Article 3 Passes by 2/3 Majority on Standing Count
Recount Called after Voters Leave
2nd Standing Count Vote Fails
In a travesty of the democratic process, Article 3, the last chance to preserve the potential of Town Center, failed. Initially, the vote passed by a 2/3 majority with verification by a standing count. But as the count for the nay votes proceeded, many people began to leave the Field House. Voters left in good faith thinking their votes counted and mattered in the democratic process. After the final count was announced, someone made a motion for a recount. Only 7 votes are needed to approve of a recount. A second standing vote was taken and failed.
Please come to Town Meeting on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and stay for the entire meeting to ensure your vote counts and is not sidelined again.
What Can We Do?
Vote in Favor of a Motion for Reconsideration - 2/3 Majority Needed
At the beginning of Town Meeting on Thursday at 7:30 p.m., a motion will be made to reconsider Article 3. This motion must pass by 2/3. If it passes, Article 3 will be readdressed by the end of Town Meeting. There are 7 remaining articles which still must be addressed before Article 3 would be reconsidered. See a summary below.
Please come to Town Meeting on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and stay for the entire meeting to ensure your vote counts and is not sidelined again.
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Article 3 - Amend Zoning Bylaws Re: Affordable Housing in MUOD (Town Center)
The severity of the economic downturn combined with the delays in the permitting process that have far exceeded timeframes for similar projects in other towns have put the town center project at risk. As a result, the town center as currently structured is not financially viable and it is unlikely that the developers will be able to move forward unless certain modifications are made to its agreement with the town to reflect current economic conditions. Therefore, the developer has asked for some adjustments to its agreement with the town in order to make the project viable.This Article is the result of extensive negotiations between the town and the developers.
A YES vote on Article 3 will allow the residential housing to be reduced from 25% affordable to 12% affordable units. This is out of 100 total units. The 12 affordable units will be rental and will be incorporated into the retail phase of the project. In exchange for this modification, the developer will also set aside 1.5% of the gross sale price of each residential unit sold into a Municipal Affordable Trust Fund for the creation of future affordable housing, with a minimum payment of $537,000 to the town when the residential phase is built. There are other modifications to the timing of payments such as the municipal gift, bicycle trail gift and municipal parking gift which are included in the amended development agreement. Please read the Warrant for full details.
Economic Impact: The Finance Committee currently estimates that once the project is fully built, there will be $672,000 incremental tax revenue. This still remains the single largest opportunity to increase tax revenue outside of increasing residential property tax.
Article 4 - Establish Municipal Affordable Housing Trust Fund
Passing this article allows the town to establish a trust fund to accommodate the contributions from the developer of Town Center. It is a standard process for this type of fund and contribution.
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Article 5 - Accept Local Option Meals Excise Tax
As a result of significant cuts in local aid, the State Legislature recently modified state law to allow towns to charge a local meals tax. Many towns are adopting this measure. Passing this article will allow a 0.75% tax to be added to the existing restaurant meals tax. For a $40 dinner at a local restaurant an additional tax of $0.30 would be collected and go to the town. The Dept of Revenue would notify vendors of their obligation to collect and pay the tax to the state at the same time as the state sales tax is collected. The state would then remit the payment back to the town quarterly.
Economic Impact: Two different state agencies have estimated that the tax will generate revenue of $70,000 to $260,000. This is one of the very few opportunities for incremental revenue other than increasing property taxes. A significant amount of this tax will be paid by non-Wayland residents.
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Other Articles to be Addressed
- Article 6 - Adopt Sex Offender Residency Restriction
- Article 7 - Acknowledge Receipt of Report (housekeeping)
- Article 8 - Rte 30-27 Intersection Land Acquisition - 557 sq ft for $1.
- Article 9 - Zoning bylaws as pertains to renewable energy or alternative energy development activities
- Article 10 - allocating $10,000 in CPA money to preserve Wayland's Historic documents (does not effect our budget as this money is already set aside)
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Save Our Services (SOS) is a grass roots coalition with a mission to preserve Wayland's services and quality of life in a fiscally responsible manner. www.soswayland.org
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