The Swellesley Report

More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

Wellesley Special Town Meeting warrant posted—schools; property transfer; rezoning; and more

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The warrant for Wellesley’s October 25th Special Town Meeting (STM) warrant has been signed and posted. The warrant contains 11 articles on subjects such as funding for construction of both a new Hunnewell Elementary School and John D. Hardy Elementary School (articles 2 & 3); the transfer of three already-acquired Worcester Street parcels to the land area of Hardy School, to be placed “under the care, custody, and control of the School Committee for school purposes…” (article 4); rezoning two Washington Street parcels from residential to business (article 11); and more.

Wellesley constable
Constable Phil Juliani posts the warrant for STM. Photo: Town of Wellesley

Perhaps even more exciting than the warrant articles themselves is that the Monday, October 25th, 7pm STM is planned to take place in-person at Wellesley Middle School. This could change to a remote platform, depending on whether there is an increase in COVID-19 infections, but for now the plan is for everyone to show up, masked-up. (Update: The meeting will be online only after all.)

Residents can weigh in on the articles before they get to STM.

The Planning Board will meet on September 13, 6:30pm, via a public Zoom meeting, to hash out the Zoning Articles under consideration.

The Advisory Committee will meet on Wednesday, September 22, 6:30pm, via a public Zoom meeting, to discuss all the warrant articles.

Planning Board meeting

DATE: Monday, September 13, 2021
TIME: 6:30pm
LOCATION: via Zoom (link will be available closer to the meeting date)

Advisory Committee meeting

DATE: Wednesday, September 22, 2021
TIME: 6:30pm
LOCATION: via Zoom (link will be available closer to the meeting date)

Special Town Meeting

DATE: Monday, October 25, 2021
TIME: 7pm
LOCATION: Wellesley Middle School, 50 Kingsbury St.

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Town of Wellesley round-up: nomination papers, voting, census, dog licenses

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Town of Wellesley updates:

Nomination Papers for March 2, 2021 town-wide election

The last day to obtain nomination papers for town-wide office is Fri., Jan. 8, 2021, at 5pm. 50 signatures are needed. The last dat to return nomination papers is Tue., Jan. 12, at 5pm.

Wellesley Town Hall
Wellesley Town Hall, winter 2021

Offices for town election March 2, 2021 are:

  • Select Board, 2 0f 5 (3-year terms)
  • Board of Assessors, 1 of 3 (3-year term)
  • Board of Health, 1 of 3 (3-year term)
  • Housing Authority, 3 of 5  (two 5-year terms; one 1-year term)
  • Moderator, 1 of 1 (1-year term)
  • Natural Resources, 2 0f 5 (3-year terms)
  • Library Trustees, 2 of 6 (3-year terms)
  • Planning Board, 1 of 5 (5-year term)
  • Board of Public Works, 1 of 3 (3-year term)
  • Recreation Commissioners, 3 0f 5 (two 3-year terms; one 2-year term)
  • School Committee, 2 of 5 (3-year terms)
  • Town Clerk, 1 of 1 (3-year term)

Call the Town Clerk’s office for additional information (781-431-1019 ext 2252).

Town meeting nomination papers

Town Meeting Members are elected to staggered terms annually. Each precinct will elect 10 town meeting members, and fill any vacant seats.

Jan. 19, 2021: Last day for incumbent Town Meeting members to file notice of candidacy with Town Clerk.

Jan. 22, 2021: Last day to obtain nomination papers for new Town Meeting candidates.

Jan. 26, 2021: Last day to return nomination papers for new Town Meeting candidates

April 26, 2021: Town meeting is expected to begin. Town meeting will continue weekly until the business is completed.

Annual Town Census

 All residential addresses should have received the 2021 Annual Town Census.  All households are required to return the census document as soon as possible, even if no changes are necessary.

Early vote by mail information

The Town census also includes information about mail-in voting and ballot request forms for the March 2, 2021 town-wide election.

Voters who would like to request a mail-in ballot for the annual Town Elections must do so by February 24, 2021 at 5pm

Dog Licensing

The Town Clerk’s office is reminding pet owners to renew annual dog licenses.

The renewal period began on January 1 and runs through March 31, 2021. Owners may renew licenses online using the Viewpoint Cloud email that was sent on January 1, 2021. You may also renew dog licenses online via the Town Clerk webpages.

There are no walk-in dog license renewals this year as Town Hall remains closed to the public due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

To renew dog licenses by mail, please follow the instructions on the Animal Control webpages.

MORE:

Wellesley Animal Control Officer Sue Webb to retire after 45 years on the job

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Wellesley Special Town Meeting starts Oct. 26

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Wellesley Town HallWellesley’s Special Town Meetings begin Monday, Oct. 26. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the meetings will take place virtually using Zoom videoconferencing.

Special Town Meeting 1 will start at 7pm. Town Meeting members will consider a $13.9 million appropriation for construction costs related to Wellesley Middle School building systems.

Special Town Meeting 2 will start at 7:30pm. Town Meeting members will consider multiple topics that would have been discussed at Annual Town Meeting, but that meeting was stripped down to essential financial-related topics and a couple of citizen petitions.

Expect to hear about funding for operating and capital projects; amendments to Town Zoning and General bylaws; citizen petitions; spending for a chiller at Sprague Elementary School; interior and exterior (roof) renovations at Wellesley Free Library; and a long-awaited bathroom to replace the old one on the aqueduct at Hunnewell Fields.

How to tune in

Video presentations on the topics to be considered at the Special Town Meetings can be viewed on the Town of Wellesley YouTube channel  and on the Town of Wellesley website. The presentations are also running on Wellesley Media regular programming.

Special Town Meetings will be live-streamed on Wellesley Media and broadcast on Comcast Channel 8 and Verizon Channel 40.

How to speak up

Registered Wellesley voters who would like to speak on any topic during Special Town Meetings must submit a request to the Town Clerk 48-hours prior to the start of the meetings. Email KC Kato at [email protected] no later than 7pm on Saturday, October 24.

Who votes

Only Town Meeting members may vote on articles under consideration.

ADA Accessibility

Closed-captioning will be provided for Special Town Meetings. If you have a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to attend the virtual Special Town Meetings please complete this form no later than 7pm on Saturday, October 24.

Getting the job done

If additional meeting nights are needed, Special Town Meetings will continue on Tuesday, October 27, and Wednesday, October 28 starting at 7pm on both nights.

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Wellesley Town Meeting—the budget; MLP opt-in/opt-out drama; 2nd Monday in Oct. petitioners kept waiting

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wellesley town hall war memorialsWellesley Town Meeting (TM), conducted remotely via Zoom, ran until almost midnight on Monday as elected officials voted on the annual town budget and issues related to the Wellesley Municipal Light Plant Voluntary Renewable Energy program.

Finances came first, with the goal being to deliver a balanced budget of about $180M for FY2021, which starts in July. The COVID-19 crisis has presented challenges in ensuring that the town-wide financial plans goals be met. All decisions are based on what Wellesley identifies as the 5 P’s — PAY the full cost of current operations/services; PROACTIVELY address emerging issues; PROTECT the Town agains material risks; PRESERVE the Town’s assets; and PLAN for the long-term.

A sixth, unwelcome P has wormed its way into all current financial discussions, and it’s called PANDEMIC. Due to the coronavirus’ impact on the economy, new growth is down by about $500k; State aid is down $200k; and local receipts (building permits, motor vehicle excise taxes, and investment income) is down by about $1.6 million, for a total reduction of approximately $2.3 million.

A cross-departmental effort ahead of TM was put in place to cut Wellesley’s capital spending 25% across the board, leading to  projects like the Town Hall Annex project being deferred. Bond refunding and soliciting the Community Preservation Committee to pick up an extra $200K in softball field refurbishment funds have been used to save the town on expenses in the new fiscal year. And TM overwhelmingly agreed with budget recommendations that it was time to dip into Free Cash reserves to help fund budget items such as pubic safety; winter maintenance (snow removal); special education costs and out-of-district tuition costs; and RDF equipment.

Some of the big-ticket items that were approved:

  • $10,078,359.00 was appropriated to the Water Enterprise Fund
  • $9,765,538.00 was appropriated to the Sewer Enterprise Fund
  • $2,750,000 was OK’d to be expended by the DPW, for engineering designs, bid documents, construction services and associated costs related to the construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, and repair of Great Plain Avenue

You can see all the Articles here.

Town Meeting members voted overwhelmingly to approve all items that were taken up. Scorecard here.

Just when you think you’re done

Six Citizens Petitions were also scheduled to be heard, however, it was thought that most of the petitioners would agree to have their petitions moved off until fall for discussion. Part of the reason for doing so is that given TM is being done remotely, an unprecedented situation, it seemed best to debate the petitions when TM is able to meet in person.

Not all the petitioners agreed to have their issues tabled, however. The petitioners for Article 44, led by Phyllis Theermann of Sustainable Wellesley, chose to bring forward their motion on the Voluntary Renewable Energy Program (VREP). The big point of debate: whether to automatically enroll all the Town’s electricity customers in the VREP.

Scott Bender, Board of Public Works, gave a brief presentation in which he noted that 1,000 residents currently participate in the VREP, which represents a 10% participation rate. By being a part of the program, participants agree to have a fee of 7% added to their electricity bill. That 7% collected then goes to fund projects such as community solar projects and electric vehicle charging stations.

Right now, residents who are interested in the program “opt-in”. Article 44’s premise is that with TM’s vote of approval, the opt-in enrollment model would be abandoned and replaced with an “opt-out” system.

TM member Chris Shedd said, “The irony of it is that it’s a voluntary program that we are forcing people to do.”

Others agreed, saying that opt-out systems by their very nature are “deceitful” and  “a ploy” akin to sketchy marketing strategies put forth by those who want to separate the unsuspecting from their hard-earned money.

As the debate stretched out, TM member David Himmelberger tried to end things by making a motion to “lay it on the table.” With that motion, moderator Mark Kaplan was required to stop the discussion and take a vote. The motion, which required a 2/3 vote, did not pass, and debate continued. Had the motion passed, Article 44 would have been pushed off to fall, and petitioners would have been faced with the added chore of again having to collect signatures for the article to appear on the ballot.

So Article 44’s petitioners took their chances and came out ahead. That’s called gambling, Wellesley-style.

One TM member in support of Article 44 said, “sometimes laudable goals need a nudge,” and another member took exception to the idea of opt-out models being categorized wholesale as a ploy. “Elected officials make government decisions for our town. That’s not a ploy.”

Finally, disgusted when the arguments became repetitive, and the hour approached midnight, one TM member said, “Let’s get on with it.”

In the end, TM voted yes to enroll all the Town’s electricity customers in the Voluntary Renewable Energy Program. The vote came down 158 yes; 48 no; 1 abstention for the non-binding referendum.

But what about the second Monday in October?

Moderator Kaplan said that since the late hour was taking TM into “almost tomorrow”, it was time to wrap things up.

Town Meeting will resume on Tue., June 23, at 7pm.

The likely scenario: a debate and vote on Articles 42 & 43, which have to do with the second Monday in October.

Article 42 asks that in Wellesley the second Monday of October henceforth be commemorated as Indigenous Peoples Day and that the town cease to recognize Columbus Day.

Article 43 supports the observance of Italian American Heritage Day on the second Monday in October to coincide with National Italian-American Heritage Month and supports the observance of Indigenous Peoples Day on a to-be-designated day in the month of November to coincide with National Native American Heritage Month.

The meeting will be televised live on Comcast channel 8 and Verizon channel 40 beginning at 7pm and will be live streamed on Wellesley Media.

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Wellesley Town Meeting on Mon., June 22: budget is main thing; Columbus Day articles may be debated

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The Town of Wellesley will hold its remote Annual Town Meeting and Special Town Meeting beginning at 7pm on Monday, June 22, 2020, using the Zoom meeting platform.

The meeting will be televised live on Comcast channel 8 and Verizon channel 40 beginning at 7pm and will be live streamed on Wellesley Media.

Town Meeting’s main focus will be Wellesley’s budget, but it’s the outcome of Citizen’s Petitions 42 & 43 that many are watching closely.

Petition 42 asks that Town Meeting (TM) members vote to establish the second Monday of October as Indigenous Peoples Day and cease to recognize Columbus Day in Wellesley.

Petition 43 in its original version read that Town Meeting was being asked to adopt a resolution to establish the second Monday of October as Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day.

Those putting forth Petition 43, however, have amended the language for that petition. The amended language for Petition 43, approved by Town Counsel in March, is broken into two parts. Part 1 asks Town Meeting to “support the observance of Italian American Heritage day on the second Monday in October to coincide with National Italian American Heritage Month.” The second part of the petition asks TM to “support the observance of Indigenous Peoples Day on a to-be-designated day in the month of November to coincide with National Native American Heritage month.”

On Monday the Board of Selectmen will announce that it is ready to take up the six citizens petitions (41, 44, 45, 46, 42 & 43 — in that order). It is likely that the petitioners of 41, 44, 45, and 46 will agree to have their petitions moved off until fall for discussion. The reason for pushing off the petitions is that right now the town is focused on the budget. Also, given that TM is being done remotely, an unprecedented situation, it seems best to debate the petitions when TM is able to meet in person.

Given that Petitions 42 & 43 are tied to a specific date — October 12, 2020 — TM may agree with the petitioners that the timely nature of the petitions requires immediate action.

Wellesley resident and proponent of Petition 43 Donna Maria Ticchi said, “Article 43 originally asked our Town to support a compromise — an inclusive observation of Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day on the second Monday in October.  We listened and learned that this is not an acceptable compromise and have amended the language on the petition.  We have removed the name Christopher Columbus, which is offensive to some. The new language represents a further step toward a compromise that would recognize, honor, and respect both groups.”

World of Wellesley president and proponent of Petition 42, Michelle Chalmers, said, “Proponents of 43 now wants Columbus Day renamed to Italian Heritage Day. They say they’ve changed their motion to reflect their new-found views. I feel very good about Indigenous People’s Day passing. I think the people of Wellesley understand that it’s the right thing to do.”

You can find the wording of 42 & 43 here:
[Read more…]

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Wellesley election 2020 reminders

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Vote, WellesleyThe last day to register to vote in Wellesleey for the town election is June 3 at 8pm.  Voters may drop off their voter registration application in the drop box in front of Town Hall, 525 Washington St.

The last day to return an absentee ballot to Town Hall is June 13 at noon. All mail-in ballots must be returned to Town Hall by noon on June 13. Mail-in ballots will not be accepted at the polls.

There is still time to request a ballot. Please do so by completing the application form, including a signature, and returning it by email to [email protected], or to the drop box or via mail to Wellesley Town Hall, 525 Washington Street, Wellesley, MA 02482.

Please note that it may take up to 3 or 4 days to travel via USPS.

Town Clerk KC Kato via email told us, “As of Friday, we had 4,195 (26%) of active voters request a mail-in ballot or vote early at Town Hall prior to March 17. About half of the ballots have been returned. Our 10-year average turn-out for local elections is 19%.”

Voting the new old-fashioned way

In-person voting will take place on Saturday, June 13; 8am – noon for all precincts at the Babson Recreation and Athletic Center, 3 Babson College Dr. The college’s new gym is enormous, which will keep social distancing easy, and there is plenty of parking at the site.

Making the dramatic change of holding the election in one location only has been put into place in order to simplify staffing, ingress/egress, and cleaning.

As for the reduction in voting hours, the town is only legally required to hold four hours of in-person voting. The decision to keep the hours short was made to keep the logistics of the election simple. For example, some of the usual poll workers will not want to volunteer due to COVID-19 concerns.

The election was originally scheduled for March 17, but was postponed.

Town Meeting also has been delayed. The new date is Monday, June 22.

Catch up on Wellesley 2020 election coverage and candidate interviews.

This post was sponsored by Yes for Seven

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Wellesley budget briefing

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While COVID-19 numbers have ruled in recent months, it’s important not to overlook another set of numbers that Wellesley officials are working hard to optimize: the annual town budget (See the May 20 recording of the Advisory Committee meeting for gory details).

The town’s doing its darnedest despite the healthcare and economic crisis to deliver a balanced budget of about $180M for fiscal year ’21, which starts in July. Wellesley is also looking to maintain services and the staff that provides them. Town decision makers seek to sort this out by the time Town Meeting starts on June 22.

townwide financial plan
Townwide financial plan presented at May 20 Advisory meeting

 

Town Meeting will be restricted to financial issues, with other planned articles addressed in different ways or pushed to a Special Town Meeting in the fall that could have a much more packed agenda than originally expected. Wellesley Executive Director Meghan Jop is hopeful that forced changes to the way Town Meeting is run this spring (one option includes going online, with digital presentations circulated ahead of time for comments) will make for more efficient town meetings going forward. We were kind of hoping the outdoor Town Meeting concept might be embraced.

A huge cross-departmental effort has been put in place to cut Wellesley’s capital spending 25% across the board, which means planned projects like the Town Hall Annex, Grove Street construction, and Sprague Elementary School chiller would be deferred. More than $2M in cost slashing is required to make up for steep revenue reductions anticipated for everything from construction permits to state aid to meals taxes to excise taxes (people aren’t buying showy cars).  Financial wizardry in areas such as bond refunding and soliciting the Community Preservation Committee to pick up an extra $200K in softball field refurbishment funds have been used to save the town on expenses in the new fiscal year.

cash cap

Jop’s hopeful that departments will look for more grant opportunities as well, and expects that federal COVID-19 aid such as that provided through the CARES Act and FEMA will address expected shortfalls and significantly offset the cost of protective equipment. CARES could even help fund badly needed physician and social worker staff additions to the Health Department, which is already working around the clock and foresees no slowdown as the new school year begins, and reopened restaurants and other businesses require health inspections need to take place–not to mention the threat of a second COVID-19 wave.

The town anticipates big state bucks as well assuming the William Street development goes through, plus as much as a $1.6M building permit fee! Meanwhile, the town is scoring smaller wins, such as by having staff that would have been busy processing permits etc., using their time to scan documents it had planned to spend other funds on to digitize.

In all of this, Wellesley’s trying to avoid dipping into its free cash and rainy day funds, though Jop quipped during the Advisory meeting: “I’d argue it’s raining.”

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