By DAN TOMASELLO
Published March 27, 2019
LYNNFIELD — The April 29 Town Meeting warrant is set.
The Board of Selectmen closed the 17-article warrant last week. Town Meeting will take place on Monday, April 29, beginning at 7 p.m. in the Lynnfield Middle School auditorium.
Town Meeting will be headlined by Article 14, which seeks to amend the town’s Zoning Bylaw by allowing a movie theater to be constructed at MarketStreet Lynnfield. A cinema is currently a prohibited use at MarketStreet.
National Development has proposed constructing an eight-screen, 800-seat cinema at the outdoor mall. The proposed theater would be two stories and no more than 40,000 square feet. If approved, the CMX-operated cinema would have premium seating, food and beverage, and state-of-the-art projection and sound.
Selectmen Chairman Dick Dalton and Selectman Phil Crawford both voted to endorse the cinema article. Selectman Chris Barrett voted no.
Attorney Jay Kimball has submitted Article 16 on behalf of developer Angus Bruce. Article 16 seeks to rezone a parcel of land on upper Main Street from Residence D to Elderly Housing for the purpose of constructing the proposed Woods of Lynnfield elderly housing development.
The proposed development entails constructing 33 duplexes as part of a 55-and-over development. There will be a unit dedicated for a veteran. Bruce recently told the selectmen the units would each cost $589,900. Bruce said the development would generate $608,850 in tax revenue.
Selectmen Chairman Dick Dalton noted Bruce has agreed to a mitigation package that would have the developer pay the town $10,000 per duplex if Town Meeting approves the project. If the project moves forward, the town would receive $650,000.
The Planning Board will be holding a public hearing on both proposed projects on Tuesday, April 2, beginning at 7 p.m. in the Lynnfield High School auditorium.
Additionally, the Woods of Lynnfield development team will be hosting an informational meeting at the Meeting House on Wednesday, April 3 from 7-9 p.m.
Remaining warrant articles
Article 1 will request Town Meeting to act on reports of town officials and special committees. Article 2 will choose all town officers “not required to be chosen by ballot” including three field drivers, one pound keeper and three wood measurers.
According to the warrant, Article 3 will request Town Meeting to “fix the compensation of each of the elective officers of the town” as required by state law.
“Only two boards in town get paid, and that’s the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Assessors,” said Assistant Town Administrator Bob Curtin. “Neither of the boards is getting an increase.”
The selectmen endorsed the warrant’s first three articles.
Article 4 seeks to have the town “vote to raise and appropriate or transfer from available funds, sums of money to supplement certain accounts in the current 2019 fiscal year where balances are below projected expenditures for various reasons; or to take any other action in connection therewith.”
Curtin said local officials will have more information about the amount of money that needs to be transferred in the next several weeks.
Article 5 seeks to appropriate funds in order to pay overdue bills from a previous fiscal year by appropriating or transferring available funds.
“The town accountant knows of at least one,” said Curtin. “We will see if any others arise in the next few weeks.”
Article 6 is the town’s proposed operating budget for fiscal year 2020. Town Administrator Rob Dolan has proposed a $56,681,943 spending plan for FY’20, representing a 3 percent increase over FY’19’s $55,008,308 appropriation.
Curtin noted Article 7 is the town’s proposed capital budget, equaling $976,465. Article 8 will ask Town Meeting to appropriate $150,000 from Free Cash for the Stabilization Fund.
Article 9 will set the spending limits for the town’s revolving funds.
“In previous years, we had a number of articles authorizing these annually,” said Curtin. “Now we can just authorize the maximum expenditures in one fell swoop. They are unchanged with the exception of the Recreation Commission, which has gone up by $50,000 to $250,000 due to increased programming.”
Article 10 will ask voters to “appropriate a sum of money from Emergency Medical Service Enterprise receipts to pay expenses and contractual services.” Article 11 will ask Town Meeting to allocate funds from “Golf Enterprise receipts and/or Golf Enterprise Retained Earnings to pay expenses and contractual services required to operate the Reedy Meadow Golf Course and King Rail Golf Course.”
Curtin said Article 12 seeks to establish a 25-mile per hour speed limit in residential and business districts unless an existing speed limit is already posted.
“This will improve traffic and pedestrian safety in town,” said Curtin.
The selectmen unanimously voted to endorse Article 12.
Article 13 seeks to remove the sealer of weights and measures from the Civil Service Law. If Town Meeting approves Article 13, Curtin said the State Legislature would need to sign off on removing the position from Civil Service.
“It’s an anomaly because the only Civil Service positions we have are police officers,” said Curtin. “It’s a part-time position.”
Curtin said the Planning Board submitted Article 15, which would amend the Zoning Bylaw.
“Currently, any development in an Elderly Housing District that conforms with the district can be built by-right without any Special Permit or site review, which is not the town’s intention,” said Curtin. “The town wants that extra level of review for a project of that magnitude. This would allow single-family houses in an Elderly Housing District as long as they meet the most restrictive of our residential guidelines. But it would require a Special Permit from the Planning Board for any elderly housing use. That would restore that level of review for elderly housing. The Planning Board will be holding a public hearing on this at its April 2 meeting.”
The selectmen will be making a recommendation on Article 15 after the Planning Board’s public hearing takes place.
Article 17 will request Town Meeting to accept provisions in a state law that will allow local boards and officers to set fees for licenses, permits, certificates or services.
“The Board of Selectmen would be able to set the fees for these various permits and licenses without having to go to Town Meeting each time,” said Curtin.
