LYNNFIELD — Coronavirus precautions will dominate Town Meeting scheduled to start Saturday, 9:30 a.m. on the high school football field on Essex Street.
The precautions cannot be avoided, said Town Moderator Joseph Markey, and the meeting cannot be delayed a third time beyond its originally-scheduled March 23 date.
“Many will ask, why are we having this meeting at all?” said Markey, noting: “It’s simple. All Town spending must be approved by Town Meeting. If we do not have a budget in place by July 1, our Town services would be affected. Furthermore, this Town Meeting will present a vote on an essential expenditure for our first responders. Further, our firefighters require new personal protective equipment that is essential to their safety. This item can only be voted on at a Town Meeting as it’s a one-time capital item, there is no alternative.”
The outdoor meeting will follow detailed rules intended, Markey said, to safeguard attendees. Anyone who is sick should stay home.
“The plan is to present only four motions before Town Meeting. The presentations under each article will be posted on the town website. There will be no visual presentation at the meeting,” said Markey.
Everyone attending the meeting must wear a face covering and masks will be available at the high school field. Anyone who has a health condition that would prevent them from wearing a mask is required to notify staff on entering the lot.
Voter check-in will be conducted while residents are sitting in their vehicles. On entering the high school grounds, residents will be directed to the student bus drop-off circle.
A firefighter wearing personal protective gear will walk up to each arriving vehicle and conduct the voter check-in. Attendees must stay in their vehicle during check-in.
Vehicles will then be directed to the student parking lot, where Department of Public Works employees or police officers will direct attendees to specific socially distanced parking spaces.
“You must remain in your vehicle until you are instructed to exit. If you do not have a mask at this time, you will be given one,” Markey said.
Town employees will usher residents from the lot to the field with a stop at a hand sanitizing station. Strict social distancing guidelines will be followed in seating people on the field and seats will be placed 9 feet apart.
Once Town Meeting is underway, Selectmen Chairman Philip Crawford
will read the main motions under the articles, and after a second, debate will begin. Residents are urged to review the Finance Committee report ahead of the meeting.
“Our spring town meeting presents some challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Please know that the primary concern of all town officials is to conduct the meeting in a way that protects the health and safety of everyone, while at the same time upholding our town meeting tradition and standards of participatory democracy,” Markey said.
Markey said the Town Meeting procedure for questions from the floor during the meeting will involve calling a pre-announced phone number or using a pre-publicized email address to ask questions on articles.
Markey will relay the questions to the appropriate person for a response. Additionally, microphones will be strategically placed around the field, with staff managing strict social distancing. Sanitizing products will be used to clean microphones after each use.
Wednesday the Board of Selectmen voted to reduce the 175-voter quorum to 40.
Nonetheless, Crawford is still wary, citing forecasts predicting temperatures in the low 90s, which might keep residents away.
“Special legislation allows us to reduce the quorum with the approval of the Moderator to as low as 18,” said Crawford. “The idea is to allow the Town Meeting to take place so budgets will be approved before July 1. I’m still worried. A lot of people are just not going out, so we may not get enough.”
Markey said he will continue to monitor the situation going forward.
“The governor has already signed emergency legislation authorizing the Moderator, after consulting public health officials and the Select Board, to recess the meeting for up to 30 days, and to do so repeatedly. I will be monitoring the situation with the state and town officials, and if necessary, will reschedule the meeting and let everyone know,” said Markey.
