Small town meeting approves five articles

Date: 11/2/2009

By Courtney Llewellyn

Reminder Assistant Editor

EAST LONGMEADOW -- Four unanimous approvals, one majority approval and one move for no action led to "a very agreeable town meeting," according to Town Moderator Jim Shiels.

With barely a quorum of 100 in the seats of the high school auditorium, the town hosted its fall Special Town Meeting last Monday evening. Most of the articles on the warrant were housekeeping items.

Voters unanimously approved a transfer of $482,000 from free cash to pay off long-term debt and $149,000 to pay off long-term interest accounts.

Unanimous approvals also supported a motion to use $120,000 to offset the tax rate due to decreased revenues and state aid and $506,146 from free cash to various capital projects, which ranged from new tile floors at the high school to an oil tank removal at Meadow Brook School.

Voters unanimously approved a motion sponsored by the Planning Board to turn Ruffino Road, a 500-foot long private way that ends in a cul-de-sac off Prospect Street, into a public way.

The Planning Board also sponsored an article that would allow the town accept Massachusetts General Law Chapter 39, Section 23D, which provides that a member of a board, committee or commission holding an adjudicatory hearing won't be disqualified from voting on the matter due to that member's absence from one session of said hearing, provided that he or she review what was discussed via video or audio records.

"Currently, anyone who misses one meeting can cause a delay or hearings may have to be repeated," Don Anderson of the Planning Board explained.

Voters approved the adoption of the bylaw.

A petitioned article from William Berselli that asked the town to turn a portion of Acorn Street into a public way was not voted on.