The Select Board on Tuesday reviewed Monday’s Special Town Meeting warrant and decided not to vote on the citizens’ petitions that comprised the bulk of its 26 articles.

Chair Shahidul Mannan said the board already had voted on the town-sponsored articles, which primarily related to the town’s financial responsibilities. He asked members if they wanted to discuss any of the 18 citizens’ petitions submitted by resident Parker Happ.

Town Manager Elaine Lazarus said the board was not required to vote on any citizens’ petitions.

“They do direct the town manager to do a lot of activities,” she added. “So [that’s] something we might want to talk about at some point.”

Vice chair Matthew Kizner stressed that the town manager works at the direction of the Select Board, putting her in “a unique position.”

Stressed Kizner: “I think it makes your job unnecessarily hard and creates legal conflict where none exists.”

Member Joe Clark added that he will not support any of the citizens’ petitions “that have an impact on the budget.”

“I don’t think it’s the right place for them,” he said.

Members agreed that Town Meeting will weigh in on them and voice their opinions.

Mannan said they presented some “forward-thinking ideas.” But many of them are nonbinding and could be addressed through the town government structure.

Assistant Town Manager Lance DelPriore noted that the town received updated motions from the proponent. It is too late for them to be included in the warrant, but they will be available on the town website.

Happ, who attended the meeting, declined comment on his petitions.

‘State of the town’ proposed

Mannan proposed giving Town Meeting a brief Select Board address on the “state of the town.”

His goal was to increase communication and transparency by updating residents on the town’s successes. It also would present the challenges it is facing, including the anticipated budget shortfall for the upcoming fiscal year. This speech would last about five minutes.

Stressed Mannan: “It is a neutral position, completely informational, driven by facts only.”

While members were generally supportive, they expressed that splitting that address among them would not be an effective delivery strategy.

Kizner took it a step further. He was “wholly opposed” to it. The vice chair said the STM is not the place to educate people about their government; it is where people go to make policy decisions.

“The form of Town Meeting is for the public to vote and tell us their will,” stressed Kizner. “It is not for us to tell them what we are thinking or summarize our accomplishments for their claps.”

Anti-drone coalition formed

Members voted unanimously to join a coalition of 16 towns in their opposition to the proposed use by Amazon of delivery drones. The drones would operate from Amazon’s Westborough facility and carry packages of up to 5 pounds.

Lazarus shared a letter on Town of Westborough letterhead from these communities for the board to consider signing. The letter is addressed to the Federal Aviation Administration opposing Amazon drone use.

It supports requests from the towns’ congressional delegation seeking “additional reviews by the FAA.” The letter stresses the need for an environmental assessment, “meaningful municipal participation” and “ensuring robust public participation and transparency.”

The FAA governs the airspace in which the drones would travel.

Lazarus and Mannan met with Amazon representatives the previous week to discuss the online retail giant’s intentions. The town offered to host a public meeting with Amazon to explain its plans.

Member Amy Ritterbusch noted that Westborough’s Special Town Meeting voted the previous evening to approve new bylaws restricting drone use by a count of 510-13.

She added that she would like to see a similar measure presented at Hopkinton’s Annual Town Meeting in May.

Town counsel reappointed

The board voted 4-0 to reappoint Mead, Talerman & Costa as its town counsel. Member Brian Herr recused himself from the discussion.

While Lazarus noted that the transition to a new town counsel over the past year has been positive, members did note some challenges.

Mannan said he was disappointed that the lead counsel was on vacation when Town Meeting warrants needed review. He also heard from some town committee members that “they are not responsive enough.”

Kizner noted that the abrupt end to the May ATM “did not leave our constituents satisfied.”

Ritterbusch said another issue is that the firm represents several abutting towns, which potentially could create conflicts.

Charter review criticized

Members took issue with some amendments proposed by the Charter Review Committee in recent months, noting that they seemed to reflect “insider” politics.

The CRC meets every 10 years to review the town charter and make amendments that better reflect the current era. Some items it raised previously were trimming the Planning Board’s membership and making one at-large seat on the Community Preservation Committee an elected one.

Kizner called out the “inside nature of some of the things they are going after.”

“I continue to be shocked to believe that there was significant community support to change the structure of the appointment of CPC [members] as just one of many examples in which they were actively making recommendations against the active boards,” he said.

Kizner added that the CRC has been “somewhat dismissive” of the board’s feedback.

Ritterbusch said the CRC “has done a good job of getting feedback from the insiders.”

“I do feel that some of the voices took quite some time to be heard,” agreed Mannan.

The CRC will give a presentation at the STM to inform residents about its ideas. It will present any proposed amendments at May’s ATM.

COD highlights progress

Commission on Disability members spoke about their achievements since the commission’s inception four years ago.

The main one spoken about by chair Nancy “Punky” Drawe was the recent installation of a handrail on the sloped path at the Hopkinton Public Library’s front entrance. Working with the library, the COD received a $60,000 earmark in the state budget for hand railings and a push-button entrance, a future goal.

Member Pamela Loch noted that the commission is working with Christopher McWhite, the town’s ADA coordinator, to “decrease barriers in town, such as accessible parking, accessible buildings and audible [traffic] signals that function properly.”

Ritterbusch, the COD vice chair, said the commission worked with the Parks & Recreation Department on the installation of accessible park benches on the Town Common. One without armrests allows for easier transition for people using wheelchairs.

Member Nancy Cavanaugh pointed out that the COD does not have a budget. Kizner said that should change.

Said Kizner: “This is the definition of public service.”