June 14 Town Meeting Update: Articles Passed and Articles Referred Back

The final night of Town Meeting started off with Article 33 School Appropriation. After the tally was counted, the proposal to cut the school budget failed, and Town Meeting approved the $58.3 million school budget.

Article 34-Change of Use and Home Rule Petition- Town Owned Land at Gile Road and Blue Hills Parkway.

Select Board member Michael Zullas and School Building Committee Chair, Sean O’Rourke provided a presentation with information on their recent work and how they arrived at the motion to refer the article back for further study. The committee wants time to revise the proposal to use less of the conservation land while still preserving a portion. The new plan would involve using nearby park property as an alternative. Hopefully a revised proposal will be ready to be presented at Special Town Meeting in October.

Pete Jackson provided a presentation, ‘An opportunity to rethink our approach to solving overcrowding.’ The presentation can be viewed here: https://www.townofmilton.org/sites/g/files/vyhlif911/f/uploads/art_34_-_pete_jackson_-_tm_slides_.pdf 

Many spoke in support of referring the article back, such as Joanne Bonner who “is hoping the Town can persevere in finding a solution to this problem that does not include the use of the Lamb property.”

When it came time for the vote, the motion to refer the article back carried.

Article 39 Other Post-Employment Benefit Trust Appropriation.

Article 39 passes.

Article 42 Affordable Housing Trust Appropriation.

Article 42 passes.

Article 43 PEG Access and Cable Related Fund Appropriation 

Article 43 passes.

Article 46 Citizens’ Petition – Amendments to the Temporary Apartment Bylaw.

The revision to Article 46 can be viewed here: https://www.townofmilton.org/sites/g/files/vyhlif911/f/uploads/article_46.pdf

Sean Fahy, the lead signatory, chose to sign the Citizen’s Petition because he feels it “improves what we have and creates the flexibility to make it more likely for people to utilize the bylaw with less burden.”

The Moderator set a 45 minute limit for discussion of this Article.

The Warrant Committee voiced their support for referring this Article back to the Planning Board.

When it came time for the vote, the motion to refer the article back carried.