Published in the October 10, 2018 edition

By DAN TOMASELLO

LYNNFIELD — The fall session of Town Meeting will take place on Monday, Oct. 15 at the Lynnfield Middle School auditorium, beginning at 7 p.m.

Town Meeting will need to achieve its 175-voter quorum requirement in order to conduct the town’s business. Twelve articles will be appearing on the warrant, including one citizens’ petition.

Red Twig Lane residents Michael and Heidi Tourkistas submitted Article 12. The citizens’ petition seeks to rezone a partial of land off Red Twig Lane from Residential A (RA) to Limited Business for the purpose of constructing a two-story building.

Atty. Jason Panos, who is representing the Tourkistases, recently told the Board of Selectmen the property located at 5 Red Twig Ln. is a private way off of Lynnfield Street. The parcel of land that would be rezoned totals 33,300 square feet.

Panos said the proposed building would be around 4,000 square feet and would include 42 parking spaces. He said medical offices and a bakery could call the building home if Town Meeting approves Article 12 and the Zoning Board of Appeals approves the project’s site plan.

The Planning Board has scheduled a public hearing on Article 12, which will take place on Thursday, Oct. 11, beginning at 7 p.m. in the Joe Maney Meeting Room in Town Hall.

Town Meeting changes

The Board of Selectmen has submitted four warrant articles seeking to streamline Town Meeting. The Town Meeting Study Committee created the warrant articles, which would update the town’s General Bylaws, with the assistance of Town Counsel Tom Mullen.

Article 5 seeks to limit formal presentations to 10 minutes.

“Any person who wishes to offer the principal presentation in support of the main motion under an article must so notify the moderator prior to the session at which the article is called,” reads Article 5. “Unless granted an extension of time by vote of the meeting, the individual speaking as the principal proponent on a main motion shall not speak for more than 10 minutes. If more than one person indicates a desire to make a presentation in support of the article, the moderator may divide the time. The same rules will apply should there be a principal speaker in opposition.”

Article 6 seeks to limit the number of minutes a person can speak on any warrant article.

“No person shall speak more than three minutes at one time, and no more than twice upon any question, provided that no person shall speak a second time on any question if there are others who desire to speak on it for a first time, except to answer an inquiry or to give information requested, without first obtaining leave of the meeting,” reads Article 6.

Article 7 regulates the start time and end time for Town Meeting.

“Each session of a Town Meeting required by Section 2-3-1 or Section 2-3-2 of the Charter or of a Special Town Meeting shall begin no earlier than 7 p.m., and no such session shall conclude later than 10:30 p.m. unless at such hour a deliberation and/or vote is in progress, in which event action under the article shall be completed prior to adjournment,” reads Article 7. “No consideration of an article shall be commenced after 10:30 p.m. unless the meeting votes to hear and act upon such article, notwithstanding the hour, or votes to postpone adjournment to a specific, later time, or votes to defer adjournment until all warrant articles have been acted upon.”

Article 8 pertains to reconsideration.

“When final action has been taken under an article and the meeting has taken up the next order of business, or adjourned, the subject matter of such article may not again be taken under consideration unless, in the discretion of the moderator, a significant error or omission occurred in connection with the meeting’s action under that article, or a significant change in circumstances has occurred, such that there is a substantial likelihood that the outcome could change upon reconsideration or that reconsideration is in the town’s best interest,” reads Article 8. “Upon a motion and second for reconsideration, the moderator shall ask the maker of the motion to state the circumstances necessitating reconsideration. If, in the opinion of the moderator, reconsideration meets the criteria…the moderator shall so state and the meeting shall proceed without debate to a majority vote on the motion for reconsideration.”

Additional articles

Article 1 will request Town Meeting to appropriate funds in order to pay overdue bills from fiscal year 2018.

Article 2 will request that Town Meeting “vote to raise and appropriate or transfer from available funds, sums of money to supplement certain accounts in the current 2019 fiscal year for various purposes.”

Article 3 would address the ongoing septic issues plaguing the Meeting House and Lynnfield Public Library. If approved, funds would be allocated from Free Cash in order to construct a new septic system that would be shared by the library, Meeting House and the Historic Center across from Town Hall. DPW Director John Tomasz and Town Engineer Charlie Richter are currently researching cost estimates for the project.

The Parsons Avenue Extension would be accepted as a new public way if Town Meeting approves Article 4. The selectmen scheduled a public hearing on Article 4 for Wednesday, Oct. 10, beginning at 7:45 p.m. in the Al Merritt Media and Cultural Center.

According to the warrant, Article 9 would amend the General Bylaws by requiring the October Town Meeting warrant to be posted in “at least six public places” for seven days before Town Meeting. The practice is currently undertaken for April Town Meeting.

Article 10 will request that Town Meeting vote to amend the re-codified Zoning Bylaw by restoring the height requirement that was inadvertently omitted when the re-codified Zoning Bylaw was approved at the October 2017 Town Meeting. Article 10 stipulates, “In all districts, no building shall be constructed to exceed more than three-stories or 40 feet in height.”

According to the warrant, Article 11 will ask Town Meeting to adopt Chapter 197 of the General Bylaws. The bylaw change would “provide a mechanism for the application by town officers, boards, committees and commissions of security posted by applicants connected with their obtaining licenses, permits, approvals, authorizations and contracts.”