Town Meeting members voted 151-61 with two abstentions to table an article that would have changed the select board size from three members to five.
The vote followed unanimous recommendations from the Select Board and the Warrant Committee to oppose the article, as well as presentations by Precinct 7 member Paul Joy and Select Board Chair Elizabeth Dionne.
“Belmont is too large and too diverse to stick with a three-person board,” Joy said.
He argued an increased select board would allow for more diverse representation and increased opportunities for collaboration among board members.
He also pointed to neighboring communities of similar size now in the process of enlarging select boards to represent their populations.
Dionne, however, argued that the change would create problems, such as giving the town administrator more power and making collaboration between the town administrator and select board members more difficult.
“My sense is Belmontonions don’t want to give more power to [the] town administrator at the expense of the select board,” said Dionne.
Precinct 3 member Sue Bass favored the increase. Bass said she had heard discussions on such a change since 1998.
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“Sadly, we do have a problem,” said Bass.
She also said past studies have recommended an increased select board size.
Precinct 6 member Christine Doyle argued it would be irresponsible to make the change without public input.
Proponents of postponing the vote argued the town needed more time to conduct a study or gather public input before making a decision.
Replacing the Student Information System
Article 5, to replace and authorize a contract term of a new student information system for the school district, passed 217-1.
“We are paying too much for a system that is inadequate,” said Matt Kuzmeskas, the technology director for Belmont Schools.
He estimated transitioning to a new vendor would save the district $268,000 over six years.
He also said a new system includes translation capabilities for families currently struggling to access the current system because English is not their first language.
Town Meeting Member and Special Education Parent Advisory Council Co-chair Rachel Watson said the current system often fails to communicate with students receiving out-of-district services.
“Kids get left out of things, like school pictures,” said Watson. “This is removing a block to [allow] families to participate.”
Other Business
Article 8, permitting the town to retain stale checks if the funds remain unclaimed after due process, passed unanimously; Article 9, creating a tax relief fund to aid low-income, elderly, and disabled residents, passed 204-1.
“I want to emphasize this fund is a first step,” said Dionne.
Honoring the Town Moderator
Town Meeting members also celebrated Michael J. Widmer’s final night as the town moderator.
Widmer, who has been involved in Town Meeting since 1981, was honored with a video commemorating his years of service, followed by a standing ovation.
“I hope I’ve served you well,” he said. “The best things in life are moments, and this is one of those moments for me.”