Please come to order. Welcome to night one of the October 2025 special town meeting. Everybody can find their seats. As you know, the lower part of the auditorium is reserved for town meeting members. and others can sit in
the upper part of the auditorium. Please note your nearest emergency exits as you find your seat. Having been advised by the town clerk, Susan Galvan, that a majority of town meeting members are present. I hereby declare that a quorum is present for the
transaction of business and the meeting is now open. The meeting will now come to order. I have been advised that pursuant to the law, the warrant was returned upon the town clerk on or before the 13th day of October by Constable William J. Neville.
My name is Elizabeth Dylan and I am your town moderator. Welcome to the October special town meeting. Please note, as always, if there are questions that arise or issues that you would like addressed, do not hesitate to contact me
before or after the meeting, during a break, or via my email address, and I will endeavor to timely answer your questions or refer you to the correct individual who can do so. Should you have any questions or concerns about the proceedings at town meeting
specifically, I ask that you do not hesitate to let me know. As a reminder, interrupting save for appropriate points of order and points of privilege is forbidden. And I generally discourage both booing and clapping except for recognition for the service of town
meeting members and other elected officials and participants as appropriate. Clapping can be permitted for that. Please remember that a majority of the people in this room are volunteers. And as always, please show the Milton town meeting members, elected
officials, town employees, and Milton residents every due courtesy. As a reminder, you are asked to refrain from wearing fragrances. Should you be wearing a fragrance, please sit away from the sections nearest to the lobby entrance. As always, I look forward to working
cooperatively with you all. And now, in keeping with our tradition, we'll start our meeting with the pledge of allegiance to the flag. Will those that are able please rise, stand, and join with me. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. And if you're able, please remain standing so that our singers from the Milton High School
Chorus can lead us in the national anthem. Oh, can you see [Music] through the sky? for [Music]
single [Music] better. for the land of the >> Thank you very much to the Milton High School chorus. That was beautiful. Now, I'd like to take a moment of
silence for firefighter Daniel Thomas, who served for 28 years for the Milton Fire Department, who passed recently of occupational cancer and had his celebration of life this past Saturday here in this room at the Milton High
School. If everybody can join me for a moment of silence for firefighter Thomas. Thank you. Thank you very much. And now I'd like to acknowledge a new town meeting member. Precinct 8 had a caucus prior to town meeting to elect a
new town meeting member. It is my pleasure to announce our new town meeting member from Precinct 8, Mr. Jackson Humphre. Mr. Humphre. Thank you, Jackson. Thank you, Mr. Humphre. Mr. Humphre was sworn in by the
town clerk after the caucus and prior to the meeting. And now I'd like to briefly turn the meeting over to the chair of our select board, Mr. Benz, who will introduce our new town council. Mr. Zul, you are recognized.
>> Thank you, madam madam moderator. Um, I will so I have some thank yous also in addition to recognition. So I I hope I can go through those real fast as well. Um, first thing I want to do is, uh, we've already done a moment of silence for firefighter Thomas. Uh, the select
board, uh, has heard from the chief of the fire department and we are, um, looking forward to working with the fire department to honor uh, Daniel Thomas uh, when the new East Milton Fire Station is complete. Uh, if you know uh, if you knew Daniel, he was stationed at
Engine 2 in East Milton. Uh, his service was right here actually in this room on Saturday and there was a great attendance. So, um, it's nice to be here for a different, uh, for a different reason today. Um, I do want to thank MHTL, uh, and Peter Melo, our previous
town council, for their service, as well as John Flynn and Kevin Friedag, who both worked for MHTL, uh, for a number of years for the town. We are grateful for their service and and everything that they had done uh, for the town. Uh, and we're very pleased to welcome KP Law uh, in particular, Mr. Darren Klein,
who's here with us, along with his colleague, Lauren Goldberg, who is not. Um, but uh we're excited to have Darren here. Uh, we're excited to get a new perspective on things and I don't know if you'd like to say a few words to introduce yourself, Darren. Thank you. >> Uh, good good evening uh through the
moderator. Uh, as you just heard, my name is Darren Klene uh from KP Law and on behalf of uh my law firm, KP Law, we're thrilled to be here and honored to be uh the new town council for Milton. And we are very much looking forward to
working with the select board, with the town administrator, and with all the very hardworking uh town employees and officials um that uh do so much for this town and and all of you as elected uh town meeting members. So, I won't take
up any more of your time, but it's an honor and privilege to be here tonight, and I wish everyone a uh very productive special town meeting. Thank you, Attorney Klein. And now I'd like to welcome our Congressman, Steven Lynch, for a few words, Congressman
Lynch. Thank you. >> Good evening. Great to be with you. Normally, I'm down in DC, but we've got a shutdown going on right now, as I'm sure you all know. Uh my colleagues in government, good to see you as well. Representative Wells, good to see you, sir. Uh, I want to thank the moderator
for her kindness and allowing me a couple of minutes. I know there are important matters on the on the warrant, so I I will be brief. Uh, as you may know, this is the fourth week. We're in the fourth week of our our government shutdown in Washington DC. And, uh, even though I've been through uh, a number of
these in the past, uh, this one, I need to be honest, feels a lot different. Uh normally we would fly in and uh my Republican colleagues and and and our Democrats would get together and would work late into the we hours of the
morning would order in Chinese food and we would argue for hours and hours and we would eventually figure it out and open up the government. That's not happening right now. That's not happening. We are flying in uh and I'm speaking on behalf of the Democrats.
We're flying in every single week. I don't like to be political at town meeting, but we're flying in every week, but Speaker Johnson has not asked my Republican colleagues to fly in as well. So, there's nobody to talk to. We stay there for a few days and then we fly home again. That's been going on now
for, like I say, we're in our fourth fourth week of that. Uh, all that said, I just want the people of Milton to know, Social Security checks should still be going out regularly. However, if you have claims or you have a problem and you're trying to deal with the
Social Security office, there's been a lot of furlows, a lot of layoffs, there's been some some dismissals as well. So, if there's any delay on a on a on a Social Security matter, uh the family needs to call my office and we
will work with Social Security to try to expedite that that case. Uh same thing with uh passports. We have a lot of people. Milton has a a high number of travelers. We we have a steady stream of business uh for passports in my office. Uh there have been layoffs and furlows
at the at the passport office as well, but we've got a great relationship with them and and we can work with them to expedite, but we need advanced knowledge. So, if people are thinking of traveling and you need a passport replacement or you lost your, you know, you you need to apply for one, you need
to call us sooner rather than later so that we can get to work on that. Uh thirdly, uh veterans issues. Uh fortunately, we have a great uh VSO here in in in in the town of Milton, um Alex Ortiz, who does a great job on behalf of
our veterans. Uh we have three wonderful VA hospitals in our district, but since January, there have been 13,000 layoffs at the VA. That's docs, nurses, therapists, even the people who staff the veteran suicide hotline have had
layoffs. So, there's been a backlog in cases going forward. We're seeing uh our veterans have to wait two, three months for things that usually took one or two weeks. So, any family that's caring for for a veteran, any veteran who's out
there that needs services, uh we can work with uh with Alex Ortiz, our office, and the VA to try to get you taken care of and expedite that cases. Um last issue on this list is SNAP benefits. So, the SNAP benefits. SNAP is just supplemental nutrition uh
assistance programs, uh food stamps, uh also could affect a Head Start program. some of those those kids are also available and and eligible for SNAP. Uh the administration has money
at hand that they could use to extend SNAP benefits uh throughout the shutdown. They are choosing not to do so. So we are in a little war right now uh with the administration over their reluctance to to to use that money for for the intended purpose. U and that
that discussion goes on. Um, the biggest threat to to the people of Milton and the people of my district from the shutdown is actually in connection with Medicaid. Whether you get your health care at at
uh BI Deaconist or Milton Hospital or or Mass General uh Selio Hospital, Good Sam, any of the hospitals in our district uh or if you have a loved one at a nursing home in in our district or if you if you frequent one of our
community health centers, 30 to 40% of that funding for that institution comes from Medicaid. And right now the deal on the table in Congress calls for a cut to Medicaid of $1 trillion over the next 10 years. So partly because of the the
impact of the Steuart healthc care debacle, that bankruptcy that took down a half dozen of our hospitals in this region, we have we have we have overcrowding at every single one of our hospitals. I've just done a tour of all our hospitals and there's a practice
going on right in our hospitals right now. any hospital that you would go to, your family member would go to. Right now, we have what they call boardings going on. There's a new new, it used to be a violation, now it's a practice. So, a boarding is when you arrive at a hospital and your doctor says you should
be admitted and there's no bed for you. So, they put you on a card in a hallway outside the emergency room. And they even have a new position they've created called a boarding nurse. A boarding nurse. Never used to have those before. Now, they are the nurses that take care
of the people in the hallway, which is where you'll be sitting or laying if you you need emergency service at any one of our hospitals. So, when you look at the Medicaid cuts that are threatened to all our that threaten all of our hospitals, uh we would be in
a disastrous shape. We're in tough shape right now, but we would it would be an absolute disaster for your families if if we allow this funding cut to go forward against Medicaid. It'll affect every one of your families. And so, for that reason, I cannot support that
proposal that's on the table right now in Washington DC. I represent your vote. I cast your vote. I don't cast my vote. I cast your vote in Congress. That's how representative government works. And I need to be honest with you and transparent. I am not going to support
that because of the harm that it's going to cause to your families. That's where we're at right now. Now, I did hear today on the news that that that Speaker Johnson says he's he's coming forward. He's going to announce his own health care plan. I got to admit, I'm a little
skeptical, but but I'm willing to sit down with him and and that's what we need to do. Democrats and Republicans need to get to Washington, do the job that you took an oath to do. and and solve this problem. We need to sit down like adults and hammer this out
on behalf of the American people. Look, Milton is is a shining example of what's best about America. You take care of your kids, you take care of your seniors, you take care of your veterans, and there's nothing better than that.
And I I'm very very proud to represent you and your family every single day in Washington DC in the United States Congress. God bless you for being here at town meeting and and being involved. May God bless the wisdom of your deliberations tonight and may God
continue to bless these United States of America. Thank you. >> Thank you so much, Congressman Lynch. Thank you. I have two quick updates. First, there is an upcoming special election on November 4th, 2025 for a position on the
select board. Second, there is an East Milton Fire Station visiting session, visioning session, excuse me, on November 10th at 7 p.m. in the Milton Art Center at 3:34 Edge Hill Road. So, you can mark your calendar for those things. Okay. Before proceeding with the
business of the meeting, there are certain preliminary matters that must be taken up. First, permission has been requested for certain members and personnel of the school committee, planning board, board of health, and other boards, committees, and departments who are not town meeting
members to sit on the floor with other members of their respective boards, committees, and departments with the understanding of course that they will not vote. here hearing no objection from the body. Such permission will be and hereby is
afforded. Permission is hereby granted to Milton Access Television to televise these proceedings. Please note that there are two side aisle microphones each with a few seats at the front row reserved for those waiting to be recognized to speak or
otherwise with permission of the moderator. And in order to increase efficiency, should you wish to speak, please come down to the microphones as soon as you are aware of your desire to speak. If you are unable for any reason to proceed to the front of the room,
please alert myself. And if you are unable to speak for any reason at either of the two side microphones specifically, permission may be given to speak at the podium, which is otherwise generally reserved for presentations. You can address any questions you have to myself
the moderator. A note on green sheets. There is one article for which the warrant committee has revised its recommendation following the printing of the warrant. The revised recommendations are reflected on green sheets which are printed on green paper
and placed in the front of the room and made available on the town's website. As a reminder, green sheets are only provided for the warrant committee's revised recommendations and for no other reason. There is a green sheet for article five and no green sheet for any other article.
Please note that as set forth in rule seven of the warrant, the relevant Massachusetts general laws, the bylaws of the town of Milton is applicable and town meeting time fourth edition shall be the official rules of this meeting. The rules of procedure of this meeting have been summarized in the
annual town meeting warrant, copies of which were made available by mail to town meeting members at town hall, online, and in front of the room at the annual town meeting and therefore will not be reviewed in detail today. As these are the rules summarized in the
warrant and provided in advance to the town meeting members, barring any objection, these shall be the rules of this meeting. As a reminder, this meeting shall use the electronic voting system established by the prior town me town moderator and
the town meeting and accordingly no voice shall be held except as otherwise indicated by the moderator. Except as indicated by the moderator, the vote shall be displayed as recorded by the electronic voting system. In the event that seven members stand in their place,
the moderator will display the results of the vote by the town meeting members names for all electronic votes. Time will be given for members to stand and should there be any issues or concerns with standing, please let me know. As a further reminder, as I mentioned, there
are microphones made available to you on either sides of the room. Individuals who are not town meeting members wishing to speak are requested to kindly inform the moderator and permission may be granted to registered voters in the town.
Please note that at this time and pursuant to rule 14 of our warrant, speakers are strictly limited to 10 minutes without prior permission by the moderator for additional time which is largely reserved for town employees, members of the boards and committees providing presentations. The moderator
shall keep the time and questions about the time may be directed to the moderator. As I previously stated, we have in place electronic voting. Mr. Mallet, the town's IT director, will operate the electronic voting system. At the conclusion of an article's
discussion, rather than calling for your voice vote, I will call for an electronic vote. All those in favor of the motion shall press the yes button. All those in All those opposed shall press the no button. Those who are abstaining may press nothing or press the abstain button. Please do not press
any other buttons. You will have 45 seconds to vote. You may change your vote at any time during those 45 seconds. At the end of that time, I will announce that the vote has been closed and the results will be displayed. I will read the percent in the numerical
vote so that the town clerk may record them for the record. As is customary, I will include only the yes and no votes for the vote total. I will let you know when a two-th3 vote is required. At this meeting, the only article which requires a twoth3 vote is the ninth and final
article. We will now run a test vote for the electronic voting system. Are there any questions before we begin? Seeing none, we will vote. Night one test question. Did you buy discount candy the day after
Halloween? Do you? Yes. A. No. B C abstain or you can press nothing. 73% of people voted no, 19% yes. That's 146 no, 38 yes. And a quick point of clarification, I said 45 seconds. It'll
actually be 60 seconds to allow everybody a chance to vote. Please look at your name as you scroll through. Make sure that it is as you indicated on your clicker and we will go through. If anybody has any questions, please go to the front of the room on
the left side and speak to Mr. Mallet. He'll be happy to help you. Thank you. I appreciate everyone's patience. Again, if anybody's having any trouble, please go see Mr. Mallet in the front left of the room. Thank you. perfect
that we will recognize Mr. Ben Zul, chair of the select board for a brief remark. Mr. Zul, you are recognized. >> Thank you, madam moderator. Uh, don't have too much to say this evening, but I do want to call out some folks that have been instrumental to making this evening
possible. Uh, first and foremost, our moderator, Liz Dylan, thank you very much for all of your work. Uh, the warrant committee and the chair, Jay Funding, thank you very much uh for all of the effort that you've put in tonight. Uh, I want to acknowledge the town clerk, Sue Galvin, and her fabulous
staff. also Rob Mallet over there making sure everyone can vote. Uh thank you to all of you for being here. Uh and uh finally uh thanks to Milton Public Schools uh for the use of this uh building as I alluded to earlier. Um they the public schools here really do
go above and beyond for uh different activities and and needs throughout the town. So we're very grateful for them. The final thing I'll add is this. We're all here tonight because we love this town. We're all here tonight because we want to make this town a better place. Some of us have different
opinions about what that looks like and what that means. But let us not doubt the sincerity of everyone here tonight in their efforts to try to make Milton the place that they think would be the best place to have their children, their grandchildren, and future generations that we don't know grow up in. So, I
would echo the moderator's uh request that we show each other the respect and decorum that's required for a meeting like this. And uh I think if we do that and we uh we use everyone's time judiciously, we may even be out of here in one evening. So thank you very much.
>> Thank you, Chair Zul. And with that, we will begin with the presentation by the chair of the warrant committee, Mr. J. Funling. Mr. Funling, you are recognized. >> Thank you, madam moderator. My name is Jay Funling, town meeting member precinct 3 and chair of the warrant
committee. I don't have a presentation so much right now, but I do have some things to say. I would like to say when I'm you'll see me up here speaking several times tonight. When I'm up here speaking, I'm not speaking for myself. I'm speaking as as much as I can on behalf of the warrant committee who you
see seated at the table to my right, your left. Uh some of you new members or not so new members may be wondering what is the warrant committee? What do they do? The warrant committee is fundamentally an advisory body to town meeting. There are 281 elected town
meeting members. It's not necessarily practical for all 281 residents to dive deeply into every article. So, the warrant committee's role is to collect the relevant information, share it with you, and make our best recommendation. Our information to you is mostly
contained in our comments printed in the warrant. For every article, you'll see comments in italics. That's us conveying information to you for how we made our decision and how you can make your decision. I will also be speaking briefly to each article unless there's another speaker speaking to it. I do
want to respect your time. However, if my coming up here and speaking for a couple minutes can avoid a much longer Q&A session on the floor or if it just makes you more informed and more confident about the question in front of you, then I hope it's worth it. I'll tell you a little bit about how we
did our job in preparation for this town meeting. For each article on this warrant, the warrant committee assigned two members to become the experts on that article. So, we could be sure that every single article on here had at least two members of the warrant committee who dug into it, investigated it closely. If I'm ever stumped on an
article tonight and I'm consulting with my colleagues, that's why. Uh for some of you longtime warrant readers, you might notice something a little bit different about this warrant that the recommendations from the warrant committee are not as long. Uh often in
the past, you would have the article and then the recommendation, if it was identical to the article, would be printed again. This time it's much shorter. When the warrant committee's recommendation is identical to the article, it just says recommended that the town vote to approve the article as printed in the warrant. It's short. It's
to the point. Hopefully it doesn't confuse anybody. Instead of having to read it twice, look for any differences. You just know, okay, the recommendation is the article as printed. When the warrant committee has a different recommendation, you'll see that in bold, and we'll point that out.
Uh, that's most of what I had to say. Aside from that, I would just like to say that every single person in this room has other things we could be doing tonight, but I want to thank every person in this room for coming out and participating in our town democracy. Thank you.
>> Thank you, Mr. Funling. I would like to also point out that for several of the articles, some version of those articles has been previously before town meeting. So to help guide the discussion, I ask town council to please provide some thoughts about the appropriate scope of the discussion.
Attorney Klene, if you would. Attorney Klein, you are recognized. Thank you. >> Uh thank you, uh Darren Klene, uh KP Law through the moderator. Um I did very quickly wanted I tried to go off the cuff earlier, but I did want to thank
the select board for your confidence and your appointment as town council. Um, so I I did want to just say that real quickly. Um, regarding uh what the moderator had introduced, um, the moderator and I have discussed the scope of the warrant uh,
before you this evening. Uh, obviously the main purpose uh, of tonight is to give all of you elected town meeting members the opportunity to discuss, debate, and vote on the articles that are before you. Although some history
may be relevant in certain certain circumstances, the scope of the meeting is the four corners of the of the warrant that is before you tonight. And uh as far as restating discussions or history from previous town meetings,
that is not before that is not before you tonight if it's not directly pertinent to the scope of tonight's warrant. So obviously we're going to do our best to stick to the four corners of the warrant and as I said there may be some issues where history or previous
debate is directly relevant but in other situations in most cases it's going to be outside the scope of what you're here for tonight. With that I'll sit down. I know you have a lot of business before you tonight. And again good luck to everyone tonight. Thank you.
>> Thank you again attorney Klene. And now I would like to acknowledge Diane Agustinino, the chair of the Milton Commission on Disability, who was granted permission to provide a brief report to town meeting regarding her committee's work. Miss Agustinino, you are recognized.
Thank you very much. Moderator Dylan Diane Dulio Agugustino, precinct 9 town meeting member and chair of the commission on disability. This may be the first time the Commission on Disability has actually presented prior to any articles and I hope that you'll
take this information to heart and on behalf of the commission, we greatly appreciate any help you give to any residents of Milton or elsewhere, employees, residents, visitors, Milton. Um, we can start with the Suffach
Resolves House. Milton residents. I'll let her get the presentation up. Milton residents have made many historical impacts and many positive impacts on the rights of citizens and on
how our lives are lived. Suffach Resolves House is on Cantav. It's where the suffoc resolves was signed in 1774. It's considered the forerunner to the declaration of independence. Who doesn't want to be independent?
Who doesn't want to be respected? Who doesn't want to be included in everything that happens in Milton if they so choose and when they're able to do so. The next picture is the infamous
resident of Milton. He was born on Adam Street. Some of you may know, but some of you may not know, President George Herbert Walker Bush. uh came to Milton in 2009 I think it was because in 1924
he was born and he gave us the legal rights or gave disabled individuals the legal rights under the American with Disabilities Act. The American Disabilities Act was signed into 1990 and amended in 2008.
Everyone in this room is either over 50 or know someone who is over 50. And we each have different situations. We're all sitting here right now. Some of you may be perfectly healthy with absolutely
no concerns for cancer or anything like that. And as we just honored firefighter Daniel Thomas, he lived to save our lives, to fight for us. He passed far too soon of occupational cancer. And
when you read in the warrant um to please refrain from fragrances, we have residents when this first started coming up who have multiple scerosis. They have asthma, they have migraines. These are very serious disabilities that impact them. And
we can't thank someone like firefighter Daniel enough. And in fact, there is a new earlier testing blood test for firefighter cancer, occupational cancer that the commission will hopefully work
to have Milton provide to all our firefighters because it detects it earlier. Um, all of us these days have a smartphone and yet today there was an emergency and the first responders did not know. So,
if anyone has an iPhone, if you can please go to the um to the Let me find it. The app that has a white background and a heart on it that looks like that.
Every first responder, if you set it up correctly, can open up your phone to find out what medical needs you have. So, if you have elderly parents who have an iPhone, you can set it up for the first responders to know who to call if
your elderly parents, you know, are unable speaking for themselves. So, you go to your contacts. Were you able to get the next picture? You go to your contacts and at the top is your own personal contact. And then you go to your profile, you hit your
picture and that's where you can turn it on. So you don't have to the first responders don't have to unlock the screen. They can simply see what your medical information is. And once they have that, it also if you have
an emergency or say you have a bleeding disorder, a blood disorder and the Canton special blood mobile is racing to Milton because it's been a you've been in an accident, they'll be able to look right at that to know better. So I would really hope that you can fill in your
medical ID, just put as much or as little as you want and also share that information with others. Tonight's presentation was not going to have a happy ending. However, because of this um incident, emergency incident that
happened in a neighboring town, um we learned about the next one, the Massachusetts State 911 free service. So, you've heard me in the past talk about with the commission
about Smart 911. The town was paying for that. They stopped paying for that. The police department got a new program. They were flagging things in their computer program. But after calling to get a copy of the police report, I noticed on the website for the other
town that they had this free service. So, I contacted the state and sure enough, it's very simple for anyone to just go on the website and uh the commission will be working with the Milton Police Department, the fire department, uh any ambulance that should
come to Milton so that they'll know if someone has filled in this 911, I think it's the next two, 911 disability indicator from a landline, a wireless, or a VOIP. It's your individual record. So, the good news to
all is we don't need to do more research. We don't need to spend any more money. It's something that Milton um has available to do and I've already submitted my own. So, that was the good news. I don't know how I can explain any
more than the following phrase. Disabilities do not discriminate. It's the one thing that we all should be supportive of. Supportive of family, friends, um employees, visitors, and
respect them. And there's um we all recently had learned of Diane Keading's passing. And one of her favorite songs was um You've Got a Friend in Me. So if you can hear and someone next to you can't hear, I've asked the moderator. I
said so many times somebody will say I can't hear what's being said. Speak up for that person because maybe that person's too shy. If you can see if you can see what's up on the screen and yet the person next to you is saying what is it saying? The moderator has you know
said please just speak up. And if you can speak and the person next to you is mute then please speak up. But I really really appreciate if you can share this wealth of new information with um especially with the elder in this town.
And thank you so much um moderator Dylan for the opportunity. >> Thank you so much Miss Agugustino. >> And with that thank you and with that we will move into the business of the meeting. We will start.
We have nine articles here today. We will start with article one. A note about article one. The warrant committee and their recommendation has proposed language that is similar. And I'll let
Mr. Funling explain, but it reads slightly differently than the article. The article itself reads as follows. to see if the town will vote to amend the appropriations voted at the 2025 annual town meeting for the 12-month period
beginning July 1, 2025 by increasing the amount appropriated under article 10 for the election and registration budget by $60,000 from $127,674 to 18767
$187,000 excuse me 674 is set forth in the table in the October 2025 special town meeting warrant which sum shall be appropriated from funds certified by the department of revenue as free cash and to act on anything relating thereto
first we will hear from the chair of the select board Mr. Benzole Mr. Zel, you are recognized. >> Thank you, moderator Dylan. Uh Benzole, chair of select board, town meeting member, precinct 5. Uh we have uh the select board has voted uh unanimously uh
to agree with the warrant committee. Um and I don't believe that we have anything extra to add that hasn't already been written in your warrant. Thank you. >> Thank you very much, Chair Zul. Next, we will hear from the chair of the warrant committee, Mr. J. Funing. Mr. Funling,
you are recognized. >> Thank you, madam moderator. Jay Funing, town meeting member, precinct 3 and chair of the warrant committee. Uh, this article allocates $60,000 to pay for the election, which will be held one week and one day from now on the 4th of
November. Uh, one thing to know about this article is that the election will be held next Tuesday on the 4th of November, and the town will have to pay for that election. This article is allocating money to pay for that election so that it it's in the proper
budget. If voting yes or no on this article will not prevent the election from happening. It voting yes on this article means we have the proper money in the proper budget. If this article does not pass, we'll have to scramble and get money
from a different budget. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Funding. We will now open article one up for discussion. Does anybody wish to be heard on article one? I see no movement. We will now open article one for a vote.
As a reminder, the motion on article one is the recommendation of the warrant committee. This is a majority vote. I'll read it again. The recommendation of the warrant committee is that the town vote to amend the appropriations voted by the annual town meeting for the 12-month period beginning July 1, 2025 under
article 10 as referenced in the table set forth in the October 2025 special town meeting warrant and that to meet appropriation the sum of $60,000 be appropriated from funds certified by the department of revenue as free cash. And again, this is a majority vote.
The article passes 99% 204 to 1% one vote for no. Okay. Moving on to article two to see if the town will vote to accept Massachusetts general laws chapter 40
section 57 and to amend the general bylaws by inserting the following new chapter number number denial, revocation or suspension of local licenses and permits as set forth in the October 2025 special town meeting warrant and to authorize the town clerk to assign or
amend chapter and section numbers and titles and to act on anything relating there too. First, we will hear from the chair of the select board, Mr. Zul. You are recognized. >> Thank you, Madam Moderator, Benzole. Uh, chair of Milton Select Board, precinct
member uh town meeting member, precinct 5. Um, we have uh voted unanimously to support this. We uh concur with the warrant committee and their recommendations. Uh, and I have nothing further to add uh on this subject. Thank you.
>> And Mr. Funling on behalf of the warrant committee. >> Thank you, madam moderator. Jay Funling, town meeting member precinct 3 and chair of the warrant committee. Uh, article 2 allows the town to deny some permits to some permits to people who are behind on
their property taxes. A typical example might be if someone is behind on their property taxes and they apply for a building permit to add onto their house, that permit could be denied until they catch up on their taxes. The treasur of the town has asked for an article like this as another tool to try
to get people to pay their taxes. The whole town came together last year and voted to approve an override to increase taxes on ourselves to pay for the services that the town provides. As such, we should make sure since we're so dependent on property taxes, we want to
make sure that everyone is paying the appropriate amount of property taxes. This article does have avenues for appeals if someone is affected by it. Also, you might look at this and you might say it's a page and a half of legal language. Maybe you're looking at
you're saying, "Why does it have words about open burning permits? Why does it have words about fishing and hunting licenses? Can we change those?" Uh, I don't want to speak for town council. We may be called upon if one of you have a question like that. But in general, this
is accepting a state law. When we accept a state law, in general, you've got to take the wording as a state law provides. If someone really wants to ask for a change, we can get town council's approval. But, uh, in general, the wording in front of us is the wording
that the, uh, the state approves and we'll give the town treasurer another tool to collect unpaid taxes. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Funding. We will now open article two for discussion. Does anyone wish to be heard on article two?
Okay. Again, I see no one moving, so we will open up the vote. The motion on article 2, which is a majority vote, is that the town vote to accept Massachusetts general laws, chapter 40, section 57, and to amend the general bylaws by inserting following new
chapter number number denial, revocation, or suspension of local licenses and permits as set forth in the October 2025 special town meeting warrant, and to authorize the town clerk to assign or amend chapter and section numbers and titles, and to act on anything related thereto. And this is a
majority vote. The article passes 98% to 2% 200 yes 5 no. Moving on to article three to see if the town will vote to accept the profession the provisions excuse me of Massachusetts general laws chapter 60
section 3D to establish and quote aid to elderly and disabled taxation fund end quote and a quote taxation aid committee end quote to consist of the chair of the board of assessors the town treasurer and three residents to be appointed by the select board and to act on anything
related thereto Mr. Zul, you are recognized. >> Thank you, madam moderator. Benzole, chair of the Milton Select Board, town meeting member, precinct 5. Um, we don't have much to add to the warrant committee's recommendation here. We've voted unanimously to approve this. Um,
as this is something that would be created uh after the 7-day uh period following town meeting, I would like to encourage you if this is a subject that you're interested in to serve on a committee uh to help uh aid and elderly and disabled uh the elder aid to elderly
and disabled taxation fund. We would love to have you uh apply for this. Um we will be putting this on our next agenda item as a select board. Uh, and so if you'd like to put your application in, you can do so through the town website. Um, so that's pretty much my
pitch. And I do want to say, um, I had it on good authority from Mr. Funley himself that he would have very thoughtful and detailed remarks about the articles. So I'm sparing you my own, admittedly less thoughtful, uh, comments. So thank you, madam moderator. >> Thank you, Mr. Funing. You are now
recognized. >> Thank you, madam moderator. J Funing, town meeting member, precinct 3, chair of the warrant committee, I feel obligated to give thoughtful and detailed thoughts. Um, my first thought is, uh, if at any time you're looking up here and you're
confused about if you're seeing the chair of the warrant committee or the chair of the select board, just remember I am the middle-aged bald man with glasses and a beard. That's how you tell us apart. >> Don't be too funny, Jay. Keep going. So
anyway, uh, article three establishes a fund to benefit elderly and disabled residents with their taxes. It is an entirely voluntary fund. This fund will only consist of money that people choose to contribute to it. Uh, this article also establishes the committee to
oversee it. Uh, this um this was one reason this was brought up before town. As I said about the last article, we had a large override last year. As such, articles the town meeting passed last year as well as now are looking to see any way we can help our needy residents
who have a hard time paying their property taxes. We know it's tough. We want to see any way we can help people pay their property taxes. Now, um, as I said, this establishes a fund and the committee to oversee it. Now, you might be looking at this article and thinking it's very brief.
It's one sentence. You might have lots of questions like, for example, who is elderly? Who is disabled? uh who determines that? Who gets the money? Is it given out to all elderly and disabled people? Is it based on need? You might have lots of questions.
Certainly, the warrant committee had lots of questions. And the answer to every one of those questions was these answers will be determined by the committee that's set up. So, I apologize. I don't have details for you now, but this article establishes the fund and establishes the committee that will answer all the questions that are
going through your head right now, like how do we define disabled? How do we define elderly? Who decides who gets the money? So, I apologize that you don't have those answers, but uh that's exactly what the committee will decide once they're up and running. So, uh
that's all. And just like the last one, I don't think there's any there's not really wiggle room when adopting a state law for adjusting the wording. So, we left the article as it is and we encourage a yes vote on this article. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Funling. We will now open
the article for discussion. Does anybody else wish to discuss the article? >> Sir, you are recognized. >> Loy Walker, town meeting member, precinct 10. Uh Jay, this might fall in the category of what the committee would determine, but the question is would the
committee determine who could contribute, who might not be able to contribute, could outofstate individuals contribute, could out of non-residents uh contribute, is there any limit on the amount that could be contributed? Could
nonprofits contribute? And so on and so on. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Walker. Mr. for funding. >> Thank you, Jay. Funing, town meeting member, precinct 3, chair of the warrant committee. Uh, I don't know, don't want to put town council on the spot. I don't
know if you have other thoughts on this. I will say that, you know, our first answer is we think that'll depend on the committee that's set up. We did ask specifically, is it possible for the town the town budget to contribute to this? And we're not saying that's going
to happen, but just testing the outer limits of what could happen. We asked if that was possible. We were told that was possible. Uh I will, as I said, we had two experts on this uh article. I will see if I'm getting it flagged down by my experts. I am not. So, no, nothing
further on that unless town council has something to say. >> Town council. Thank you, Mr. Fun. Attorney Klene. >> Uh Darren Klene, town council through the moderator. Um, as as was said by the chair of the Warren Committee, uh, it
does allow the committee to set up rules for donations and even using funds from the town budget potentially. But what the law allows at a bare minimum is there would be a check off on on individuals taxes where they could pledge an amount not less than a a
dollar um to uh, donate and to put into this fund. That's sort of the bare minimum of what the fund would allow. And then as as has already been said there would be it would be up to the committee to sort of uh expand from there.
>> Thank you Mr. Klein. >> Does anybody else have any discussion on this article? Seeing none, we will open the article up for a vote. As a reminder, the motion on the floor is as follows. that the town vote to accept the provisions of
Massachusetts general laws chapter 60 section 3D to establish an aid to elderly and disabled taxation fund and a taxation aid committee to consist of the chair of the board of assessors, town treasurer and three residents to be appointed by the select board and to act
on anything relating there too. And this is also a majority vote. That's 96% yes, 197 votes yes, four votes no. The article passes. Now we will move to article four.
Article four reads, "To see if the town will vote to authorize the select board to adopt communitywide greenhouse gas emissions reductions goals in alignment with the limits set by the Massachusetts law and to measure progress towards these goals by updating the town's
greenhouse greenhouse gas emissions inventory no less than once every 5 years and authorize the select board to direct relevant boards, committees, and departments to proactively pursue fiscal ally responsible actions, investments, and policies to achieve the goals
mentioned above and increase the town's resilience to the detrimental effects of climate change and to act on anything related thereto. This article was submitted by the climate action planning committee. Accordingly, we will hear from the chair of the CAPC, Mr. Alex
Hasha. Mr. Hasha is coming down and when he comes down, he will be recognized. Uh, good evening. Alex Hasha. I'm the chair of the climate action planning committee and also a board member of sustainable Milton and resident of precinct 9. Thank you for the
opportunity to speak tonight in support of the article and um the warrant committees. if you could move on to slide two. Uh the warrant committee's report provides a straightforward and focused case for approving this article. And I want to take just a few moments to give you a
bigger picture on how it fits into the broader effort to respond to climate change in Milton, in Massachusetts, and beyond. The uh 2021 climate roadmap act in Massachusetts sets statewide greenhouse gas emissions limits based on the
international goals of the 2015 Paris agreement, targeting a 50% reduction from 1990 levels by 2030, a 75% reduction by 2040, and net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Next slide, please.
On the climate action planning committee, our mission is to advise and engage the Milton community on how to reduce emissions and mitigate the damaging impacts of climate change. And we were charged by the select board in 2023 to develop a climate action plan
that lays out a roadmap for reducing communitywide emissions in alignment with these targets of the roadmap act. And this year we have completed a draft plan and we're shifting our focus to engaging residents for their feedback and identifying steps to get the ball
rolling. In particular, we need to gather and organize resources that will allow the town to begin implementing the plan. And this article will help us do that. Next slide, please. But first, um, what does reducing
greenhouse gas emissions mean in practical terms? So, these emission reduction goals are communitywide, meaning that they apply not just to municipal facilities, uh, but also to our homes, businesses, and even the natural landscapes that surround us. So
making progress toward the goals is about making clean energy technologies practical, accessible, and affordable for everyone in town so that we can live our daily lives without producing the levels of climate warming pollution that we do today. Next slide, please.
Now, we believe the town has a major role to play both in leading by example, deploying clean energy solutions at municipal facilities um and also by providing support and removing obstacles for residents who are pursuing these changes in their own homes.
The climate roadmap laws emission reduction goals are codified in state law and they require state agencies and utilities to make serious efforts to meet them and publicly report on progress. It does not directly obligate local communities, but it has triggered
the development of voluntary programs that support cities and towns that partner with the state to reduce emissions. And in particular, the climate leader communities program provides funding, tools, and resources to help towns reduce emissions by deploying clean energy technologies and
improving energy efficiency. So to make any progress on these goals, Milton needs to start by gathering resources and building the capacity to act. Next slide, please. Qualifying for climate leader communities would be a huge step forward
on both fronts. Once a town meets the eligibility requirements, it gains access to two new grant programs. Uh first is decarbonization technical support grants which offer up to $150,000 to hire vendors for recommendations and engineering design
planning for clean energy projects at municipal facilities. Decarbonization accelerator grants offer up to a million dollars for projects that significantly reduce municipal emissions. And critically, a community can receive both grants once per program
cycle, the first of which is open for three years. So the cumulative financial support could be as much as $10 million between now and 2050. Next slide, please. The accelerator grants can be used for municipal clean energy projects that don't use fossil fuels. So things like
on-site solar, renewable heat like heat pumps, energy storage, um, and other building energy efficiency activities. And, um, it's a new program. The first 19 communities to be certified as climate leader communities u were only certified in May. So, there have been no
example grants that I can cite uh under the program yet, but as an example of how we might apply this here in Milton, uh the HVAC systems on all these new schools are about 20 years old. They're approaching end of life and will need to be replaced one way or the other in the
the next 5 to 10 years. Um these grants could be applied to projects like that uh to defay the their inevitable cost. Next slide, please. Now, uh, this table shows the six requirements for becoming a climate
leader community. Milton has already completed three of them, the green checks on the left. And for many communities, adopting the specialized building code, which we did at last year's town meeting, is considered the biggest hurdle. Passing this article would satisfy a fourth. Uh, it would
serve as the town's commitment to work towards eliminating on-site fossil fuel use in municipal facilities and operations, but it would also empower and encourage town leaders to work on the two remaining requirements. Next slide, please.
So, in a nutshell, passing the article advances Milton towards climate leader certification and eligibility for millions in state grants for necessary energy projects, but it's also non-binding. So the town will retain full discretion on future investments
and as such it has minimal direct costs. Now I've heard some people say, "Well, this doesn't do anything, so what's the point?" And and from others that I wish it had more teeth, and I can understand both reactions, and I here's why I think it matters. For the leaders, staff, and
volunteers doing this work, it's really important to know that the majority of Milton residents want to make a serious effort to meet these goals and move in this direction. A clear expression of approval gives direction and legitimacy to the work ahead. And at the same time,
we deliberately avoided locking the town into rigid directives because the path forward involves significant technical, financial, and practical uncertainties, and we'll need problem solving, creativity, and flexibility to navigate them. Next slide, please.
So to close on on the climate action planning committee, we're hoping that some of that creativity and energy will come from the broader community and from leaders like you. So uh after tonight, you can I hope you'll find the draft climate action plan on the town website or using the QR code up above my head.
Uh and uh you know, we'd love your ideas, feedback, and your partnership in bringing it to life. So, at the end of the day, this article is about getting the ball rolling, giving Milton a clear direction and the ability to act. I hope you'll vote yes and uh help move climate
action forward here in town. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Hasha. Next, we will hear from the chair of the warrant committee, Mr. Funling. You are recognized. >> Thank you, Jay. Funling, town meeting member, precinct 3, chair of the warrant committee. I don't have much to add
besides what Dr. Hasha just presented. I do want to say that the warrant committee was comfortable with this article because it does not lock the town into any specific actions. It gives the town general guidance that where there's prudent economical ways to
reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. We wanted the uh the representative body of the town which is town meeting to give the town administration that guidance but not to lock ourselves into anything un uneconomical or ownorous. So the
warrant committee recommends a yes vote on this. >> Thank you, Mr. Funling. Mr. Zul, would you like to speak on behalf of the select board with respect to this article? >> Thank you, madam moderator Benzole, Chair Milton Select Board, uh, and town
meeting member Precinct 5. Uh, the the the select board has voted unanimously uh to uh to recommend this article and uh for all the reasons that Dr. Hasha and Mr. Fundling just laid out. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Zul. We will now open
article four for discussion. If anybody wishes to be heard on article 4, please come down. Yes, sir. You are recognized. >> Thank you, Madam Moderator. Jeff Stone, Precinct One. I rise in strong support of this article, but I have a question
for the presenter. I'd like to know as in many uh articles that come up how we compare with other communities with regard to becoming a climate leader uh climate leader community. Uh do we know
if other uh towns uh have have taken this step or have refused to take this step? Could we have a little bit of context on that from the presenter? >> Thank you, Mr. Stone. Mr. Hasha, if you could speak to that.
That's it. >> I'm afraid I don't I don't have a list of which towns are currently considering this. I know through a network of folks who have roles like mine that many towns are. Uh there were 19 towns in the
initial group that uh achieved certification in May of this year. >> Thank you. >> Does anyone else have any comments, questions regarding this article? >> Okay, great. Seeing none, we'll open the
article up for a vote. Again, this is a majority and the motion on article 4 is that the town vote to authorize the select board to adopt communitywide greenhouse gas emission reductions goals in alignment with the limits set by Massachusetts law and to measure
progress toward these goals by updating the town's greenhouse gas emissions inventory no less than once every 5 years and authorize the select board to direct relevant boards, committees, and departments to proactively pursue pursue fiscally responsible possible actions,
investments, and policies to achieve the goals mentioned above and increase the town's resilience to the detrimental effects of climate change. The article passes 92% to 7% 187 yes 15 no.
Okay. I don't love clapping. But moving on to article five, which reads, "To hear and act upon the report of the master plan implementation committee and to see if the town will vote to establish a standing master plan
committee, a successor to the implementation committee with a term and charge as set forth in the October 2025 special town meeting warrant with reporting requirements is set forth in that warrant. Membership is set forth in that warrant. appointments made as set forth in that warrant and to see if the
town will vote to transfer the remaining balance of the appropriation for the master plan implementation committee approved in article 11 of the 2025 annual town meeting warrant to the master plan committee and to act on anything relating there too. A note on article five, the warrant committee
revised their recommendation to town meetings since the warrant was printed. The revised recommendation is as set forth on the green sheet which has been made available to you at the front of the room and which was posted on the town's website. The recommendation which Mr. Funding can
explain is the same as the previous recommendation as printed in the warrant with the exception of item three under the charge of the master plan committee and the revised recommendation of the warrant committee will be the motion before town meeting. This article was submitted by the master
plan implementation committee. Accordingly, we will hear from the chair of the MPIC or the MPIC, Miss Cheryl Tagas. Miss Tagas, you are recognized. Thank you, Madame moderator. My name is Cheryl Tagayas and I am a TA meeting
member from precinct 9, a member of the planning board and chair of the master plan implementation committee. Uh first I wish to thank my fellow committee members who I'd like to name. Um Elaine
Benson, Dick Burke, Regina Campbell Malone, Megan Hagerty, and Taber Key. I don't this committee has been in existence for 11 years. So I would also like to thank former committee members,
town staff, other boards and committees and residents for their input and efforts at implementation of our master plan. Next please. This plan uh was adopted in 2015 after
two years of work uh a lot of public outreach and a a lot of contributions from many members of our community. The master plan is in three volumes. The implementation plan is in volume one and
it is the core of the plan. It is organized around three general themes then into seven goals and objectives and then further into 120 very uh detailed implementation strategies.
Additionally, there are top 20 recommendations which feed into those. The plan also suggests who should lead the particular action item and potential partners. The goals and strategies in the plan are
interconnected and progress in one area may impact the potential for progress in another. There are multiple responsible parties assigned to the strategies included boards, committees and departments and it it requires
collaboration across disciplines and jurisdictions. The committee facilitated and led several important initiatives that are recommended in the plan for further study and you can see some of those listed in a timeline on
the screen in front of you. It's important though to note that the committee was not responsible for the contents of the plan as this committee was formed after its adoption and we are not actually responsible for its
implementation. We are actually responsible for monitoring and documenting the implementation and assisting with implementation where warranted. So those uh initiatives that are listed
here uh that we assisted with began in Milton Village and you can see um that that led to work that's ongoing uh thanks to the select board and most recently uh some analysis of a potential
for an intrown shuttle. So they cover quite a a diverse range of topics. After 10 years of work and over a year of discussing our recommendations, the committee believes that there has been a great deal of progress
with contributions from many. But we also believe that many issues and strategies remain relevant and further action is needed. So the seven goals I'm going to go through some of the successes and some of the challenges.
The CPA was passed a few years ago and nearly $4 million in CPA funds have been allocated to date. This is under the preserve Milton's physical character goal. So with those
$4 million in funds, $1.6 million has been used for open space and recreation projects. Currently, an open space and recreation plan update is in progress and a recreational master plan as well. 75
acres were moved to conservation. And then on the historic preservation side, the demolition delay bylaw was extended to 24 months and a local historic district is being proposed for the annual town meeting in uh in next
spring. Some of the challenges though under preserving Milton's character uh involve what does that actually mean for everyone. So for some it is understood as opposition
to change or as opposition to multif family or affordable housing or as not welcoming to new residents. Another challenge is that Milton has minimal municipal land that's available for new
or expanded uses. And there's a concern that restrictive historic preservation requirements could stifle redevelopment in Milton Village. So this gets to my point of successes on one hand could make for limits uh on progress and other
goals. Next, please. So under the promote health and wellness goal, we have success thanks to um wonderful efforts of our health department and a partnership for a healthy Milton in preparing the
community health assessment and in their work now on the community health improvement plan. Also their work with the opioid settlement funds that are being distributed. Also important to health and wellness
was identified as uh connectivity and options for non-vehicle connection that include the work of a bicycle and pedestrian master plan and as I already mentioned the recreational master plan that's in process
there's extensive expanded programming at the council on aging and they are at capacity currently with their what they can offer. While we adopted the bicycle and pedestrian master plan, there's been little progress in its implementation.
Air traffic volumes and impacts remain unchanged and landspace challenges for expanding recreational and social program programming remain as well. Under the goal of improving housing and neighborhoods, mixed use,
overlay zoning was passed for Milton Village and East Milton Square. Zoning and CPA funds for more senior housing at Winter Valley were passed. The affordable housing trust is being funded. A memory care
facility was approved. New homes built at Walcott Woods that include off-site affordable units and new ADA and MBTA multi-family housing has passed. However, we still have challenges.
Housing affordability has declined rapidly since 2015 and the median single family home is over a million dollars now. Our reliance on chapter 40B projects to provide affordable housing has resulted in large-scale projects that are not popular in their
neighborhoods. And limited production of affordable and rental and diverse housing types has left gaps for young families, seniors, and local workers on the goal of promoting economic development. An economic development
plan is in process. mixeduse overlay. As I mentioned, there's a redevelopment of a historic building in Milton Village, one of the first in many years, and a new mixeduse development is under construction in East Milton Square. Challenges remain. We have just over 1%
of our land zoned for commercial use and just 3% of the property tax revenue is from commercial uses, a reduction from 3.8% in 2015. We've heard that we have a reputation for being unfriendly to business and new
development and there's been stiff opposition to proposed commercial projects and zoning. As I mentioned, we have limited land area for new growth and we all know we have traffic impacts uh throughout town. Next,
so success or rather the goal of improving transportation and circulation, we have some success as well. the traffic mitigation committee which completed its work five years ago and uh issued a uh very detailed report with
recommendations. The town adopted a complete street program which would allow for an integrated transportation network that is safe and accessible for pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit users of all ages and abilities.
There's ongoing work with the mass DOT projects for Randolph A and I also again in this one is the bicycle and pedestrian master plan. Challenges remain. We have roadways experience high volumes of cut through
traffic. As we all know there's been little to no implementation of the traffic committee traffic mitigation committee's recommendations or the complete streets policy and the bicycle and pedestrian master plan. State and federal support is needed as
is funding. Next, please the goal for providing highquality public facilities, services and infrastructure. Uh we have some successes here with our excellent public schools and the work of
our school committee and school building committee with our new fire stations and our fire station building committee, our bond rating, our enterprise funds and our consolidated facilities department. Challenges remain. We have far more capital improvement requests than
available funding. We have some uh departments whose funding remains flat while demand for their programming has increased significantly. I think many would agree that there's u many roads that could use some
additional pavement management and sidewalk improvements. Uh but funding is limited for those and we still have a lack of a dedicated space for teens. Mr. Tas, just as an FYI, you've been speaking for a little over 10 minutes. I know I've granted you additional time if
needed. If you can keep moving along quickly. >> I'll I'll speed it up. Thank you, madam moderator. >> Thank you. >> Uh and the last goal to strengthen our capacity to plan. We have excellent committees who've uh volunteer composed of volunteers who across many different
subjects who have issued reports with actionable recommendations. We have many resident le initiatives and you can see a few here. Some of the challenges are the broader participation in town government. We have residents of color who do not feel comfortable in town
board and committee spaces. Communication between town government and residents could be improved. Awareness of the master plan and other reports and plans and ownership of their implementation could be improved and collaboration amongst boards, committees
and departments could be improved. Next. So there are a couple of key recommendations uh about things that we felt were not included in the master plan or not included in a detailed enough way. Diversity, equity, and inclusion is one.
The equity and justice for all committee report of 2022 informed our recommendations uh for master plan updates u which you can see above. The primary would be to adopt a townwide DEI policy and
incorporate responsibility and accountability. Next, similarly similarly, the committee does not believe the plan adequately addresses climate change and sust sustainability issues. Input from sustainable Milton and the work of the
climate action planning committee informed our recommendations from master plan updates. We can see that again here. Next and then I would like to highlight a few important topics. First, economic development. To deliver high level
services and with a reliance on residential property taxes, the town requires Proposition 2 and a half overrides on a regular basis. As our warrant committee can speak to, the committee believes that the economic development plan that is underway should align revenue needs with land use
regulations, transportation options, climate initiatives, and traffic congestion issues. Next, please. Next, housing and neighborhoods. Housing supply and affordability are deeply connected to environmental
sustainability, transportation access, economic opportunity, and public health. Key recommendations uh you can see on the slide. Effective solutions will require
integrated cross- sector collaboration. Conservation land and recreation space are highly valued by residents. Municipal land is limited. The committee recommends that a comprehensive land use strategy be developed that balances conservation and recreation space with
other municipal needs and that specific plans be developed in the context of that strategy. There are many more examples of successes, challenges, and recommendations in the committee's written final report. I'm not as advanced technology-wise, so we don't
have a sk a QR code, but we have the website here where you can find that final report. In conclusion, a master plan is not meant to be a static document, but rather a dynamic, aspirational tool that reflects our town's evolving needs. Its
effectiveness is determined by how well it is integrated into zoning bylaws, capital improvement plans, and other related plans. Implementation requires sustained and collaborative effort from elected officials, appointed committees, town
employees, and residents. Finally, the committee recommends the establishment of a master plan committee as detailed in the context of article 5. Thank you. >> Thank you very much, Mr. Tagas. And now
we will hear from the warrant committee, Mr. Funling. You are recognized, sir. >> Thank you, madam moderator Jay. Funing, town meeting member precinct 3 and chair of the warrant committee. The uh the warrant committee recommends
supports of this article as is amended by the green sheet that you received when you walked in the door. Uh just want to give a little history of how we got here. The master plan implementation committee's term is expiring this month. And so how did we get here? In 2014,
town meeting established a master plan implementation committee at the request of the select board and the planning board. And I looked at that uh I looked at that warrant just today and I saw the warrant committee comment. The warrant committee specifically said in 2014, "We want a committee to implement this
master plan so that it does not sit on the shelf and collect dust." Uh, at the time it was given a 10-year term. Now, a year and a half ago at the annual town meeting in 2014, the term was extended
from 10 years. It would have expired in October 2024. The term was extended from 10 years to 11 years. So at that annual town meeting a year and a half ago, the clock was ticking. At that point, we knew that the term of this committee would expire in one and a half years.
The deadline was coming. What would we do next? And so the proposal that you have in front of you is article 5 is the answer to that question. What do we do next when this timeline expires, which was set up a year and a half ago? This replaces the master plan implementation committee which has a limited term as I
said 10 or 11 years with a replacement committee with an unlimited term. It's similar to the makeup of the current committee. It'll have nine members instead of seven and it'll have requirements to report regularly to town meeting and others. I do want to address the green sheet that you got in. You
might wonder why did we have a green sheet adding just six words. And I'll tell you, this amendment was made by the warrant committee at a meeting Friday at noon, just three days ago. Uh, this amendment was made in response to a
proposed amendment that the planning board chair brought up at the planning board meeting the previous night. I do want to apologize if I got anything wrong. Obviously, there's any misunderstanding. It's all on me, not on the planning board chair. But I heard the planning board chair say that an
amendment such as this would be helpful in guiding the new committee and uh so the warrant committee met the next day and added those words to our recommendation. So the warrant committee supports the establishment of the new committee and
encourages a yes vote on this article. >> Thank you Mr. Funing and Mr. Zul. Would you like to speak on behalf of the select board with respect to this article? >> Thank you madam moderator. Benzel, chair of the Milton Select Board and precinct member or town meeting member precinct
5. Uh we voted uh earlier tonight to uh unanimously support the uh the green sheet amendment uh to this article. I think you've heard a lot about this uh the important work of this group. Um and we believe that we should follow their advice and uh the creation of this
master plan committee. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Zul. We will now open article 5 up for discussion. Yes, Miss Hall, you are recognized. Good evening. Um, Meredith Hall,
chairman of the Milton Planning Board. Um, I just we have been meeting on this um just for the last two weeks. Um, and there seems to Well, first of all, I just want to say thank you to Cheryl and to the master plan implementation
committee first and foremost for all of their work and for the many years of commitment um to implementing um and documenting where we are at the master plan. Um, I also um want to begin with
introducing and welcoming our new uh director of planning and community development, Elizabeth Manning, who is with us this evening. So, let's first and foremost very important to acknowledge both both of these people
here um and thank you again. Um but the in the discussion around this um around this article um there's been a lot of confusion by the Milton Planning Board. First of all, the the planning board was
not aware of this article until it was going to the warrant going to print um in the warrant. There was also confusion uh noted in the meeting on from the warrant committee on Friday that the warrant committee was also under the
impression that the planning board was aware of this uh of this article um and made that made their recommendation under the assumption that the planning board was involved with this process. Um the planning board
has concerns about elements of this. Um while we we are grateful for this report, the all the the recommendations um but there are elements of this article and the formation of an entirely new committee um and most particularly
um that this would be a committee in perpetuity and what would that mean um and the ramific ramifications and in going forward. The planning board would like to ask um that we um consider such
action um that such action would be consistent with the Mass General Laws Chapter 40 section 81D which determines how master plans are created, how the updates to the master plan, and how the
extension of an implementation committee um is determined. in order to have time to work with our new town council, um our new town planner, the master plan implementation committee, uh the planning board wishes to make the
following amendment. And this was um language provided um and confirmed that it's legally and and within scope of this article. I wish to um the planning board wishes to move to amend the recommendation of
the warrant committee on article five to extend the term of the current master plan implementation committee through May of 2026 rather than create a new standing master plan committee. Um again this would
allow time. it would not um we are committed to furthering the work on the master plan. We um would just like to have the opportunity to have time to make sure that the article that's coming before town meeting um is consistent
with our um with the general bylaws and that we have an opportunity for collaboration on the language that would be in this article. So that is um the motion. >> Thank you, Miss Hall. Um
>> I have very few copies. Concerns have been raised in the past about inability for people to see the actual projected screen. So if anybody has any difficulty did not we did not print them out for everybody because it's a waste of paper
and ink. However, I have some copies which I'll make available in the front of the room. Does anybody else wish to Oh, excuse me. Um, we will now entertain Miss Hall and the planning board's motion to amend.
May I please hear from the Empic, Miss Tagas, and I'll make these available in the front of the room. >> I'm sorry. Yes, >> you're correct. Thank you. Thank you. Do I hear a second?
>> Thank you. Okay, Miss Tagas. Thank you. Uh the planning board has had discussion of this article uh for its past two meetings. Um the article came together um in August in early August uh
when we became aware that we actually needed an article to deliver our report to this town meeting. And we had been talking about our recommendations. And so we uh consulted with the town administrator about um our recommendation to have a successor
committee and whether that could be incorporated uh into the article which would allow for the report to be delivered. The timing of that was just uh one week between uh when an article would need to be submitted to the select
board. And so the committee held two meetings uh in early August to accomplish that. The planning board didn't u have meetings until September uh 11 taking a little break in August. So there was a gap and so the planning board's awareness of it uh came in
September. Um then I will say we did schedule an MPIC or master plan implementation committee too in the last couple of weeks. Uh I raised the concerns of the planning board members
uh with the committee and uh as recent as Friday at 1:00 uh the committee uh still wanted to move forward uh with the article uh with uh the recommendated recommendation the change that was
recommended by the warrant committee. Thank you. >> Thank you Miss Tas Mr. Funling. >> Uh, thank you, Jay. Funling, chair of the warrant committee, town meeting member precinct 3. Uh, the warrant committee has not yet voted on this
amendment if that's what you're asking. I think we are hoping to hear the town meeting discuss it. >> Thank you, Mr. Funling. Mr. Zoul, would the select board like to speak? I'll wait a minute. >> Yes, Mr. Funing, you're recognized
again. >> Yes, J. Funling, Tony member, precinct 3, chair of the warrant committee. I'm a little unclear as to what the language what the amendment actually is and I don't want to put our clerk on the spot, but I think we want to see the the
wording of the article as amended up on the screen and I I think we're struggling to know what that wording is. >> Thank you. ready. >> Okay. Let us take a quick 5 minute break. We will be back in 9:20.
Quick. Okay, we are back. I didn't do that loudly the first time. We are back and we will hear from Mr. Zul on behalf of the select board. Mr. Zul.
>> Thank you, Madam Moderator. I know uh we're hard at work here uh to get the language up on the screen. Uh Benzel, chair of select board, town meeting member, precinct 5. Uh the select board has uh recommended a no vote on this uh
amendment. uh our recommendation is uh based in our opinion that uh the master plan implementation committee uh has existed for a significant amount of time. This discussion has been going on over the past 18 months uh about uh both moving back the deadline and then the
approaching deadline uh and they themselves have asked for this change. This change does not uh other than existing funds that have already been committed to the master planning uh implementation committee doesn't commit any new funds uh and so we see no reason
not to take the uh recommendation of the committee itself in disbanding it and creating this new one in theirstead. Thank you madam moderator. >> Thank you Mr. Zole. Again I ask that you refrain from clapping. Um, now it's been
a couple of questions that people asked me in those short five minutes about the procedure moving forward. So, what we're going to do now is we're going to hear from people on the motion to amend. So, if you want to speak to the motion to amend, I see some people are in the
front. We'll do that first. Then, if the motion to amend passes, we vote on the article as amended. If the motion to amend does not pass, we then vote on the warrant committee's recommendation as
written on your green sheet. Now we will hear Yes, sir. Yes, sir. >> Question whether the amendment. >> Thank you. Um Mr. Chimman, can you just say what um precinct you're from, sir?
>> Thank you. No problem. Um so Mr. Mr. Chimman has asked for a ruling on the scope of the article. Um, >> I'm sorry, the amendment. Thank you. Um, may the town council provide some thoughts on that and then I will make the requested ruling.
Darren Klein, town council through the moderator. uh the moderator and I it did discuss this and it is within the scope of the main uh of the main motion of the warrant committee because the article is
seeking to create a new permanent standing committee which is obviously that's sort of the outside scope of the article and this motion to amend would be extending the term for a temporary term of the temporary current uh Empic
Empic committee. So, it would be within the scope of the larger article. >> Thank you, Attorney Klene. I agree with our town council that this is within scope and we will now hear
from individuals on the motion to amend. I see some people over here, some people over here. I will go back and forth. We'll start with you, ma'am. Go ahead. Um Christine Hodlin tile meeting member precinct 2. Um and I stand um against
this amendment. Um I feel that the planning board has known what was happening here. The town meeting was here scheduled. The the EMP committee itself knew when it was going to be expiring. I don't recall ever seeing an
agenda item on any of the planning board um meetings, not only just recently, but for the past four years, that says, "Can I have an update from the EMPIC committee?" But now we want to extend it for a year. And I'm not sure if that's going to give you more information on
what they've done or do you think that there's more work to do. So, I'm kind of curious as to why why that why another year is going to help um anybody. The EMPIC committee themselves um besides Cheryl is made up of people
who have been on this committee, most of them for 11 years and helped develop this plan and they unanimously support the article as it stands before this amendment was put forth. I believe that those people are the ones that are the
most knowledgeable on what's been done and what needs to be done and would like to move on. So, thank you. Thank you, Miss Hodland. We will now move to the other side of the room. Ma'am, you're recognized.
>> Thank you. I'm Regina Campbell Malone. I'm a town meeting member for Precinct One and I'm also one of the members of the EMPIC. Um I just I just am curious um if the master plan is this living and breathing
document and it's one that the planning board is responsible for um for putting forth. Where is the proactive planning to make sure that the board that is the committee that is implementing it is
consistent and continues to do its work. I I don't think it was a huge surprise that our committee was suns setting and I don't think it's too much to ask for a committee that's in charge of planning to know well enough the work before it
to be able to predict and to to try to accomplish the goal of making sure that folks that are working on their behalf have what they need to continue doing the work, right? Um, and so in the last few months, we put together this plan to
allow a standing committee to continue to do work on behalf of the planning board and to provide simply recommendations on either continuing updates on the master plan or recommending that a new
plan be established. it does not provide the master plan implementation committee with teeth or any power to do anything um that the planning board does not want to accomplish. So I my hope is that rather than putting a ticking clock over
the top of our work uh and not not allowing us to continue that work in a way that honors the the current master plan and helps us proactively plan for the next master plan. I ask that we um we reject this amendment uh and put
forth the the amendment as as put forth by the warrant committee. Thank you. >> Thank you, ma'am. And we're moving over to this. Uh yes, Miss Hall, did you have something to add? >> I think I could just offer some helpful information just to the last two
speakers. Hello, it's Meredith Hall, chairman of the planning board. So this there there was a reason when the master plan implementation committee was initially established. It was a 10-year term. That
is quite common um in communities when they're creating a master plan that there is a period of the implementation. Some towns may have three years, some may have five years. We had a we had a we had a 10-year plan. The reason why
you have a certain finite period is because often the master plan needs to be evaluated the report. We've just are getting this past um two weeks ago. We're getting a d received a draft of the report. There's a period of time
where you step back, you assess where you are in the planning of the town. We all agree that there's things that we still would like to put forth. The question is what at what point do you need to establish a new master plan um
committee? And many towns, it's recommended by the state that a new master plan is created every 10 years. So that was why the 10-year plan, the 10-year implementation period was created with a finite period, not that it's a living document. Most towns do
not have a master plan which which continues into perpetuity because there needs to be a period of assessment. So this was this was a intended to sunset so it could be evaluated. The planning board has not had a chance to evaluate
it. We believe that there is good work. We believe that we can come up with something that and I think many of us feel that there was a tremendous amount of work that went into the master plan in 2014. There was an incredible expense. It was $175,000.
So I I think it the general feeling of the planning board is we don't need to we do not need to start with a brand new fresh master plan at this point, but at some point we may. And so having a a standing committee that's in perpetuity
really is in conflict with that ability to be able to assess after a period of time what that is. So we have not had a chance to discuss it as the the planning board. Um MBTA has taken up a a great deal of our meeting time as well as the
ADUs and other projects that we're working on. So, this would be a period of assessment, discussion to determine what type of committee that we would want and and allow for public input on that as well because I think it's not only up to us as a planning board, but
to do outreach and put it and make it a public um conversation and make this a collaborative a collaborative effort between the MA master plan implementation committee, the more the select board and the
planning board. So having collaboration I think is incredibly important before we put a committee together which is a standing committee in perpetuity. So thank you. I hope that helps. >> Thank you Miss Hall. And now we'll move over here.
>> Oh, okay. >> Oh, because you I'll allow it because you asked the question that then Miss Hall was answering. Go ahead. >> Yeah. I'm just curious before this current master plan that was created in 2014 2015, when was the last time that
the planning board put forth a master plan? >> Mhm. >> Okay, Miss Hall, >> if you can speak to that. I was I was not on the master plan committee but I was very involved with
the public outreach um and feedback um but I don't have the exact date which the previous prior to 2014 I don't know the exact date so >> thank you all right moving over here ma'am you're
recognized >> Karen Freriedman Hannah precinct 2 so I rise to oppose the amendment Um, and I agree with the previous speaker about the um the amount of time
that you had to be able to assess this, but also that well, first of all, I want to um thank the master plan committee because I think I when you look back at what they've accomplished and I was at
those initial meetings and part of creating the the uh plan, talking it through, having all the different meetings. It has been an incredibly successful committee with continuity of
people on it, input from the town in so many different ways. It has its pulse in every one of these successes. Granted, there are still challenges, which we know there will always be challenges, but the successes to me outweigh the
challenges dramatically. the committee has been incredibly successful. The other aspect to this is that the chair of that committee is also on the planning board and has communication with the planning board as needed. So, as a new committee is being
developed, I'm sure with everything that Miss Tagas and everybody else that's been on this committee that several of whom I know personally would be very much involved with providing input for the new committee, if not being on it as
well. I don't know who wants to still be on another aspect of the committee, but I think that there could be tremendous continuity of ideas of input of what might still be important as the town investigates with the town with uh the
town's people to get an idea of what next steps people are looking for. So I don't see how disbanding this committee in its form at the request of this committee, they know what they've accomplished. They know what they have
done where they are now and moving forward to a new aspect. I think we should give the respect to them that they deserve from the unbelievable work that they've done for 11 years now and move into the next phase. I I strongly
support the original uh warrant article and not the amendment. Thank you. >> Thank you, Miss Freeman. Hannah, now we'll move over to this side of the room. Ma'am, did you wish to talk? >> Yes, I'm pointing to you. Thank you.
>> Thank you. Mary Kelly, precinct 9. Um, I rise to ask a couple of questions. In the original article back in 2014, I think the recommendation for this implementation committee was
a membership of five that would be jointly recommended by the board of selectmen or the select board, pardon me. I think it was a board of selectmen back then and the planning board. And I think what's being proposed today doesn't
sound like that. is creating committee and granted. Let me back up. I highly highly commend the work that's gone in for all of these years and commend all of you for the efforts and the improvements to the town that you've helped with.
But I don't know why we're changing our approach if it's worked so well previously. And in that planning in the town comes under the guise of the planning board. I would hope
as a sign to the whole town that we work collectively together that both the planning board and the board of selectmen and the implementation committee could perhaps meet jointly and talk about how to move forward.
I think a lot has gone well. Let's learn from that. let's act collectively and not against each other and create a process that will help continue with the improvements that have been gained thus far. So I support what is being proposed
by the planning board and this amendment. Thank you. >> Thank you ma'am. And now we'll come over here. Yes sir, you are recognized. >> Thank you madam moderator. Sean Fehee, town meeting member, precinct 9, and uh
member of the planning board. I need a few minutes on this. I want to make sure that the body understands that this amendment made by the chair of the planning board is an endorsement
of Empic. It's an endorsement. The chair wants Empic to continue. The chair and the planning board, me as a member, recognizes the importance of Empic and its future contribution to the town of
Milton. We want Empic to continue. I'm going to back up a little bit. On October 9th, the warrant was in my mailbox, which means it was probably in your mailbox, too.
on October 9th when I received the warrant and I read it. That was the first time that I, as a planning board member, I do think that's important. I'm a planning board member. It was the first time I became aware that an article was has been written and
submitted to create not an extension of Empic, but a new committee on October 9th, which happened to be a planning board meeting night. It was the
first time the planning board had a conversation about this article. Keep in mind at that point the article was already written and the warrant was published. It was not in September as said by a previous speaker. The first
time the planning board had a discussion about this was after it was written and published in the warrant. The planning board is the body that MPIC or the proposed committee would make recommendations to.
It makes good sense to me that there would have been a collaborative process to discuss creation of this committee that's proposed in article five. Back when this started, it was the
select board and the planning board that proposed creating Empic. So in my mind, good process and good governance means that those parties that initially thought EMP was necessary for the town, they collaborate with Empic
to outline the new charge of Empic for the future. That only makes good sense. We were not involved in that. Liz Manning, our director of community develop planning and community development was not involved in that. If we're going to create a committee, which
I am a proponent for, this committee should exist in Milton. We need it. It should be done in a collaborative way. The planning board impact should sit down and we should discuss how this committee can be successful. Some of the
comments I've heard feels like the planning board is being blamed for not being aware that Empic was sunsetting. Emp is suns setting. Emp knows that. Emp could have said a while ago, we need
more time or we have an idea. That hasn't happened. As outlined, reporting was required twice annually to the select board and to the planning board and once to town meeting. So the
math is simple. If it's existed for 11 years, there should be 22 reports. And it says very clearly what the reports are supposed to have. In the planning board meeting on the 9th, I asked for record of the reports. My
request was really simple. If we create a committee and we establish a reporting requirement, isn't it reasonable to think that those reports should exist? And if we're going to create another committee, don't we want that committee to be successful?
Well, if we want success for any committee we have in town, we we should do it collaboratively. It should not be done in isolation. This was rushed. This was clearly rushed. Had it not been rushed, I
believe we could have and should have been part of the process. But we weren't. Liz Manning was not part of the process. Imagine that you're the new director of planning and community development. You come to town and you're not even included in this discussion
about creating a planning committee. That doesn't seem fair to me to a person who just arrived in town. I'm not speaking for Liz. She can speak for herself. To me, it makes very good sense to continue emping
board, the select board if they prefer to be a part of it, Liz Manning as our director of community and planning de planning community development. We should all participate in creating the charge of this committee
and there are a lot of matters that should be discussed. Do we really want a committee in perpetuity? I don't know. But we should talk about that. I don't think creating committees in perpetuity are a good idea unless there's consensus that that's the right
thing to do. However we got here, it's not the way we should get anywhere in town meeting. This is not something that should happen in town meeting. We should not have an article before town meeting that asks for you to either say yes or no and not
have had good process for how it got here. [Music] I'm not a government person. I'm a private sector guy. This would never fly in the private sector and it should never fly in Milton, our town
government. Let's get together. Let's collaborate on this. Let's create something that can be highly successful. Empic is necessary. We need it. Let's do it the right way. I urge you to support this amendment. Continue me for another
year while we figure out together collaboratively how to do this. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Fehee. Sir, if you would like to speak on the motion to amend, you're recognized.
>> Aqua Eong um present one. Squeeze this. Okay. Going to do some training here. I think that works.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak on this. My last speaker was very clear on his position. There are things like this is rushed. How do you rush something that has a
beginning and an end? The planning committee leader mentioned that this was set for 10 years. Everybody knew it was sunset. It was extended. How do you force someone who's volunteering their hours for another
year? Is that fair to them? Those who are running Empic say they're done. They've served their time. They've given us what we asked for. We want to force them for another year. Are we paying them? Does that make sense? Would you do it? What's wrong in having
them reach out to the other or the other reach out to them? Everybody knew this was for 10 years. Everybody knew the plan. Why is this being said as if it's something that was hidden? I think it doesn't make to me it doesn't make a lot of sense. Maybe I can't reason at that
higher level. But if you know when the show will end, you want to extend the show and those who are acting are not being paid. They've given you the end report. It makes no sense to me. Do we really expect this Empic would be productive? When they say they want to end their work, we force them for
another year. Would you do it? Does it make sense? Let's think as grown adults. If we've all empers volunteered for more than 10 years which they signed up for and they want to end it, let's allow them to end
it. I argue that nothing productive would come out of the next one year if we extend it. Think about it. If we knew this was this important, if the select board wanted to reach out to them, they knew there was Empic. If the other committee wanted to, they could go
talk to them. But if the guys serving, not being paid a dime, want to end their work, they've presented their best work. I think it's the right thing to let them end it. Bring someone or another team who wants to serve. I therefore rise
against forcing people into doing I really don't like it. If they don't want to do the work, let let it stop. Let another group who wants to do it start it. Thank you. >> Thank you, sir. Over here, sir, you're recognized.
Uh, good evening. Uh, my name is Matt Morang. I'm a town meeting member from precinct 2. Um, and I rise to oppose this amendment. Um, the planning board offers no rationale other for the substance of their ask besides needing more time. And from this planning board, we've heard this a lot in the past.
This committee was formed 10 years ago, and since the formation, there is have been numerous events that have changed how the town sees itself and how it should plan. This committee should be forward-looking, embrace itself for a new round of master planning, as is its charge. Included in this history, must I
remind you, are some of the more contentious items that we as a body have had to deal with. Um, the town passed a historic multif family zoning overlay to bring it into compliance with state law. The town is now required to allow ADUs by right. The COVID pandemic altered
patterns of work and commuting with impacts that continue to this day. The closure of local hospitals in Boston, Quinsey, and Norwood has trans has has broadened the area of service for Milton Hospital. The town has been forced to pass a historic override in order to
maintain level services, and future budgets will exert continued pressure on a predominantly residential tax base. Widespread use of app-based driving directions have created a traffic mess in this town. These are all issues worthy of study in the context of our entire town and the formation of a
committee to address this holds enormous importance. This is an issue of importance to the town that extends beyond the planning board and this is this new article acknowledges this fact. It looks into the future and I encourage you to vote no to this amendment. Thank you. >> Thank you Mr. Morang.
Are there any other people who wish to speak to the motion to amend? Mr. Fehee, did you want to speak again? I didn't, but I'm going to. Okay. Sean Fehee, Precinct 9. Uh, also, um, >> I'm going to warn you though, you have
about three minutes left, but go ahead. >> Thank you. It won't take me that long. Okay. >> Um, Sean Fehee, precinct 9, town meeting member and member of the planning board. What the planning board was aware of that this was suns setting,
right? We should all be really clear on this. Empic was given another year. What was expected of Empic at the conclusion of the 11th year was a report. That's what the planning board should expect. The speakers that have
identified the planning board as being at fault for not recognizing that Empic might not be complete. That cannot be the planning board's fault. If Empic had more work to do, Empic had a responsibility to inform us. Empic has a
member on the planning board. That member could have been told to come to the planning board and make us aware of whatever Empic's thoughts were. We weren't made aware. To blame the planning board for not recognizing and
not going to Empic to find out they didn't have enough time is absolutely unfair to your planning board, regardless of who the members are. That doesn't make sense. Thank you, Miss Moderator.
>> Thank you. >> Yes, Miss Augustina. Point of order. >> I'm sorry. You want to make a motion to refer back what? Hold on, please. We'll do the high
Thank you. Having spoken with town council and confirming my suspicions are true, a motion to refer back is a higher level motion than a motion to amend. And we have to according to town meeting
time volume 4 hear a motion to refer back before we can continue on the motion to amend. And the reason why is because if the motion to refer back is seconded and then voted upon successfully, it makes the entire motion would be referred back. The entire
article would be referred back and there is really no sense in amending it before the thing is referred back. So do I hear a second on Miss Agugustino's motion to refer the matter back to you said to the to whom? Miss Agustinino. Are you
wanting to refer it back? To whom did you want to refer it back, ma'am? Who is she? So because Miss Agustinino because the MPIC would not exist if you were to refer it back as you mentioned
it would have to be to the planning board. So, we will hear that first. Do I have a second on the motion to refer back to the planning board? I hear that it's seconded. Would anybody like to discuss the motion to refer back to the planning board?
First, we have to hear from Empic if they would like to speak on it. Then the warrant committee, then the select board. Miss Tas, would you like to speak on the motion to refer back? We will then if it is successful the whole thing will be
referred back to the planning board. If it is not successful we will go back to the motion to amend. Miss Tagas I can speak um for myself since the committee is not convened here and not able to have a discussion. Um but I
would say is as one of the speakers said um the committee believes that it has fulfilled its charge. Our charge was to issue a final report at the end of the term of this committee and to make recommendations for next steps. We've
made that in this report which I mentioned you can find on the town website and I covered some of those recommendations uh here tonight and we made it in this article. We've had a couple of discussions about this and we
um in those discussions without this particular uh motion we discussed that we feel as if um as I said that we've completed our work we've made our recommendation and we would like town meeting to uh make a decision um on our
recommendation. Thank you. >> Thank you Mr. Gas. >> Yes add one more thing. >> Yes. Um while Mass General Law does um put the development of a master plan uh as a responsibility of the planning
board, uh I did serve on the master plan committee in 2013 and 14 and I can answer the question about when it was updated before that and it was in the 1970s and when uh the planning board and
select board in 2014 submitted an article to town meeting to establish the implementation committee. It was specifically brought here brought to this body to make a decision because of the importance of the recommendations.
The recommendations and the strategies within the plan fall to many more than just the planning board. They fall to the select board. They fall to departments and they fall to other boards and committees. And so we I would say that the committee based on our
conversations would stand firm that we would like the body to vote on article five. Thank you, Miss Tias. Mr. Funling, would you like to speak on behalf of the warrant committee with respect to the motion to refer back? >> Jay Funing, town meeting member precinct
3, chair of the warrant committee. The warrant committee has not voted. We are waiting to hear if there's more discussion from town meeting members on the motion refer back. Thank you, Mr. Zul. >> Thank you, madam moderator. Uh the select board, uh Ben Zel, chair of the
select board and uh town meeting member precinct 5 select board has voted unanimously against this uh amendment. Um and I would add that uh the the purpose or of referring back and uh essentially the referring back and the amendment are the same thing, which is
why I just tripped over myself. We've voted unanimously against sending back um the I think the my friend um me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me member Aqua Ebong has kind of I think already said it very
well. We've had people volunteered for a decade or more on this committee. They feel like they've done their job. Our job now is to figure out what the next phase of this looks like, not to kick the can down the road. Thank you, Madam Moor. >> Thank you. Would anybody else like to speak to the motion to refer back?
Ma'am, you are recognized. >> Uh, thank you. Um, madam moderator Deborah Felton, town meeting member precinct 2. I just have a question. Um, this article was submitted by the master plan implementation committee. So,
doesn't it get referred back to whoever submitted it? Can it why is it going back to the planning board? >> Thank you for that question. Town Council, can you speak to that? >> Uh Darren Klein, Town Council through the moderator. Um a motion to refer does
not have to be to the committee who submitted uh submitted the article to the select board to be placed on the warrant. Uh in this case especially, the MPIC would not exist if this motion passed. It would it expires this month.
So, it couldn't be referred back to a committee that no longer exists. >> Thank you. Does anybody else wish to speak to the motion to refer back only? >> No, I see nobody else. Okay. So, as I mentioned before, we're going to vote on
the motion to refer back if it gets referred back. Yes. I'm sorry, Mr. Funing. >> Jay Funing, town meeting member, precinct 3 and chair of the warrant committee. The warrant committee recommends a no vote on the motion to refer Thank you.
As I was saying, if the motion to refer back is successful, it gets referred back. That's then um done. If the motion to refer back is not successful, then we go back to the motion to amend. Okay.
Yes. Hold on one second. Okay, we will now open the vote for the motion to refer back to the planning board. The motion to refer back fails 75% to 25
150 no 47 yes. We will go back to the motion to amend. Did anybody else who hasn't had a chance to speak yet on the motion to amend wish to speak on the motion to amend? Yes, ma'am. >> Thank you very Thank you very much. Uh
Christine Turner, I'm a town meeting member for precinct 4 and 4A. Um uh someone earlier he had mentioned something about how you know in the private sector this we are obviously in the public sector but in the private sector there's just different sorts of expectations and as someone who does
also work in the private sector if I were to ask my manager for an extension on a pretty wellestablished deadline they would probably want to know why and what I plan to do with that extension. So I have a question for the planning
board with if we were to pass this extension, what exactly would the planning board do with that additional time? And what asurances could you give the town that you would be able to complete those things in this aotted
time so that we would not in May of 2026 find ourselves in a position where we were again asking for another extension especially sensitive to the fact that these are individuals who are volunteering their time to serve our town and we want to use their time
judiciously. >> Thank you. Miss Hall, if you can speak to that question. >> Yes, thank you. I think that's a great question. Um and we did consider whether to make to make that extension for a
full year, but because we recognized that we wanted to take action, meet monthly on this and be able to actually have a collaborative discussion on really I think the biggest question is
to determine should it be a um a committee and granted a new committee that continues. These are the master plan implementation terms are one-year terms. So, anyone who does not want to continue um they they can they can end
at in October and then new applications can be made for anyone who wants to join that committee. So, it's a one term. So, no one's forcing anyone to stay at any particular length of time. But the um the goal would be to evaluate whether it
makes sense to have a committee a new standing committee serve in in perpetuity or whether we are going to continue the master plan implementation committee as it has been working. It's been um a lot of the successes have been work that the planning boards um has
done. We have been checking off many different goals, but it would be to evaluate whether this really should be a committee in perpetuity or and we've just received the final report last week on from the master plan evaluate whether
a new master plan would need to be made. But I think at this point we feel that moving forward with a with a master plan implementation committee or a new committee. But the question would be is it in perpetuity? And those are the questions that we have not had a chance
to evaluate but that we would plan and that's why not going until next o October but actually having something for springtown meeting we would be able to have a recommendation on that and it may be which I highly doubt that we need a whole new master plan but it gives us a chance to have that conversation and
conver chance to have the conversation with members of the current master plan implementation committee to um to look at that and and with the select board um as well. So who established that? So hopefully that helps. >> Thank you, Miss Hall.
>> Yeah, sorry, >> Miss Turner. >> Thank you, Christine Turner. Tell me to remember 448. Okay, I have a follow-up question now. So if part of if I my understanding is that part of the concern is about creating a committee in
perpetuity. What are our regulations about disbanding committees? I will admit that is a hole in my knowledge. I will ask the town administrator or town council to speak to that. >> Uh Darren Klene uh through the
moderator. Uh if it is a committee uh created by town meeting, then town meeting could take a vote at a future town meeting to disband that committee. >> Thank you. Okay. Does anybody else wish to speak to
the motion to amend? You have a Is it a point of order? Okay, go ahead, ma'am. She asked who is responsible for what's printed on the green sheet. That would be I I will not answer. I will call upon
Nick Milano, the town administrator. Please. >> Yes, Mr. Milano. >> Uh, Nicholas Milano, town administrator. Thank you. The green sheet was produced by our office with in consult in consultation with the town moderator and wiring committee.
>> Thank you. Okay. I see nobody else wishing to speak on the motion to amend. We will open it for a vote. >> Yes. I'm sorry, Mr. Funing. >> Thank you, Madam Moderator. The warrant committee has taken a vote and we
recommend a no vote on this amendment. Uh the warrant committee supports the article as printed in the in the warrant for several reasons. One is that we support the charge of the new committee. The new article calls for the new committee to suggest modifications to
the master plan and comment on the scope and the focus. We think that's desirable. Uh, we oppose the amendment because that would put this committee in limbo. This committee has just real just released their large report.
I admit I haven't read it, but it's a large report. This is a significant milestone for this committee. They just finished it. If they get a six-month extension, I think they're unlikely to achieve anything in the next six months. Uh, we and we don't want to delay. We
want to keep the master plan in use. To quote my colleagues of the warrant committee from the year 2014, I just read the warrant and it said, "We don't want it to we don't want the master plan to suffer from slow death on a dusty shelf," which is more poetic than what I said a few minutes ago.
So, the warrant committee sees the new committee as the best option. Uh, I also would like to say there's been some discussion tonight about this article and how we got here and who talked to who or who didn't talk to who. Um, I'd like to share some thoughts I had. This
was about three or four weeks ago. The warrant committee was discussing one of the other articles in the warrant before you tonight. It was one of the other articles that had a bit of a rocky road getting here. And uh before we started that discussion as a warrant committee,
I advised the committee that we may wish this article had come to us in a different way. We may wish others had taken different steps in its crafting, but that's not the question before this body. The question before this body tonight on article 5 is, is article 5 as
printed in the warrant and the green sheet better for t for the town or is putting it off six or is extending the current committee six months better for the town? No matter how else it got here, the warrant committee thinks that
the article is printed in the green sheet is better for the town. So, we urge a no vote on the amendment. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Funling. We will now open the vote on the motion to amend. >> Yes. Can uh the clerk please put back
can we pause the timer and can the clerk please put back up the motion? The motion to amend reads to hear and act upon the report of the master plan implementation committee and to extend the term of the current master plan implementation committee through May
2026. That being said, we will now open the motion for a vote. >> Yes. >> No, we voted on the motion to refer back to the planning board. We are now voting
on the motion to amend and then depending on what happens now, we will either vote on the motion as amended or the warrant committee's recommendation. But thank you. What's on the screen is the motion to amend. Okay, we are now
article five. The motion to amend is to hear and act upon the report of the master plan implementation committee and to extend the term of the current master plan implementation committee through May 2026. Period.
Okay. With that being said, we will now open the motion to amend for a vote. This is a majority The motion to amend fails 147 to 49. And now we will move to the main motion
which is as printed on the green sheet. Would anybody like to speak to Yes. Waiting very patiently on the recommendation of the warrant committee which is the motion on the floor which
is as set forth on the green sheet in the front of the room. Ma'am, you are recognized. >> Lorie Stillman, precinct 2. Um first of all there's been some question about whether uh the master planning committee
should exist into perpetuity and I would like to say that the answer should be a resounding yes. Um, in my 30 years, nearly 30 years on being town uh, meeting member, I would say that there
has been a consistent rallying cry for planning, the need for planning in this town, whether it's planning for finances or for technology or capital improvements or wellness. We need to be planning. That happens in the public
sector and it happens in the private sector. and we should not be giving up on the notion of continual planning and continual improvement in this town. So, um that's one thing that I would like to say. Um I also want to say that I did
read the entire report and it was beautiful. It covered so many um topics and I really want to encourage everyone to read it because I learned so much um by doing so. I want to congratulate uh
the planning committee for their work. Um I would like to make a small friendly amendment. However, um one of the major goals was to improve or um address health and wellness in the community. Um
which I thought was uh a great goal goal as someone who works in public health. But in listing the skills um of the people who might serve on the uh master planning committee in the future, there
was no um listing of anybody in the field of public health uh in in the list. So I would like to make sure that we include um public health as one of the areas of expertise in the fourth
paragraph. Thank you. Would the chair of the EMP like to talk about that motion to amend made by Miss Stman specifically with respect to adding
person with public health as a requirement under that section of the article? >> Uh yes, I realize I haven't been saying my name every time. Cheryl Tagayas, chair of the master plan implementation committee and a town meeting member of precinct 9. Um, as I said before, I
can't speak on behalf of the committee um, since the committee has not had the opportunity to speak to this, but given um, my experience and our conversations and you saw in our recommendations and if you see in the body of the text, uh, this makes a lot of sense. So, I would
support it myself. Thank you. >> Thank you. And we will hear from the select board, Mr. Zol. Benzol, chair, Milton Select Board, precinct uh five town meeting member. Uh
we uh the the uh select board unanimously supports this uh addendum of a public health u profession. Thank you, >> Mr. Funlane. Yes.
>> Well, yes, they're moving to amend and the warrant committee hasn't had a chance to speak on it yet. >> Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, it's Thank you, Mr. Funling. You're recognized. >> Thank you. Jay Funling, town meeting member, precinct 3, chair of the warrant
committee. The warrant committee supports this amendment. >> Thank you. Would anybody else like to speak on the amendment to include public health? Yes, sir. You are recognized, Mr. Ibang. >> Aqua Ibang. I think that's a great idea,
but then we'll have 10 people on the committee, which would set us up for not being able to make decisions. Are we going to drop one person or should we add one more person to make it an odd number? >> Thank you, Mr. Funling.
>> Jay Funing, town meeting member, precinct three, chair of the warrant committee. As I read it, this is a list of saying if you're going to be a member of this committee, you should have skills in one of these things. You should be an architect or a civil
engineer or a parks expert or uh what do we just say? Public health. It doesn't mean there has to be one for each. So, it's just saying we can have public health people on this, but not that we have to have one of exactly each. >> Thank you, Mr. Funling. Would anybody
else like to speak on this motion to amend to include a public health professional? >> Yes, sir. Jeff Stone, uh, precinct one. I agree with, uh, Mr. Funling's comment uh that
there shouldn't be an exact uh single person of of each uh skill set. However, I would suggest inserting in the paragraph on the green sheet, the big paragraph the words public health as a place
marker to show that we value public health. I don't think it's in that long list. So perhaps after public policy, public health andor diversity, equity, and inclusion. Yeah. Oh, is is it in
there? >> Duh. Okay. Thank you very much. That does it. >> Thank you. Anybody else on this motion to amend? Okay, I see none. We will now open the vote for the motion to amend. Again,
this is a majority just to include those words and public health professional. Did you uh open the time, Mr. Mallet? >> Yes. I'm sorry. I can't see it on my thing. Thank you. Okay, that motion passes. 184 yes, nine
no. Now, would anybody else like to be heard? We're going back. Does anybody want to be heard on the motion which is now before us which would be the green sheet but adding that language and public health so you can see it
appear on the screen. >> Yes ma'am. You want the exact breakdown vote from whom? I don't understand your question ma'am. Can you travel to the microphone, ma'am?
>> Okay. If somebody can bring her the microphone, please. Thank you. Thank you very much. Air quality is diminishing for some reason. Um, we've always if a town meeting member asked for a vote
from a particular committee specific, we've gotten it. So, we're taking a vote. We hear from the select board. We hear from the war committee. I'm asking that the planning board um provide us with how they will actually be voting. That's very simple.
>> Thank you. Now, normally that would be the case, but here the master plan implementation committee is the submitting body. So, normally we would call upon the body that submitted it, which would be the master plan implementation committee, the warrant
committee, and then the select board because it's their warrant. So, >> madam moderator, >> yes, ma'am. >> Could you please check with town council if it's um legally allowable for a town meeting member to have the planning
board's opinion? >> Allow town council to speak on that question. uh Darren Klein through the moderator. Uh I think it's allowable to ask the planning board if they have a recommendation, but since this is not a
zoning article or it's it's also not it was not submitted by the planning board. I don't think they are legally required to give a recommendation, but it's it's certainly allowable to ask them. Does the planning board wish to speak on
the motion which is the green sheet and the additional amendment of N public health? >> I'm coming. >> Does the planning board wish to speak on that? Miss Hall? No. Okay. Thank you,
>> ma'am. Go ahead. >> Thank you, madam moderator. Aaron Bradley, town meeting member, precinct 44A. Um, it's my understanding that when you are asked about how a committee feels about something, it's the unanimity,
which I did not say properly, of the committee. It's not the breakdown of the committee and how each individual member votes. And so, I would hope that we will be able to keep that in our um town meeting process with the majority rule
of how things are. So while I appreciate my fellow TA meeting member um asking this question, I would hope that it will be able to be something that we will be able to be the unanimous decision of that committee. So thank you.
>> Thank you. Okay. Um Miss Hall has noted that the planning board has declined to speak on that. Does anybody else wish to be heard on this motion set forth on your screen which is the green sheet plus that additional language of and public health?
Yes, ma'am. >> Chris Hodlin, um, town meeting member, precinct 2. Um, I would just like to say that I guess with the vote on this article, if we vote for it, we will be voting to end Empic as we know. Um, for
those of you who are here in 2010, 111, 12, 13, 14, however long it took to develop this long range plan, um, Cheryl was a big part of it back then and she has led this committee for 11 years and many of the members on it, Taber Healey,
Dick Burke, um, and now Regina Mali have, um, joined the committee. And I think, um, we were allowed to have a raising applause for thanking people. And I think we should thank Cheryl and the committee. >> I said brief. Thank you. Okay. Would
anybody else like to speak? I see none. Does anybody have any questions about what we're voting on? I hear none. Okay. We are now voting on article five.
The motion is as set forth on the green sheet as amended to include the words and public health. Okay. The article passes. 84% yes. 27 people voted no. 164 yes.
Okay, it is 10:30. I'd like to keep going. You might like to keep going. Do people wish to keep going? Let's have a voice vote. >> Okay, I hear a motion to adjourn and a
second. >> Okay, I'm going to do an electronic vote. Motion to adjurnn. We will put that up on the screen in a second. Okay. If you'd like to go home, yes. If
you'd like to stay, no. Otherwise, you can abstain. We're adjourned. I will see you all tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. right back in the high school auditorium. Thank you everyone so much.