First Selectwoman Lyons Shares Thoughts On Tuesday Referendum

As featured in the print edition of The Source, this is Madison First Selectwoman Peggy Lyons' take on the importance of the Tuesday, Feb. 15 referenda.

"This Tuesday, February 15 the people of Madison will have the opportunity to vote on three proposals for our Town that have been in the public arena for many years: repurposing the Academy School into a community center and municipal offices (Question #1), the Madison School Renewal Plan (Question #2), and the sale of Island Avenue School (Question #3). Voter decisions on these projects will enable us to resolve lingering questions from the past and develop a plan for our future.

I know some in the community are concerned about the reasons for these projects and time of year selected for a vote. I want to reassure the public that before the Board of Selectmen voted to send each project to referendum, all three proposals were studied and discussed in the public domain over many years by Town boards and committees, and reviewed during public hearings, workshops, and information sessions.

Others have raised concern about the time of year for a vote. Although winter is in keeping with past practices (e.g. Salt Meadow in January 2010, Scranton Library in February 2017), there were project specific reasons that warranted an early 2022 vote. For example, the school district needs to establish a building committee, develop construction plans, and apply for state reimbursement by June, in order to keep to a timetable that avoids impacting school operations. The Island Avenue sale agreement requires receipt of Town approvals by March, and the purchase agreement for the new elementary school property requires approvals by April. The Board also felt that given the Town has been delaying major building maintenance decisions for many years pending a possible referendum, a February vote allows Town boards to possibly modify the new budget for referendum outcomes before it goes to voters this May.

I also want to highlight that the Town has taken many new steps to make voting easier and provide more transparency around the proposals. Past Boards of Selectmen traditionally called for a referendum less than 30 days before voting, prohibiting (due to state guidelines) absentee ballot applications by mail. For this referendum, we ensured the timeline allowed qualified voters to seek absentee ballots by mail, a much easier process than allowed in previous years.

In addition, for the first time, the Town sent a postcard notification by mail to all residents and taxpayers with information on how to cast a vote. The Town also prepared for the first time, explanatory texts for each question, a document that outlines facts about a project. These are available on the Town website and in the Town Clerk’s office, Library, and Senior Center. And finally, the Board set another first by taking the decision to sell the Island Avenue property directly to the people rather than through Town meeting, thereby allowing broader voter participation in this important decision.

After many years of debate and delay, Madison voters now have a chance to answer these important questions for our Town. Please make every effort to vote this Tuesday."

Read more >> What Madison Voters Need To Know Now About Feb. 15 Referendum