Meeting approval to amend Chapter 148 of the General Bylaws, entitled “Newsracks,” by deleting Section 148- 4.B(10) and replacing it with the following: “A newsrack may be deemed abandoned if no printed material is found in the newsrack for a period of more than 15 consecutive days. Any newsrack deemed abandoned may be removed.”
Under Article 9, voters will be asked to to amend § 154-9 of the General Bylaws, entitled “Marijuana Establishments Forbidden,” by deleting the second sentence thereof and replacing it with the following: “This prohibition shall not apply to the sale, distribution, or cultivation of marijuana for medical purposes licensed under M.G.L. c. 94I.”
Article 10 seeks Town Meeting approval to amend Section 191-4 of the General Bylaws, entitled “Procedure for designating scenic roads,” by deleting line “C” thereof, which provides: “Notify the Commissioners of Middlesex County,” and re-lettering the remaining lines “A” through “D.”
Under Article 11, voters will be asked to amend and re-codify the Zoning Bylaws in accordance with the recommendations of the Bylaw Review Committee. The recommendations are listed in the Town Meeting Warrant and the voters’ booklet available on the town’s web site: wakefieldma.gov/.
Article 12 asks Town Meeting voters to hear the report of the Bylaw Review Committee, accept it as the final report of the committee, and discharge the committee.