Wakefield Town Council Notes -- April 8, 2024

While you may have been watching the NCAA men's championship game, here's what we covered at Monday night's Town Council meeting:

• We completed our review of Wakefield's budgets for the fiscal year that begins on July 1, 2024, covering the Group Health Insurance, Health and Human Services, vocational school, Wakefield Public Schools, and Town Council/Town Administrator budgets. The budgets reviewed last night total $69 million (including $52 million for the school department), or approximately 64% of Wakefield's total budget. These budgets will increase by 5.2% for Fiscal Year 2025, driven by contractual salary increases, the expiration of a few grants for Health and Human Services and the Wakefield Public Schools, and the costs associated with the Northeast Metro Tech building project. We also approved targeted investments in staffing to allow for succession planning for the Town Administrator and Town Accountant positions, and to assure appropriate support for our Human Resources department.

• The Town Council approved liquor, restaurant, and entertainment licenses for Bossmama, a new tap room-style restaurant slated to open at Greenwood Plaza.

• The Council approved several articles for presentation at the Annual Town Meeting. The approved articles cover indemnification for medical expenses incurred by police officers and firefighters as a result of duty-related injuries, a supplemental budget for Fiscal Year 2024 to cover unbudgeted overtime expenses in the Fire Department, funding our annual debt service obligations, and acceptance of an easement related to sidewalk construction on Greenwood Street. We also approved the warrant for the Annual Town Election on April 23 and the Annual Town Meeting beginning on April 29.

• The Town Council approved a minor corrective amendment to Wakefield's Flag Policy to allow for the continued flying of the Marine Corps flag at Landrigan Field. We also approved a request from Councilor Vincent to fly the Progress Pride flag, Juneteenth flag, and Americal Division flag on the second flagpole at the Americal Civic Center on specific dates, beginning with the raising of the Americal Division flag later this week.

• We reviewed and approved a proposal from Councilor Smith-Galvin and the Environmental Sustainability Committee to apply for a technical assistance grant from the Commonwealth's Climate Leader Communities program. If we receive this grant, it will allow us to hire a consultant to help develop municipal decarbonization and zero-emission fleet policies for Wakefield.

• The Council appointed 28 Wakefield residents to volunteer positions on 15 different Town boards and committees, including the Advisory Board of Public Works, Capital Planning Committee, Council on Aging, and Zoning Board of Appeals, among others. We have open positions that remain on several committees, including the Conservation Commission and Human Rights Commission. To learn more and apply for any of these roles, please visit the Town website.

Our next meeting will be on Monday, April 22, beginning at 5:00 PM at the Wakefield Community
Access Television studio and on Zoom. Note that we are meeting earlier than usual due to the beginning of Passover later that evening.

Please also mark your calendars for the Annual Town Election on April 23. Polls will be open from 7:00 AM until 8:00 PM at the Galvin Middle School, with early voting by absentee ballot also
available at the Town Clerk's office. Don't forget to cast your vote!