Five things to know today.
Five Things You Need to Know Today" is a Patch column that provides readers with essential, daily information at a glance. Today is Monday, May 20. Here are 5 things you need to know:
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The funds will go towards a variety of safety measures.
Burlington Town Meeting voted to appropriate funds to be used to increase school security during the Wednesday session of the annual May Town Meeting. The warrant article was presented by Superintendent Eric Conti. "This warrant article comes from starting point based on the premise that our schools are safe now," Conti said. "After the events in [Newtown] Connecticut last year we began working with the school resource officer and Police Chief Kent. They walked through our schools and made a number of suggestions." Conti said there was also a good discussion on physical changes that could be made to a couple of the schools to increase safety at School Committee meetings. Much of the funds will be used to reconfigure the entrances at the …
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After some debate over the school department expenses Town Meeting voted to approve the FY14 budget.
Town Meeting members voted Monday night to approve a $111,150,019 FY14 operating budget after some debate. The budget represents a 4.39 percent tax levy increase over last year. Most of the line items were approved without discussion, but the school department's proposed budget of $50,696,390 did come under some scrutiny. The proposed FY14 school department budget represented a 4.5 percent increase over FY13. One town meeting member asked Superintendent Eric Conti to explain "unsettled salaries" in the back-up material. Conti explained that was due to ongoing contract negotiations. "The school district has seven unions and all contracts are up," he said. "Part of the budget process is that the school committee needs to create a budget and …
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5:59 pm on Wednesday, May 15, 2013
I watched Town Meeting on BCAT and I was not happy with this new "vocal voting" thing. Maybe it is different in person, but on TV, it was very unclear what the result was until the moderator announced it. This seems like a very unscientific way to vote. What's wrong with the old raising hands method? more ›
Five things to know today.
Five Things You Need to Know Today" is a Patch column that provides readers with essential, daily information at a glance. Today is Wednesday, May 15. Here are 5 things you need to know:
In this Article:
The annual town meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m.
Burlington's annual May Town Meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. tonight in the Burlington High School auditorium. Warrant articles include a Home Rule Petition to the General Court to allow for more liquor licenses, approval of the $111,150,019 town budget and a number of spending appropriations. There is also a proposed bylaw change on wetlands. There is also an interesting article stating that Burlington is in support of the concept that "Corporations are not people," a response to the United States Supreme Court's Citizen United ruling. Check out the full Town Meeting warrant here. Follow Burlington Patch for updates on town meeting.
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The bylaw change was designed to update and modernize the rules pertaining to wetlands.
The Conservation Commission is seeking changes to the Burlington General Bylaws (Article XIV, Environment, Section 1.0, Wetlands) at next Monday's Town Meeting. Conversation Administrator John Keeley explained to the board of selectmen that the purpose of the bylaw change was to bring the rules concerning wetlands into modern times. He said the current bylaw was written 15 years ago. He also said the language in the current bylaw needs some clarification. In general, according to the warrant, the "purpose of this Bylaw is to protect the wetlands, water resources, flood prone areas, and adjoining upland areas in the Town of Burlington by controlling activities deemed by the Conservation Commission likely to have a significant effect on …
A letter from Gerald Beuchelt announcing he is running for Burlington Town Meeting, Precinct 4
The following is a letter to the editor: I am writing to announce my candidacy for another term as Burlington Town Meeting representative in Precinct 4. Having been elected to this position last year to fill one of the seats that opened up as a result of the redistricting, I hope to have served with honor and help Burlington to develop into the town we all love. I would like to you to consider my candidacy for Town Meeting again in 2013. As a Town Meeting member, my areas of focus will continue to be supporting responsible growth in the residential and business communities, enhancing the appearance of our town, sustaining improvements in the town’s infrastructure (roads, water supply, etc.), and improving education while making choices in …
A letter to the editor on the recent Town Meeting votes to support the Grand View Farm Project.
The following is a letter to the editor: On behalf of the Grand View Farm Advisory Committee we want to express our sincere appreciation to the Burlington Town Meeting Members. At the recent Town Meeting on January 28, 2013 three Articles were passed for the Grand View Farm. With these articles, the complex will now enter the final phase of construction. The Grand View Farm project began in the late 1990s with a three way land swap. Ownership of this 200 year old connected farm house complex was transferred to the Town at that time. Since then, various fund raising efforts, sale of lots from the land swap, state grants and other funding sources have advanced the project to where it is today. With the positive votes at Town Meeting, the …
Burlington Town Meeting voted last week to provide the sum of $500,000 to complete the restoration project.
Town Meeting voted during the annual January meeting last week to approve two articles that will support the Grand View Farm redevelopment project. The first was straight forward and passed without much discussion. In that article Town Meeting members voted to transfer the sum of $521,000 from the sale of properties 42 and 44 South Bedford Street, which were owned by the town. The funds were to go towards paying off debts related to the project and to provide for furniture, furnishings, A/V system and equipment. The second article approved by Town Meeting stipulated the town to transfer funds, borrow or otherwise provide the sum of $500,000 to complete the final phase (IV) of the project. This includes finishing the parking lot, …
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Burlington Town Meeting approved a zoning bylaw that eases the process for those who want to keep hen chickens.
Town Meeting voted on Monday to a zoning bylaw change that makes it easier for people looking to keep up to six chickens in their yard. The change was to Burlington Zoning Bylaw 4.3.1.12 which read as "The keeping of animals other than the usual household pets, subject to restrictions of the Board of Health." The bylaw now reads "The keeping of animals, other than the usual household pets or more than 6 hen chickens; subject to the restriction of the Board of Health." The zoning this applies to is RO, or one-family dwelling districts. The change means that anyone looking to keep up to six hen chickens no longer need approval by the Planning Board. They must still get approval by the Board of Health and follow the regulations put forward by…
10:41 pm on Friday, February 1, 2013
J. Parker, haha, sadly not. Though I will say the whole 'roosters only crowing at dawn' thing is a farce. When I was in the Peace Corps in Bolivia the family that were my neighbors had a couple of roosters and they would start making noise at about 3 a.m. Way before I wanted my alarm to go off! more ›
Allan W McCombs
6:05 am on Friday, May 17, 2013
I agree with Mildred, double doors are a false sense of security (and annoying parents bringing in forgotten homework) while a rock through a ground level window gains an easy entrance. If you are going to bring up Sandy Hook, their doors were locked, and a gun was used to shoot to gain entrance; are our new doors going to be bullet proof? more ›