Brookline Fall Town Meeting 2020: What To Know

BROOKLINE, MA — Tuesday the town's legislators will gather to vote on more than 40 issues that could impact everything from police use of body cameras to affordable housing to establishing a minority and women-owned business program in town.

The main meeting has 40 proposals on the table, including one to determine whether the town should adjust official language to use non gendered pronouns throughout and one that asks the town to commit to an "inclusive and progressive budget" by prioritizing funding for affordable housing, police reform, efforts directed at underrepresented communities and equitable access to schooling. There's also a proposal to allow the town to enforce local regulations restricting new fossil fuel infrastructure in certain construction.

There is a second meeting within the main meeting that will have legislators consider three proposals, including one about purchasing part of the old Newbury College property, which the town's voters approved earlier this month.

The fall Town Meeting is set to happen Nov. 17. It will start at 7 p.m. and although it usually takes place in the Brookline High School Auditorium, it will be held virtually this year on Zoom for participants and broadcast live on the Brookline Interactive Group's website, and social media.

Town Meeting is Brookline's Legislative arm of government. It consists of 240 elected Town Meeting members, plus the members of the Select Board, and any state representative or state senator who lives in Brookline. The Town Moderator, Sandy Gadsby, presides and the town clerk acts as secretary, and both are voting members.

The 240 are elected by precinct, with 15 members elected from each of the town's 16 precincts. The members are elected for staggered three-year terms so that five members are elected from each precinct each year in the May annual town election.

Town Meeting is responsible for passing a balanced annual town budget, and enacts all town bylaws. An Annual Town Meeting is held in the spring to enact the following year's budget, plus whatever other matters are placed on the Town Meeting warrant, either by the Select Board or by citizen petition. The Annual Town Meeting is usually held the last week in May or the first week in June. A special Town Meeting is held each fall, usually in November, to deal with any budget changes, zoning by-law amendments.

Here's what's on the docket for the original Special Town Meeting:

1. Proposal to appoint two measurers of bark and wood. (Sponsored by the Select Board)
2. Approval of collective bargaining agreements. (Human Resources)
3. Special appropriations. (Select Board)
4. Approval of unpaid bills. (Select Board)
5. Host community payments, what to do with excess money from Marijuana Dispensaries (Select Board)
6. In-Car Video and Body-Worn Camera policy for the police department(TMM Donelle O’Neal)
7. Amending Brookline's Affordable Housing Requirements and Affordable Housing Trust. (Roger Blood)
8. Amending Brookline Affordable Housing (Deborah Brown, David Lescohier, Arthur W. Conquest, III, C. Scott Ananian, Robert Lepson, Luciana Schachnik and Bob Schram)
9. Defining Short-Term Rentals (Select Board)
10. Proposal to create regulations allowing for short-term rentals (Select Board)
11. Who enforces short-term rental regulations (Select Board)
12. Proposal to adopt Community Preservation Act (Land Bank Study Committee, Heather Hamilton, Chair )
13. Senior citizen property tax exemption (Moderator's Committee on Elderly Tax Relief, contact Susan Granoff)
14. Tobacco Control bylaw amendment (Anthony Ishak, Kate Silbaugh TMM1, Maura Toomey TMM8, Nancy Daly, TMM12)
15. Proposal would establish a minority and women-owned business program (brought by more than 12 people)
16. Proposal to make it legal in Brookline to have recall elections of townwide officials (Mariah Nobrega)
17. Proposal to regulate Election Day signs (Neil Gordon, TMM1)
18. Resolution to support ranked-choice voting in town (C. Scott Ananian, TMM-10; Deborah Brown, TMM-1; Shira Fischer, TMM-11; Raul Fernandez, SB; Meggan Levene, TMM-3; Nicole McClelland, TMM-11)
19. Proposal to have the town clerk's role be appointed one, rather than elected. (Select Board)
20. Related to bylaw language change regarding town clerk's role.
21. This would require the Select Board to report on the website details of legal settlements related to discrimination (Jonathan J. Margolis)
22. Pronoun Change: This proposal would change he/she to they/them in the town bylaws (Hadassah Margolis, TMM8 (she/her/hers), Michael Burstein, TMM12 (he/him/his), Neil Gordon, TMM1 (he/him/his), Katherine O'Connor (they/them/theirs)
23. Related to Article 22.
24. This article would expand who gets communication about regulation changes at residential and business properties (Amie Lindenboim TMM5, Michael Zoorob, Neil Gordon TMM1, Wendy MacMillan TMM4)
25. Related to article 24.
26. Parking: This article proposes to eliminate parking space minimums in certain zones (Michael Zoorob, Lara Jarrell, Shira Fischer)
27. Related to Article 26.
28. Fiscal education training requirement (The Long-Term Policy and Planning Sub-Committee of the Advisory Committee)
29. A proposal to adjust how committee appointments are made (Mariah Nobrega; David Lescohier; Deborah Brown)
30. A proposal to adjust reporting of votes on the town's financial board (Neil Gordon, TMM1 )
31. A proposal to prohibit the Select Board from litigation if Town Meeting forbids it (Miriam Aschkenasy, TMM pct 13, Anne Weaver, TMM pct 11, C. Scott Ananian, TMM pct 10 )
32. A resolution that asks the town to commit to inclusive and progressive budget for FY22, through (C. Scott Ananian, TMM-10; Bonnie Bastien, TMM-5; Ryan Black; Deborah Brown, TMM-1; Arthur W. Conquest III, TMM-6; Anne Greenwald, TMM-8; Bob Lepson, TMM-9; Maya Norton; Naomi Sweitzer, TMM-10)
33. Town/School Partnership participatory budgeting: A resolution that asks the town to have the town and school collaborate with budgeting (Deborah Brown, Arthur Conquest, III, and David Lescohier )
34. Affordable housing: This proposal asks that the town have a target of building 3,330 new housing units by 2030 (more than 10 people are backing this)
35. Residential Tax Exemption: This resolution asks that the Select Board consider a substantial increase to the Residential Exemption for residential property tax rate (Neil Gordon, TMM1)
36. Increase Select Board Stipend: This resolution asks the town. to increase the Select Board's stipend and Town Department head salaries. (C. Scott Ananian, TMM 10)
37. Increase School Committee Stipend (C.Scott Ananian, TMM 10)
38. A Resolution calling for "Swift, Just Building Decarbonization in the Commonwealth" (Select Board, Lisa Cunningham, Jesse Gray, Steven Heiken, Werner Lohe, Paul Saner, Kathleen Scanlon, Cora Weissbourd)
39. Prohibition on New Fossil Fuel Infrastructure in Certain Construction ( Select Board, Lisa Cunningham, Jesse Gray, Steven Heiken, Werner Lohe, Paul Saner, Kathleen Scanlon, Cora Weissbourd)
40. Reports of Town Officers and Committees

    
    Read the Article Explanations from the town:

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