By MAUREEN DOHERTY
NORTH READING — The date of the fall Town Meeting has been affirmed for Monday night, October 7 at 7 p.m. by the Select Board.
The issue of possibly holding it on an alternate date was brought up in August by Select Board Chairman Vincenzo Stuto after he learned that he has an unavoidable conflict with the original date selected last February. The Select Board is required to set the date of both the annual June Town Meeting and the fall October Town Meeting at a public hearing held months in advance of both meetings.
Stuto was concerned that the board could have difficulty achieving a quorum because another board member, Liane Gonzalez, also has a family commitment on Oct. 7 that will prevent her from attending.
This means that in order to have a quorum, the remaining three members must be able to attend.
Steve O’Leary was not overly concerned that the entire board could not be present because he said their positions on the warrant articles are more often than not known in advance of Town Meeting through their deliberations and voted recommendations, although sometimes those recommendations must be given on the floor of Town Meeting when they are waiting for the most up to date information.
The alternative date proposed was Wednesday, Oct. 16, based on the availability of the NRHS gymnasium and to not conflict with state, federal or major religious holidays, stated Town Administrator Michael Gilleberto.
The Community Planning Commission was present for a joint meeting with the board and their members stated they could attend either night.
Finance Committee Chairwoman Abby Hurlbut raised the concern that her board members are required to vote on any warrant article that involves money and how it is spent. She sent an email to the members asking about their availability for Oct. 16 and there were several who had a conflict. She said five members are needed to make up a quorum and associate members are not allowed to vote.
Hurlbut added that it is not always possible for the FinCom to make its recommendations in advance of Town Meeting because important financial documents are not always finalized until the last minute. For example, the town is often waiting for the state DOR to certify certain financial information such as Free Cash. Additionally, there are members on the FinCom who prefer to withhold their recommendations until after they’ve seen any presentations made on Town Meeting floor.
Based on this additional information, Stuto reconsidered his position and the Select Board voted 5-0 in favor of the original Oct. 7 date. The board also voted to sign the October Town Meeting warrant with 16 articles. It was decided to remove the Accessory Dwelling Unit placeholder as there has not been adequate time to discuss the new state law adopted on August 6 that goes into effect on Feb. 2, 2025. For starters, a bylaw has not been drafted and there is inadequate time to provide advance notice to hold the required public hearings on it, therefore, It may be necessary for a Special Town Meeting to be called on that topic in December or January.
