By Scott MacKeen
Staff Writer
8/6/09
Although Temple Shalom and the Planning Board are eyeing a December date to put a development proposal before Town Meeting, Selectmen might opt not to have the town pay for it.
At least one Selectman is wary of the costs associated with holding a special December Special Town Meeting, especially as a Special Town Meeting is already in the works for October to balance the operating budget.
“I think that it will be the position of the board that there will not be a December Town Meeting unless someone else pays for it,” Selectmen Chair John Shields said at a joint budget meeting with the Warrant Committee last week.
The meeting was mainly to discuss the October Special Town Meeting, which officials say is needed to balance a $300,000 deficit the town faces following the release of the state budget. The Warrant Committee’s initial plan is to cut the so-called “big four” budgets – police, fire, schools and public works – to make up the deficit.
However, with the possibility of another Special Town Meeting on the horizon, Shields weighed in with his opinion, saying he understands the needs of the Temple but feels the town should wait until Annual Town Meeting.
“They have to understand what kinds of pressures this puts on town government. It’s expensive to have a Town Meeting,” said Shields.
The other two Selectmen had left the meeting by the time Shields made his comments. Reached later by telephone, however, Selectman Marion McEttrick said it is too early to have an opinion.
“We just have to left this process play itself out,” said McEttrick, who added that she has heard different things and doesn’t know if the Temple article will be ready for a December Town Meeting. “[The Planning Board will] give us a time, and then we’ll decide.”
Fagan, also in a telephone interview, said she would favor the Temple’s developer paying for the Town Meeting.
“The cost of a Town Meeting is $7000 to $8,000 each. It is hard to justify expending this additional cost to discuss just one warrant article in December,” she said.
Temple Shalom is currently in a process with the Planning Board of framing an article for a new development plan. A self-imposed timeline would have an article ready by late September, but it is unclear whether that can occur.