Attend and Vote — Weston Annual Town Meeting
Voting is a responsibility and a privilege. Tonight, you have the opportunity to attend Town Meeting, listen to the articles presented, and be a decider in Weston’s future. Only 3-4% of residents come to Town Meeting, so few voices make big decisions for many. Your presence will influence our future.
Focus on Weston (FOW) is committed to creating more awareness of the key issues in an effort to increase resident participation. We are asking residents to be active investors in their town. Come to Town Meeting and cast your vote.
Focus on Weston’s summary of this year’s key issues
Article 2 – Operating Budget
FOW recommendation: Vote NO
Voting NO is your most important, direct opportunity to send a strong message to the Select Board and the School Committee for more actively managed spending, to foster operational efficiencies and, in turn, to slow property tax growth rates.
Property taxes on the typical Weston home have increased 18% over the last 5 years
Weston’s property taxes are much higher than neighboring affluent communities
Continual and significant tax increases compound, and can affect Weston’s reputation as one of the most desirable Boston suburbs
The Select Board is proposing a further 4.2% tax rate increase this year
Article 23 - Appropriate for Government Study Committee
FOW recommendation: Vote NO
Vote NO to this unnecessary, expensive article that is being presented by the Select Board in an attempt to preempt and nullify the following Article #24, a citizens’ petition to increase the Select Board from 3 to 5 members.
A Citizens Committee who understands Weston would be more effective…and free
A consultant chosen only by the Select Board could favor the current Select Board
This study has no timeline, could drag on for years, and end up on the back burner
The Finance Committee unanimously opposes this article
Article 24 - Citizens’ Petition: Change Structure of Select Board
FOW recommendation: Vote YES
Vote YES to this citizen’s petition. Weston’s challenges have grown in scope and complexity, and our Select Board needs greater diversity of skills and views, as well as broader distribution of the workload, to meet the challenges ahead. This petition was initiated by Susan Zacharias, a retired 17-year elected member of the Weston Planning Board.
For over 300 years we have had a Select Board of only three, despite today’s far greater complexity and challenges, including 40B housing development and other state mandates
Studies show that a five-member Select Board is considered to be “best practice”
The majority of towns in the greater Boston area have moved to five – including comparable towns like Wayland, Sudbury, Wellesley, Concord, Carlisle, and Lexington
Article 27 - Appropriate for Water Tank Replacement
FOW recommendation: Vote NO
Vote NO, as this is a piecemeal approach to a much larger issue. The article does not disclose that this proposed project is a small part of a large, lengthy, and complicated $50 million undertaking. It leads you to believe that the Town has a $4-5 million problem to solve, and that the solution is clear, but the engineering report suggests otherwise. Like the Town Center Improvement Project, a program of this magnitude deserves much more detailed engineering, planning, and discussion before any individual piece is brought to the residents for authorization.
A yes vote supports replacement of the one existing water storage tank at Paine's Hill, versus all three of Weston’s Water tanks, estimated at $12 million, recommended by the consultants
Replacement of a single tank would not be sufficient to accomplish the goals of improving the capacity and hydraulic pressure to the entire Town of Weston
Rather, we need an update of the previous engineering report (now four years old) to reflect current construction costs and establish scope and timeline of this project, for approval by relevant town boards, commissions, abutters, and residents
Article 28 - Amend Zoning By-Laws – Municipal Utility Structure Standards
FOW recommendation: Vote NO
Vote NO, as this amendment gives the Select Board free rein and total authority to determine and approve the height of all new municipal utility structures without going through Weston’s established checks and balance channels, i.e., Planning and Zoning Boards, and without resident input and commentary. The result of a yes vote means the Select Board can skip due process with respect to height approval when building any municipal utility structure now and forever.
We hope to see you at Town Meeting at Weston High School at 7:00 PM
