Brookline Town Meeting To Be Held Virtually: What To Know

BROOKLINE, MA — This year, amid concern about the spread of the coronavirus, Brookline's Town Meeting, will be held virtually. This marks the first time since the town was formed that the elected representatives have not been required to perform duties in person. Read more.

Usually, the 240 Town Meeting Members gather in the auditorium at Brookline High School and raise their hands or use a handheld electronic device to register their votes. This year they will call in from home and "raise" their hands on Zoom.

In April, the Town Meeting, originally scheduled for May, was postponed until June 23. Thursday, Town officials decided rather than attempt to hold the meeting in person, it would be best to follow a number of other communities and use Zoom and phone technology to hold the meeting.

The June Town Meeting includes more than 40 warrant articles that propose everything from changing the language in the bylaws to be gender neutral, to raising the legal age in town to buy tobacco to 44. This is addition to approving the town's FY21 budget and adding another $32 million to the high school expansion and renovation project.

What's on the docket:

Article 6 provides for an increase in the property tax exemptions for veterans and their surviving spouses.

Article 7 would increase the high school renovation budget, which has gone appropriate up to $32 million above the original $205.6 million.

Article 8 relates to the town’s operating budgets.

Article 9 proposes a special district in Fisher Hill, that would allow Welltower, the developer set to create a senior living community on a portion of the old Newbury College campus. The developer has said if the town doesn’t allow this special zoning district, it will sell the property. Another portion of this warrant presents two other options for the developer to meet an affordable housing obligation. Another aspect of this warrant puts forth the option of having the town purchase the west side of the property for $14.8 million, provided the Welltower district is approved and goes forward, or share in proceeds if the developer sells that land.

Articles 10-15 all relate to the old Newbury College property.

Article 16 would preserve the Town’s ability to sell the three condos at 15-19 Oak St, that it bought last year in anticipation of renovating and rebuilding the Baldwin School at an adjacent property, to avoid having to pay interest on a loan it used to purchase the property.

Article 17 relates to a Cannabis Mitigation Advisory Committee to help develop spending proposals for Town Meeting to consider how to appropriate host community payments from town marijuana operations.

Article 18 - 19 would amend bylaws to establish an affordable housing trust fund, reduce the terms of the housing advisory board and stagger them, increase the number of advisory board members.

Article 20 relates to Brookline’s Inclusionary Zoning Bylaw

Article 21 defines short-term rentals for zoning and bylaw clarity.

Article 22 would create regulations allowing for short-term rentals in specific instances, and provided operators follow specific regulations.

Article 23 would make a cohort made up of the building commissioner, director of health and human services, the fire chief and town administrator enforcement agencies when it comes to short term rentals, in addition to the police department, which is currently the default enforcing agency.

Article 24 relates to the town’s Community Preservation Act money.

Article 25 would change the number of liquor licenses permitted in town.

Article 26 proposes a program in which no senior homeowner in town who qualifies be required to pay property taxes on their home or condo greater than 10 percent of their household income so long as they paid at least 50 percent of their property tax bill after applying the Town’s residential exemption.

Article 27 proposes to amend the town bylaw to prevent the sale of tobacco products to anyone born after Jan. 1, 1976, effectively raising the age limit to buying tobacco for anyone in town younger than 44.

Article 28 would have Brookline seek permission from state legislature to allow for recall for town wide officials.

Article 29 would amend a bylaw that makes it illegal to put campaign signs on public property on the day of an election, making it legal to do so in an effort to increase voter turnout and awareness.

Article 30 is related to non disclosure agreements when it comes to settlements.

Article 31 - 32 proposes to change pronounces in the Town’s general bylaws and zoning bylaws to gender neutral.

Article 33 proposes that the entire Town Meeting attend at least one informational training that covers the town budgeting process a year, as recommended by the Town’s fiscal advisory committee in 2014.

Article 34 would allow the Town’s financial board, the Advisory Committee to review warrants for the purpose of making reports “or” recommendations to the Town, rather than both.

Article 35 would get rid of parking minimums for residential uses in the Transit Parking Overlay District.

Article 36 proposes to amend the bylaws to include a requirement to include renters in communications that have heretofore generally only been required to go to landowners.

Article 37 would similarly amend a zoning bylaw to require the town mail notices to residents and businesses in specific instances.

Article 38 is a resolution asking the town to increase the annual stipend for Select Board members from $3,500 to around $30,000 to attract more diverse candidates.

Article 39 is a resolution that would have the town consider budgeting for an annual stipend for school committee members, which are currently volunteer only, in an effort to attract more candidates who might not be able to volunteer their time.

Article 40 is a resolution that would have the Select Board consider increasing the residential exemption from 21 percent to the maximum allowed by state 35 percent.

Article 41 is a resolution that would urge Town boards to prioritize planning to get a target of 3,330 new housing units in town by 2030, develop concrete zoning changes to do that, focusing on a diversity of income levels, including subsidized and low-income housing, workforce housing and market rate housing, and to “consider strategies to overcome historic racial and ethnic exclusion practices.”

June 23 Annual Town Meeting materials:

1. WARRANT 2020 Annual Town Meeting
2. 2020 Annual Town Meeting Article Explanations
3. WARRANT June 23 Special Town Meeting
4. Moderator’s 5/7/20 Summary of Virtual Town Meeting Procedures.

1. Moderator Declaration of Recess of ATM 4-20-20
2. Combined Reports June 23 Special Town Meeting
3. Combined Reports June 2020 Annual Town Meeting

Virtual Town Meeting Help Files

1. Getting Started with Zoom

1. FAQ and Etiquette

Previously:

BrooklineTown Meeting Postponed To June ...

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).Have a press release you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how to post a press release, opinion piece.