By MAUREEN DOHERTY

NORTH READING — Come one, come all to participate in the annual Fall Town Meeting, the quintessential form of self-governance, on Monday, October 7.

The main event begins at 7 p.m. in the NRHS gymnasium when Town Moderator John Murphy calls the meeting to order with a tap of the gavel. Given the distance needed to walk from the parking lot to the check-in tables in the lobby where you are given your “voter” ribbon, it is recommended that attendees arrive between 6:30-6:45 p.m. and remember to bring the copy of their printed warrant that was mailed to their homes two weeks ago.

Those who wish download a copy of the warrant may visit: northreadingma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif3591/f/news/town_meeting_warrant_booklet_10-7-2024.pdf

Available Sources of Funding

At the Select Board’s information hearing on the warrant Monday night, Town Administrator Mike Gilleberto stated the town currently has $7.6M available in certified Free Cash, which “reflects revenue in excess of the amount forecast and amounts not spent from departmental budgets, with an adjustment to reflect certain liabilities and uncollected taxes” and is then certified as “available for appropriation by the state Department of Revenue Division of Local Services.”

The town was also pleasantly surprised to gain $597,894 in unanticipated revenue from new buildings/renovations and development of land “more than was expected when the budget was approved at June Town Meeting.” He added that the town also has $15,979,978 in its town-owned Land fund (Pulte) plus $1,246,117 in Hillview Retained Earnings, which is  “Free Cash” generated from this enterprise fund. (Activities at the Hillview are all self-funded from fees generated from golfing and the function hall so its expenditures to not impact the tax rate and often have been used as a source of funding for other town projects to alleviate the tax burden during the 37 years that the town has been operating this public amenity.)

The town also has $1,030,390 leftover from unused appropriations made in Oct. 2021 for the wastewater design and planning on the now defunct plans for sewer on Main and Concord Streets and Lowell Road. The T.A. explained those funds were originally from the Pulte fund for the sale of town owned land and now are proposed to be re-appropriated for other expenses since the Select Board voted last May to abandon that sewer project. The town also has $29,803 that was appropriated from Free Cash in October 2018 for more general wastewater planning that was never used and is certified to use for other expenses.

SELECT BD. RECOMMENDATIONS

As noted previously, two of the five Select Board members, Chairman Vincenzo Stuto and Liane Gonzalez, will not be able to attend October Town Meeting due to out of town obligations. A quorum of members Steve O’Leary, Rich Wallner and Nick Masse will be present. On Monday night the board members made their recommendations on each of the 17 warrant articles.

There are many boilerplate matters but several have generated lots of interest among. The Select Board has voted to make the following recommendations:

• Article 4 – Appropriate Money to Capital Improvement Stabilization Fund: Voted 5-0 at the suggestion of SB member Nick Masse to recommend appropriating $250,000 from Free Cash into this fund, which has a current balance of $1,563,024.

• Article 6 – Appropriate Money to Participating Funding Arrangement Fund: Voted 5-0 to recommend transferring $175,700 from Free Cash to the reserve account that pays the town’s portion of future employee health costs. This sum is the town’s share of the surplus generated from active employee health insurance in FY 2024.

• Article 7 – Amend FY 2025 Operating Budget: Voted 5-0 to recommend several transfers into accounts that were underfunded in the FY25 budget from new growth of $597,894 in unanticipated property tax revenue as follows: Special Education/Transportation fund to cover new students who moved into the district since June TM at $399,842l Police overtime at $80,000; Fire overtime at $50,000 and the balance of $68,052 to the Reserve Fund under the control of the Finance Committee.

• Article 9 – Amend FY2025 Capital Budget: Voted 5-0 to recommend funding the following items:  Fire Engine/Pumper: $1,3M from Free Cash; Town Center Wastewater (connect municipal buildings to HS plant): $50K from Free Cash; Town Center Wastewater (connect municipal buildings to HS plant): $375,000 to match a $1.5M federal grant ($300,000 from Oct. 2021 wastewater appropriation and $75,000 from Free Cash); • Park Street Bridge: $1,160,193 in anticipation of federal funding available in one year from now ($730,390 from Oct. 2021 wastewater appropriation, $29,803 from Oct. 2018 wastewater appropriation, and $400,000 from Free Cash); and Hillview Roof Replacement: Additional $500,000 from borrowing and $200,000 from retained earnings subject to Hillview Commission discussion this Thursday. Supplements $2 million approved in June.

• Article 10 – Appropriate Money for Chestnut Street Bridge: Voted 5-0 to recommend funding the bridge as follows: $4.5M with average annual debt service estimated to be $307,688 including interest. Proposal is to seek authorization for borrowing regardless of result of debt exclusion vote. Debt Exclusion referendum on Nov. 5, 2024 State Election ballot.

Annual household cost if debt exclusion were approved: 0.08 per thousand dollars of valuation in the highest years

• $65.96 for the average single family home valued at $811,899

• Amount dropping off in FY 2026 is $0.15 per thousand dollars of valuation, or $121.65 for the average single family home.

If debt exclusion fails, debt would need to be absorbed into existing tax levy, impacting municipal and school services, but project could also be funded via another source at a future Town Meeting or a future debt exclusion vote.

• Article 11 – Appropriate Money for Fire Department Ladder Truck: Voted 5-0 to recommend funding new ladder truck as follows: Estimated cost is $1.9M; average annual debt service estimated to be $142,000 including interest. Proposal is to seek authorization for borrowing regardless of result of debt exclusion vote. Debt Exclusion referendum on Nov. 5, 2024 State Election ballot.

Annual household cost if debt exclusion were approved: $0.04 per thousand dollars of valuation in the highest years

• $31.04 for the average single family home valued at $811,899

• Amount dropping off in FY 2026 is $0.15 per thousand dollars of valuation, or $121.65 for the average single family home

If debt exclusion fails, debt would need to be absorbed into existing tax levy, impacting municipal and school services, but project could also be funded via another source at a future Town Meeting or a future debt exclusion vote.

MBTA COMMUNITIES 3A ACT

Articles 13, 14 and 15 are all related to the state requirement that 177 cities and towns adopt a by-right overlay zoning district that would allow multifamily housing at a density of 15 units per acre in the designated zone “by right.” There are four different types of such overlay districts under the state law. North Reading is defined as an “adjacent community” as the town does not receive direct MBTA service but is located adjacent to communities that do receive commuter rail service.

The  by-right housing would be market-rate. Housing advocates note that the law does not include any requirement that a single unit built provide affordable housing for the community. Housing proponents note that the adoption of the MBTA Communities 3A Zoning Act does not require a single such unit to be built; it merely requires the option to be made available to the property owner.

The zoning district is proposed for 100 and 104 Lowell Road, the site of the current Edgewood Apartments that were built under Ch 40R zoning and Martins Landing, the 55+ condominiums, both of which were built on the site of the former state-owned JT Berry land.

After much debate during Monday night’s 5 1/2 hour Select Board meeting, the recommendation in favor of adoption of the district as designed was 3-2, with Stuto, O’Leary and Wallner in favor and Gonzalez and Masse opposed.

• Article 13 – Amend Code – Zoning Bylaws – Establishment of Lowell Road Multi-Family Zoning Overlay District (MBTA Zoning). The T.A. stated in his presentation to the board that: “The article establishes a new overlay district that complies with the provisions of Section 3A of MGL c. 40A (MBTA Zoning). The district, like the existing overlay district affecting these properties, allows multi-family housing by right, and establishes regulations for that overlay district, including parking. The overlay district affects two parcels currently located within the Industrial Office zoning district. The provisions of the underlying zoning district, and other zoning overlay districts affecting the properties, remain intact.”

• Article 14 – Amend Code – Zoning Bylaws – Changes to Site Plan Review, Article XVII (MBTA Zoning). The T.A. stated in his presentation to the board that: “This article clarifies the Town’s site plan review procedures, confirming that site plan review is treated procedurally like a special permit but is not an actual special permit and no discretion for use is given to the special permit granting authority.”

• Article 15 – Amend Code – Zoning Bylaws – Section 200-30 Zoning Map (MBTA Zoning) — would update the town’s zoning map.

CLICKERS AT TOWN MEETING?

• Article 16 – Amend Code – General Bylaws – Chapter 172 § 172-13 – Town Meeting – Determination of Vote: The Select Board voted 5-0 to recommend amending the town’s “General Bylaws to allow the use of electronic voting technology at Town Meetings when directed by the Moderator. Alternatively, should 25 voters stand in their place favoring the use of ballots, the electronic voting technology shall be used. This would be in place of paper ballots, which would be used as a backup should electronic voting be unavailable.”

This article was proposed following feedback during the first session of the June 2024 Town Meeting after an hour was spent on a paper ballot count. Reasons given by voters favoring this option include: No privacy when voting by voice; voice voting can lead to shouting which can create angst among voters, causing some voters to hesitate to return to Town Meeting; and paper ballot count took too long. It was also noted that 70 towns in the state plus the U.S. House of Representatives uses this voting method.

• Article 17– Appropriate Funding for Electronic Voting Devices: The Select Board voted 5-0 to recommend the appropriation of $40,000 from Free Cash to “acquire equipment to implement electronic voting” that uses a hand-held “clicker.” The sum would fund 1,000 “clickers” and receiving equipment with a 3-year warranty.