Spring Town Meeting Results: Night One

Town Meeting voted in favor of a town Finance Department and consolidating facilities maintenance and management for general government and the school department.

Posted Wed, Apr 11, 2012 at 5:14 am ET

Town Meeting honored good Samaritans Joseph Marino and Matthew Satalino and Natick Police officers Keven Kelley and Ronald Richardson for their heroic actions on Feb. 21, when they stopped a distraught woman from jumping off the Speen Street bridge onto the railroad tracks. All four men were in attendance and received certificates of recognition and a standing ovation. You can with Marino and Satalino, taken that day.

Town Meeting voted to approve Article One, which will allow the town administrator to consolidate the offices of the town collector/treasurer, assessors and comptroller into one Finance Department, to report to the town administrator's offices through the deputy town administrator/finance director. Town Administrator Martha White said that the lack of a centralized reporting structure throughout all the offices has made communication and collaboration difficult and created occasional duplications in efforts.

Town Meeting voted to approve Article Two, which authorizes the consolidation of general government and school department facility maintenance and management functions. Discussion of the consolidation dates back to 2008. The department will be in charge of maintenance and repairs, cleaning, landscaping maintenance, custodial activities, capital improvements and snow removal in pedestrian areas for the 34 Town-owned buildings.

No Action was taken on Article Four, as recommended by the Finance Committee. This article proposed appropriating money from available funds to supplement the stabilization fund.

No Action was taken on Article Five, as recommended by the Finance Committee. This article proposed appropriating money from available funds to supplement the Capital Stabilization Fund.

No Action was taken on Article Six, as recommended by the Finance Committee. This article proposed appropriating money from available funds to supplement the Operational Stabilization Fund.

No Action was taken on Article Seven, as recommended by the Finance Committee. This article proposed to authorize the Board of Selectmen to enter into a lease for golf carts for Sassamon Trace Golf Course for a period of more than three years. New golf cart purchases were reportedly added to the capital budget under Article 15.

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