Hopkinton Town Meeting on Wednesday narrowly rejected adoption of the MBTA Communities Act zoning bylaw, joining several communities that have defied the state. Following about 40 minutes of debate during the third and final day of Town Meeting at the Hopkinton Middle...
Town Meeting
Town Meeting supports Hopkins School addition/renovation, budget
Annual Town Meeting on Monday approved funding for the $48.5 million Hopkins School addition and renovation project by a vote of 242-102. Having achieved the two-thirds majority, the question now goes on a town-wide ballot for a vote on May 20. The new debt funding...
Voters make statement to UCTC by calling for committee to be abolished
The Hopkinton Upper Charles Trail Committee was sent a strong message by Town Meeting on Tuesday, with passage of a non-binding article calling for the committee’s abolishment as well as an article to withhold spending on the controversial proposed Segment 7 along...
Town Meeting Day 2 recap: Residents vote down South Street rezoning, gun club restriction
A citizens’ petition generated loud and unanimous opposition during the second night of Town Meeting on Tuesday, as residents of the Lake Maspenock area spoke out against the rezoning of a residential parcel in their neighborhood. Article 29, proposed by engineer...
eHop’s Know Your Vote forum explains issues ahead of Town Meeting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9iEtrrbrKo&t=26s [Editor's note: The Annual Town Meeting warrant, listing all 48 articles, can be accessed here.] On Tuesday night, eHop held its 11th annual Know Your Vote forum at the HCAM studio to help prepare residents for...
Select Board finalizes Special Town Meeting warrant
The Select Board on Wednesday finalized the warrant for the Aug. 18 Special Town Meeting, with the School Department putting forth the only article. The schools are seeking Town Meeting’s approval of $850,000 to cover the additional construction costs to add four...
Town conducts survey on Town Meeting participation
As he indicated at Tuesday's Select Board meeting, Town Manager Norman Khumalo is organizing a survey of residents' thoughts about Annual Town Meeting, focused on the lack of participation from voters. The survey includes 17 questions and asks residents their opinions...
Independent Thoughts: Has time come to change Town Meeting format?
First the positive: This month’s Town Meeting ran very smoothly. Voters moved through the 53 articles on the warrant quickly. Take out the budget, which — deservedly so — took about an hour to review and discuss, and the other articles averaged about five minutes each...
Town Meeting Day 3 roundup: Lykan TIF approved after delayed start due to low attendance
Annual Town Meeting finally concluded Wednesday following yet another a delay due to the lack of a quorum. The highlight was the approval of a tax increment financing (TIF) agreement with Lykan Bioscience, which is planning to expand its footprint in town by...
Know Your Vote forum: Town Meeting moderator shares plan for Monday’s session at high school
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TycEjUmAXEU At Monday’s eHop Know Your Vote forum, representatives from the town discussed articles and issues that will come before Town Meeting voters next Monday (May 2). Town Meeting Moderator Ellen Rutter discussed the setup for...
Select Board roundup: Town Meeting to be held at high school; pair of police cadets conditionally approved
Annual Town Meeting will be held at the Hopkinton High School Athletic Center, the Select Board decided at Tuesday’s meeting. Town Meeting normally is held at the Hopkinton Middle School auditorium, but the Health Department recommended the field house, which is...
With Town Meeting warrant open, town offers guidance for submitting articles
At its Dec. 14 meeting, the Select Board voted to open the May 2 Annual Town Meeting warrant. Town Manager Norman Khumalo called it “a step that actually begins to bring residents into the legislative process,” and requested that any residents interested in adding an...
Voters approve solar farm restrictions but not overlay district
Town Meeting shed some light on how it wants to pursue its solar energy policy, voting 126-14 to approve restrictions on commercial solar photovoltaic installations. However, there was not enough support for a proposed commercial solar photovoltaic overlay district...
Town Meeting roundup: Brief break for quorum issue only hiccup; budget passes with no discussion
Saturday’s Town Meeting was an amicable affair, with only one article on the schools having any debate during the morning hours. But the process was nearly halted when the quorum was called into question by developer Ron Nation at noon, as there were only 101 voters...
Complete Town Meeting results by article
Following are the results of all the articles at Saturday's Annual Town Meeting and Special Town Meeting in the order they were voted. Votes required a simple majority unless noted. Vote totals are listed by those in favor first, followed by those opposed. SPECIAL...
Marathon School expansion, Elmwood feasibility study get approval at Town Meeting
The schools had a good day Saturday. Town Meeting voters unanimously approved going forward with expansion plans for Marathon School, which requires additional space to house a growing student population, school officials have said. With only one voter raising...
Know Your Vote forum addresses budget, schools items in preparation for Saturday’s Town Meeting
Residents got a Town Meeting primer Monday night via the ninth annual Know Your Vote forum sponsored by eHop and broadcast on HCAM. The nearly two-hour event featured a number of town officials and board members who explained the most crucial articles for Annual Town...
Select Board OK’s moving Town Meeting to May 8, Town Election to May 22
At a brief meeting Tuesday night, the Select Board unanimously approved moving Annual Town Meeting back five days to Saturday, May 8, at 9 a.m. It will be held at the football field behind Hopkinton High School. Annual Town Election also will be moved back five days,...
Select Board considers proposal to move Town Meeting, Town Election back 5 days
The Select Board has called a meeting for Tuesday in which it will continue the discussion from its previous meeting about moving Annual Town Meeting. The proposal before the board is to shift Town Meeting from Monday, May 3, to Saturday, May 8. Also to be addressed...
Town Meeting date appears likely to change
Town clerk Connor Degan and Town Meeting moderator Tom Garabedian joined the Select Board on Tuesday to discuss the possibility of moving Town Meeting from May 3 (a Monday night) in order to obtain a more suitable location. The meeting normally is held at the...