Charter Changes on Town Meeting Warrant

Voters will get another opportunity to decide on revisions to the town’s Home Rule Charter at the November 14 Town Meeting. The Board of Selectmen appointed members of the Charter Review Committee to make recommendations on suggested changes. Voters at the 2021 Spring Town Meeting opted for an indefinite postponement, claiming they were given an insufficient amount of time to review the changes.

One of the changes applies to Section 3 – Scope and Interpretation of Town Powers. This paragraph would be added: “All appointed members serving on committees, boards, and ad-hoc committees must be a resident of the town of Seekonk and remain a resident while serving on said board, committee, or ad-hoc committee. This would not apply to non-resident department heads for ad-hoc committees.”

Another change would add the following language to Section 4 – General Powers: “The town meeting may by by-law reorganize, create, consolidate or abolish departments, boards, commissions, and offices, in whole or in part; establish new departments, boards, commissions, or offices as deemed necessary; and may transfer powers, duties and responsibilities of one department, board, commission or office, to another.”

(NOTE: This suggestion will only give the authority to reorganize, create, consolidate or abolish departments, boards, commissions, and offices, in whole or in part; may establish new departments, boards, commissions, or offices as deemed necessary; and may transfer powers, duties and responsibilities of one department, board, commission or office, to another to the town meeting legislative body. It may be suggested by the BOS, but only town meeting can decide the final outcome.)

Other articles include:

• To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, transfer from Free Cash or available funds in the treasury, including funds reserved for appropriation, the sum of $120,000 to fund the cost elements of the collective bargaining agreement between the Town and the Seekonk Public Library Employee Association, MLSA, AFT, AFL-CIO, for a term beginning July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2023.
• To see if the Town will raise and appropriate the sum of $94,301.00 from the Special Education Stabilization Fund for expenses related to required unanticipated and unbudgeted out-of-district special education services.
• To see if the Town will vote pursuant to G.L. c.40, §5B to establish a special purpose stabilization fund, to be known as the School Capital Stabilization Account, or take any other action thereto
• To see if the Town will transfer $200,000 from the amounts appropriated under Article 7 of the March 27, 2021 Town Meeting for the Arcade Ave Sidewalk project for the purpose of funding the Arcade Ave Traffic Control Signal project, the construction of a Traffic Control Signal at the intersection of Arcade Avenue and Ledge Road.

The entire warrant and list of charter changes can be viewed on the town website: https://www.seekonk-ma.gov/home/news/annual-fall-town-meeting-1.