Town Meeting has empowered the Select Board to issue or deny sewer permits, oversee or deny new connections, and explore the acquisition of private sewers without further Town Meeting approval.
The bylaw, voted on Monday night, addresses a situation that arose in the 1990s, when the state updated septic regulations, making them stricter. According to Select Board Chair Matt Taylor, the topography of Belmont Hill made it difficult or impossible for the homeowners to upgrade their septic systems to meet the new state requirements. At the time, the Select Board allowed a private sewer to be installed, offering homeowners the option to connect to a sewer system.
“Now, 40 years later, we’re trying to put the bones in place to have some say in how these systems interact,” Taylor said.
The article gives Belmont more oversight when a homeowner connects to the private sewer system, which ultimately connects to the town system, and Article 35 offers Belmont more oversight, Taylor said.
According to Department of Public Works Director Jay Marcotte, about 100 homes in Belmont are still using stand-alone septic systems. He did not have the number of homes connected to the private sewer line, but did say the town is aware of only one.
“This article went through extensive editing and reconstruction, and a lot of effort to make it simple and straightforward,” said Bylaw Review Committee Chair Bob McGaw.
Concerns from members focused largely on the liability and potential future costs Belmont may incur if the authority granted under Article 35 is exercised.
“To get to the capital question that seems to be on lots of people’s minds, can the Select Board assure Town Meeting that, in exercising the powers granted under this Article 35, that they will always look to what the immediate and long-term financial costs are to the town?” Precinct 1 Town Meeting member Jack Weiss said.
Precinct 1 member James Knight pointed out that the bylaw stems from legal issues arising around the town’s private sewer system.
“This is coming from various troubles we have had with existing systems,” Knight said. “If you look at court records, you will see various court hearings…going back a number of years. I think part of the reason for that is that we have lacked something like this.”
After nearly an hour of discussion, the article passed 189-25-8. It sets the table for a discussion on Wednesday night on whether to grant permission to acquire the private sewer system.
Veterinary Clinics
By a 237-3 vote, Town Meeting members passed a bylaw allowing veterinary clinics. The new bylaw defines the difference between a vet clinic and a vet hospital.
According to the bylaw, a veterinary clinic provides daytime medical care for animals between certain hours and may offer limited stays only for ongoing medical treatment. A veterinary hospital offers all the services of a clinic and may also provide 24-hour emergency medical care. Because of the 24-hour emergency care, veterinary hospitals are more limited in the number of locations in the bylaw.
The use was removed from zoning codes over noise concerns.
Center Overlay bylaws
Town Meeting passed a pair of bylaws promised as part of the Belmont Center overlay discussion.
One bylaw addresses the site plan review process, aiming to streamline the process while protecting resident interests. The article passed 216-12 with five abstentions.
The second, applying to large construction projects, aims to ease the impact of major construction projects on residents and small business owners by requiring construction management plans. The bylaw passed 220-3 with six abstentions.
Beagle Award
Precinct 3 member Christina Marshwon the Beagle Award. Her name was drawn from a pool of members who kept their comments to under 90 seconds. Her prize is preferred parking at the next session, marked by a labeled traffic cone.
