Attendance concerns for Lakeville Special Town Meeting, here’s what voters will consider

LAKEVILLE — Town officials are concerned about low voter turnout at the Lakeville Special Town Meeting.

Voters will consider five questions at the Wednesday, Nov. 12 meeting. These include unpaid bills, appointing members to the Community Preservation Committee, a $25,000 building reuse study, funding for the Conservation Committee and healthcare benefits for part-time town officials. 

A quorum of 100 people is needed in Lakeville before voting can begin. Town Administrator Andrew Sukeforth and Select Board Chair Maureen Candito said they worry the brief ballot may not encourage attendance.

“I always share the quorum concern. I think I have that for every meeting,”  Sukeforth said. “In the annual meeting, which was about 20 articles, we didn't have a quorum for the first half hour.”

He said it’s hard to say what drives voters out to the ballot, and Candito has agreed light agendas don’t always see a strong voter turnout.

“We have a light agenda for this Special Town Meeting, but we still need people to show up, otherwise we can't get a quorum," Candito said at a recent Select Board meeting. “I'm worried that we don't have enough items that will drive people out.” 

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the Apponequet High School auditorium, at 100 Howland Road. All registered voters are eligible to attend, participate and vote. 

Unpaid bills

The town owes about $1,360 in unpaid bills from a handful of vendors. If approved, the town’s free cash would be used to cover the expenses. Town Administrator Andrew Sukeforth said the bills are “standard” and accrue from lost or unsubmitted bills from outside companies the town works with.

Community Preservation Committee appointments

Voters will also decide on an amendment to the town code regarding the appointment of at-large members of the Community Preservation Committee. Sukeforth said when the committee was founded, there were no bylaws for the appointment process. 

If approved, the process would be written into the Community Preservation Committee’s bylaws, making it consistent with the rest of the town’s boards and committees. Sukeforth said the committee has operated this way for recent appointments, but the amendment would make the process required.

Building study 

Voters will consider if the town should spend $25,000 on a Town Hall building design study. The study would explore potential uses for the space the Lakeville Fire Department currently occupies but will vacate after its new station is completed in 2027.

Sukeforth said the study would be the first step in finding a use for the empty space. He said because the town doesn’t have the funding to complete large renovations it aims to complete the project in multiple phases.

New funding account

The Conservation Commission is asking voters to consider establishing a revolving funds account for the commission. A revolving fund account is a dedicated account that raises funds through various fees — in this case, administrative fees from proposed developments — and allows a commission to directly spend the funds for their purposes. 

If approved, the Conservation Commission would collect money through development project fees and use the revenues as they need with oversight from the town administrator. The account’s spending limit is $15,000.

Uses would include maintenance and purchasing of conservation land, but the key purpose — explained by the commission’s chairperson at a recent Select Board meeting — is to expedite the creation of wetland protection bylaws.

Healthcare 

A citizen’s petition will ask voters if part-time elected officials should continue to receive healthcare benefits. As written, the question is a non-binding article — meaning the decision would advise the Select Board to take action to drop or uphold the benefits.

If voters decide to drop the benefits, the Select Board must vote and the cuts may only take effect at the end of an official’s term. 

The petition aims to eliminate health insurance costs to the three boards who have part-time elected officials: the Board of Health, Board of Assessors and the Select Board.

Sukeforth said a total of about $110,000 comes out of the town’s budget for both insurance stipends — offered in lieu of plans — and the three part-time officials who have a family insurance plan that costs the town about $22,000 each.

Find the full warrant on the town’s website. Click here to view a voter’s guide created by the town.