Citizen Articles Coming Up at Town Meeting

The 2019 Town of Lexington Warrant includes thirty-nine Articles for Town Meeting (TM) beginning March 25*.

TM Articles are described and organized as Financial, General, or Zoning Articles.

Ten of the Articles (25%) have been inserted by Citizens of the Town (inserted by an individual and 9 or more registered voters.) While that, in and of itself, isn't a crazy notable number (last year's ATM had 9 Citizen Articles), it's the nature of each Article and where they fall that strikes me, particularly.

• 5 Citizen Articles fall under the heading of Financial Articles (Arts. 4,6,7,8,9), beginning middle of page 5 of the Warrant
• 4 are General Articles (Arts. 30,31,35,36), at about the middle of page 13 of the Warrant
• 1 is a Zoning Article (39), near bottom of page 15 of the Warrant

Four of the Citizen Articles focus on environmental sustainability:

• Two are Financial Articles: 
• Article 8: Funding for Sustainability Action, has been inserted by Ricki Pappo, a TMM in Precinct 2 and Co-Chair of Lexington Global Warming Action Coalition. The Article seeks to establish a revolving fund or some other mechanism, from the earnings of projects promoted through the Sustainable Action Plan for the Town to invest in future actions proposed under the Sustainable Action Plan. This Article has been scheduled for an Info Session on Tuesday, March 19 and is an opportunity to hear from the maker of the Article and ask questions.

• Article 9: Sustainability Director, also inserted by Ricki Pappo and 9 or more registered voters, proposes that funds requested under this Article go to the salary and benefits for a Sustainability Director, whose duties will include recommending, developing, monitoring, and securing grants for programs designed to enhance Lexington's long term sustainability and resilience. TMMA Info Session scheduled for Tuesday, March 19.

• The other two Citizen/Sustainability Articles are found under General Articles:
• Article 30: Amend Town Bylaws—Reduce/Ban Polystyrene Materials for all food serviceware and packaging in Lexington. This Article has been inserted by Lin Jensen, a Precinct 8 TMM and Lexington Green Teams volunteer -- it's included among the other Articles up for discussion at the Info Session scheduled for Wednesday, March 13.

• Article 31: Amend Town Bylaws—Reduce/Ban Single-Use Plastic Beverage Straws and Stirrers, also offered by Lin and among the Articles included in the TMMA Info Session scheduled for Wednesday, March 13.

• Note: Many local organizations are already going the way of eliminating one-time use plastic straws and stirrers, as well as polystyrene. Student/parent groups worked with the Lexington Public Schools to remove polystyrene and straws from the public school cafeterias. All of the Town's school/parent groups are going plastic-free for their events and community events, too. More of that history is HERE.

The remaining three (Citizen) Financial Articles are: 

• Article 4: Reduce Community Preservation Act (CPA) Surcharge Rate from 3% to 1% Pursuant to M.G.L. c.44B, § 16. This Article has been inserted by TMM Bridger McGaw of Precinct 6. No funds are requested with it, which seeks to reduce the current CPA surtax rate, thus providing an immediate tax break to all Lexington residents. Additionally, special considerations must be given to covering debt for previous CPA-funded projects, maintenance of historic properties, and future conservation land purchases. More about that to come at the TMMA Info Session scheduled for Tuesday, March 19.

• Article 6: Appropriate for Cremation Facility at Westview Cemetery. Will see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate a sum of money for design engineering and architectural services including site work, value engineering, and cost estimating for plans and specifications to construct new Cremation Facility at the Westview Cemetery and for the payment of all other costs incidental or related thereto; determine whether the  money will be provided by the tax levy, by transfer from other available funds, by borrowing, or by any combination of these methods; or act in any other manner in relation thereto. Funds requested are unknown at this time. This article was IP'd last year pending further study. TMMA Info Session scheduled for Tuesday, March 19.

• Article 7: Appropriate Funds for the Creation of a Lexington Economic Development Strategy is a proposal to see if the Town will vote to appropriate $100,000 to fund the cost of developing an Economic Development Strategy to be led by the Economic Development Office. The report will be submitted to the Town Manager and Selectmen and published on the town Website within six months of passage of this article. The funds will go toward the development of a holistic Economic Development Strategy to provide recommendations for changes to zoning, permitting, design guidelines, marketing, outreach, and development mitigation. TMMA Info Session scheduled for Tuesday, March 19.

Four of the Citizen Articles fall under the heading of "General Articles":

• Previously mentioned, Article 30: Amend Town Bylaws—Reduce/Ban Polystyrene Materials.

• Previously mentioned,Article 31: Amend Town Bylaws—Reduce/Ban Single-Use Plastic Beverage Straws and Stirrers

• Article 35: Amend Article III of Chapter 118 refers to the Code of the Town of Lexington, which is an effort to improve debate and subsidiary motion procedures. It proposes revisions to Town Meeting's rules of debate, subsidiary motion, and/or amendment procedures to develop criteria for ensuring a minimum of debate has occurred before subsidiary motions can be offered or debate closed. TMMA Info Session is scheduled for Tuesday, March 19.

• Article 36: Implement an Outcomes-Based Approach to Town Building Projects is an article seeking Town Meeting approval to adopt an outcomes-based building management process that emphasizes:
• Setting clear targets or outcomes for the performance of current and planned buildings in the areas of health, energy performance, energy management, and resilience;
• Assessing gaps against those outcomes; and
• Utilizing those outcomes for the beginning stages of future building development and in prioritizing operating/capital budget projects. 
• TMMA Info Session is scheduled for Tuesday, March 19

Finally, the Citizen Article found within Zoning Articles:

• Article 39: Amend Zoning Bylaw-Limited Site Plan Review (Inserted by Jeanne Krieger, Precinct 3 TMM and member of the Zoning Board of Appeals, ZBA). This is a proposal to see if the Town will vote to amend the Zoning Bylaw to reasonably regulate land uses protected by MGL c. 40A §3 through site plan review, or act in any other manner in relation thereto. The changes proposed would provide for site plan review, to the extent possible, of exempt uses protected under the MGL c. 40A §3, pertaining to "Dover Amendment uses". TMMA Info Session scheduled for Tuesday, March 19.

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Image credit: Creative Commons, Isaac Harris Cary Memorial Building, 1605 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington MA

* The 2019 Annual Town Meeting opens Monday, March 25 and continues the following Wednesday and every Monday and Wednesday thereafter until all of the Articles in the Warrant have been considered by the Meeting. There are no Meetings on April 15 or 17, as it is LPS vacation week.