![Wayland High School Class of 2019 alum Devin Wong is the new assistant coach of Harvard University Nordic Ski Team. "I’m excited to be a part of a new team and coaching staff am motivated to learn from [head coach] Cate Brams and grow as a coach and wax tech," Wong said.](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/09-27-24-NSKI-Wong-Announcement-1920x1080-1-e1730466291327-1200x704.jpg)
Wayland’s annual Town Meeting got off to a slow start on Thursday evening. Slightly over 300 town citizens debated well into the night the merits and faults of the town omnibus budget, several amendments, and four other articles.
After the approval of three standard articles that recognized town employees with distinguished service, allowed reports commissioned by the town to be heard, and chose several town officers, debate arose during a discussion over Article 4, Current Year Transfers. The article requested that the town spend $165,000 to pay current year (Fiscal Year 2010) expenses that were not appropriated for at last year’s town meeting.
While the $50,000 for snow removal and $20,000 for unexpected special elections faced no controversies, the $95,000 aimed for the town council attracted more attention. According to town administrator Fred Turkington, roughly $10,000 of this fund would be used for labor contract negotiations, $20,000 for the town cable channel, and, most controversially, approximately $62,000 to pay for litigation in response to flooding at the town safety building.
Anette Lewis made a motion that the $95,000 in funding for the town counsel be struck from the article, causing a vigorous debate.
After a voice vote on the motion that was too close to be clear, the debate went to a counted vote. The motion failed by just seven votes, 150 in favor and 157 against. The article was then approved as a whole, with the $95,000 included.
Wayland resident and Town Meeting moderator Peter Gossels providing direction on Thursday night. (Credit: Elizabeth Doyon/WSPN)
The rest of the night was spent debating the Article 5, the Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 budget. The first motion to the budget would have prevented $500,000 worth of water surplus from being used to pay for the general budget. However, as the chairman of the Finance Committee, Sam Peper, explained, the move was just for budgetary purposes, and the motion failed.
Two further motions came with line item 43, the school budget. The first amendment proposed that the school budget be raised by $18,824, so that an arts position at the high school would not be cut; the second proposed increasing the size of the school budget. Both motions failed.
However, the lengthiest debate came with the capital budget. Margo Melnicove proposed several motions to cut every line item that was debt exempt: money for building repairs, a new bath house for the town beach, a new street sweeper, paving North Cemetery road, field renovations, a Greenways feasibility study, and a senior center feasibility study.
Only two of the motions passed. The $570,000 for the new town beach bath house was cut by a voice vote, despite protests from the Board of Recreation. The $75,000 for paving North Cemetery Rd was also cut, after Board of Public Works Chairman Eric Knapp moved to withdraw the line item.
Despite the length of the meeting, only slightly over 300 - out of 9000 eligible voters - participated in the meeting (Credit: Elizabeth Doyon/WSPN) The final item cut was $625,000 for a network meters reading system, a removal proposed by Peggy Patton. Concerns over cost and radiation brought down the funding. Town officials, however, promised that the radiation would be far less than that from a cellphone and that the cost would be more than made up by efficiencies (e.g. the reduced need for water meter readers).
According to Town Meeting regulations, the Town Meeting is adjourned at 10:30, after a vote over the article being debated has ended. However, due to the lengthy nature of the omnibus budget article, Town Meeting did not actually adjourn until 11:45, when Selectman Joe Nolan moved to adjourn.
Even then, the debate over the capital budget was not finished.The debate will continue when Town Meeting resumes on Monday, May 17th.
Correction
Anette Lewis made a motion to strike $95,000 in funding for the town counsel, not the town council.
interested parent • May 16, 2010 at 6:49 AM
Great that WSPN is covering the culmination of the annual Town budget process. A minor correction: substitute "town counsel" for "town council."
David Ryan • May 16, 2010 at 3:14 PM
Mea Culpa!
We appreciate your keen eyes, that one slipped through. Thank you for the correction.
Dave Ryan
Kim • May 16, 2010 at 6:39 AM
A correction: Joe Nolan, mentioned at the end of the article, is a Selectman. Peter Gossels is the Moderator.
David Ryan • May 16, 2010 at 3:10 PM
Hello Kim,
Peter Nolan was identified as a Selectman, and Peter Gossels was identified as the Town Meeting moderator. I just re-read the article twice and I’m not having any luck finding where you found our mistake. If you could clarify that would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Dave Ryan