by Lex Thomas
A Special Town Meeting in Sterling is scheduled for Tuesday, November 14. The predominant issue prompting the meeting is a pilot agreement for the Sterling Municipal Lighting Department to move forward with installation of a solar and battery storage project on Chocksett Road. A town meeting vote is necessary in order to implement the project.
As well, there are four additional items that may be raised, according to Sterling Town Administrator Ross Perry.
One likely article to be included is approval of the police union contract, which has been negotiated and is awaiting approval at the next town meeting. Another article concerns an amendment to the bylaw regarding marijuana establishments, proposed by the Planning Board. A public hearing will take place regarding this issue on October 24.
Other possible articles include a proposal for additional funding for a basement retrofit at the Butterick Municipal Building, and a sewer line feasibility study for the 1835 Town Hall, each of which require “a couple of thousand dollars,” according to Perry.
However, Town Moderator Amrith Kumar has challenged the wisdom of including more items on the Special Town Meeting warrant than are absolutely necessary.
“There has been a change in Massachusetts law that makes a Special Town Meeting necessary to vote on the SMLD pilot project,” Kumar says. “But there’s no urgency about the other items. There’s nothing that can’t wait for the Annual Town Meeting.”
Kumar’s concern stems from traditionally poor attendance at special town meetings, significantly worse than attendance at the regular Annual Town Meeting in May. He feels that adding items to the Special Town Meeting that could wait until May deprives voters of the opportunity to participate in decisions that involve the town, and could well undermine future attendance at regular town meetings.
“Clearly, we’re not preventing people from attending the Special Town Meeting,” says Kumar. “But I feel we’re depriving them of the opportunity to vote on issues at the Annual Town Meeting, by dealing with them unnecessarily early.” He contends that town moderators are increasingly calling for special town meetings to deal strictly with imperative issues that can’t wait for an annual town meeting.
But Perry contends that town residents aren’t being denied their opportunity to vote. “Town voters always have the opportunity to vote,” he says. “Dealing with these issues at a special town meeting is simply part of keeping town operations moving forward,” adding that the special town meeting could help both the Butterick Municipal Building and 1835 Town Hall proposals be completed by July 1.
Perry says that no one wanted to hold a special town meeting until the timing of the SMLD pilot project made it necessary. “If we have to do it anyway, why not do as much as we can at the same time?” he says.
Kumar has delivered the following letter to the Board of Selectmen:
Members of the Board of Selectmen,
I received word from Mr. Perry of the proposed Special Town Meeting on November 14, 2017. After a brief conversation with him about the proposed business before the meeting, I wish to also place before you my reservations about this meeting.
As you know, the town has relatively poor attendance at STMs, one that is considerably worse than the attendance at Annual Town Meeting. Proposed topics like the marijuana prohibition, additional funding for the 1835 Town Hall project, and the renovation of the Butterick Building, will most definitely generate significant debate at the ATM. By adding them to the STM, you will deprive the town’s voters of an opportunity to deliberate and vote on them. Furthermore, nothing requires that these matters be acted upon before the ATM.
If the SMLD pilot project warrants an STM, I strongly urge you to confine that agenda to the primary business, the proposed SMLD pilot agreement, and any other statutorily required business.
The Board of Selectmen will decide on the contents of the Special Town Meeting warrant at their October 18 meeting.
Photo by Lex Thomas: Town Administrator Ross Perry