On Nov. 6, after close to two hours of discussion, voters approved a measure removing the uniformed police from the provisions of Civil Service.
The predominant argument in favor of leaving: Civil Service, which provided a list of vetted, tested candidates to the chief for consideration, is archaic and out-of-date. According to Police Chief James MacIsaac, Civil Service guidelines result in a smaller pool of potential candidates, constricting the pace of hiring within the department.
The predominant argument in favor of staying in Civil Service: The law protects officers from discrimination and nepotism. A secondary argument focused on how hiring would work when Civil Service was removed.
In the end, the decision was made to eliminate Civil Service, 160-101 with one abstention.
This week, Police Chief James MacIsaac said the town will now wait for the dust to settle around the vote. Then work will begin with unions, addressing how four key issues will be handled going forward: promotions, discipline, seniority and layoffs. The goal, the chief said, is to fill four existing vacancies. The department has one candidate in the pipeline. That person will likely be Belmont’s final Civil Service hire, he said.
It’s going to get a shade easier to open a restaurant in Belmont. Town Meeting voters approved streamlining the permitting process, cutting the number of restaurant categories from four to two, clarifying what qualifies as a chain eatery, and requiring a special permit and what does not.
Town Meeting approved this 239-9 with one abstention. They voted to shelve a related article on parking, pending further investigation.
Close to $700,000 in Community Preservation Act money will be used, as voters approved a three-part article. The projects are: Phase 1 design of the Belmont Community Path; stabilizing the collapsed Town Hall retaining wall; and restoration of the school administration building roof, which has a leak — and could deteriorate.
The voters express keen interest in changing how the Belmont Country Club pays its taxes. A citizens petition, which passed 229-3 with one abstention, requires the Select Board to file a home rule petition to override provisions of a state law giving tax breaks to land that is horticultural, agricultural or recreational.
In a follow-up email, Select Board Chair Roy Epstein said it’s unlikely anything will be filed before the end of January because work needs to be done to draft and vet the petition before it is filed.
