I checked in with Town Clerk Paul Berry on the attendance numbers for town meeting this year. Turns out it was pretty grim. On Monday night, 227 voters showed up. On Tuesday night it was down to 131. The quorum is 100. Berry described the turnout as “very low.” He said town meeting normally sees Read the full article → from Town meeting attendance ‘very low’
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Northborough’s ‘warm spirit of compromise’
The Metrowest Daily News reports Northborough Town Meeting last night approved the Algonquin debt reimbursement compromise rejected by Southborough earlier this month. The compromise was proposed by the Regional School Committee as a way to resolve the dispute between the two towns over how to split mortgage payments for Algonquin over the next 17 years. Read the full article → from Northborough’s ‘warm spirit of compromise’
Advisory Committee member disappointed in Town Meeting ‘foolishness’
Advisory Committee member John Boiardi had a letter to the editor published in the Metrowest Daily News on Sunday. In the letter he admonishes town meeting voters for approving a higher assessment for the Algonquin budget when town officials recommended against it. It is a sad situation when a relative handful of Town Meeting members Read the full article → from Advisory Committee member disappointed in Town Meeting ‘foolishness’
Town Meeting votes to dip into rainy day fund
“If today isn’t a rainy day, I don’t know what one is.” That’s what a Clemmons Street resident said at town meeting last week, and he wasn’t talking about the weather. Voters at town meeting decided to pull a total of $290K from the town’s stabilization fund, also known as the rainy day fund, to Read the full article → from Town Meeting votes to dip into rainy day fund
Town Meeting agrees to additional $67K for school technology
Last-minute negotiations in the run up to town meeting helped the school district get an additional $67K to use toward technology purchases next year. In the lead up to town meeting, the Selectmen and Advisory Committee both supported a mere $65K of the $205K requested by the Southborough schools for capital technology purchases. But in Read the full article → from Town Meeting agrees to additional $67K for school technology
Town Meeting rejects Algonquin compromise
Town Meeting played nice with Northborough on Monday night when it came to budget assessments, but when the topic of debt assessments came up on Tuesday night, voters decided it was time for some tough love. There were two articles on the warrant this year that talked about assessments. The first had to do with Read the full article → from Town Meeting rejects Algonquin compromise
Town employees to get raises next year
I’m on forced vacation this week from the job that actually pays my bills (hint: it’s not this blog). Everyone in my company of over 6,000 was required to take the week off with pay as a cost-saving step. And as an additional cost-saving step, there will be no raises for any of us this Read the full article → from Town employees to get raises next year
Town meeting day 2: A recap
Town meeting day 2 got started at 7:40 pm (scheduled was 7:30 pm), with a noticeably lighter attendance than the first night. The biggest shocker for me? No Girl Scouts selling snacks in the lobby like on day 1. And I was totally jonesing for a brownie. The good news is voters made it through Read the full article → from Town meeting day 2: A recap
Town Meeting agrees to pay higher Algonquin assessment
Southborough Town Meeting took the high road last night, and it will cost the town more than $200K next year. At issue was how to distribute a major portion of the $17M Algonquin budget between the towns of Northborough and Southborough. There were two methods on the table: the regional agreement that has been in Read the full article → from Town Meeting agrees to pay higher Algonquin assessment
Town meeting day 1: A recap
Town meeting adjourned just after 11:00 pm tonight, and frankly I’m exhausted, so I’ll offer you a brief recap until I have the energy to write more. The meeting got going around 7:15 pm. I don’t have much to compare it to, but it seemed like a decent turnout. We worked our way through articles Read the full article → from Town meeting day 1: A recap
A town meeting preview and a new poll
If you’re going to town meeting tonight (or even if you’re not), here are a few more articles from the local press to help get you prepped: Southborough TM to consider police vehicles, school computers Southborough Town Meeting will weigh in on Algonquin assessment Four days until the most important meeting in town Everyone I’ve Read the full article → from A town meeting preview and a new poll
7 reasons to attend town meeting
On the fence about whether to attend town meeting on Monday night? Here are seven reasons why you should. 1. You get to decide what your tax rate will be The more stuff that gets funded at town meeting, the more you’re likely to pay in property taxes. It’s as simple and as complex as Read the full article → from 7 reasons to attend town meeting
More on the PCE leak issue you’ll hear about at town meeting
The DPW wants Town Meeting to approve $40K to study a PCE leak. The Advisory Committee has taken a stance against the request because they say the leak can’t be fixed and why study something you can’t fix? Yesterday I wondered aloud what this issue was all about. DPW Director Karen Galligan read my post Read the full article → from More on the PCE leak issue you’ll hear about at town meeting
A newbie’s guide to town meeting
I have an admission to make. I’ve never been to a town meeting. … Now, that’s not technically true, but the only time I remember going I was in the fourth grade, so I’m not sure that really counts. (Before you judge me too harshly, remember that I lived out-of-state until recently. They don’t have Read the full article → from A newbie’s guide to town meeting