Wakefield Town Council Notes -- January 13, 2025

Here's what we covered at our Town Council meeting on Monday, January 13:

• The Council received feedback from Police Chief Steve Skory and Fire Chief Mike Sullivan on the placement of the flex poles at the bike lane on North Avenue. While both stated a preference not to reinstall the flex poles as planned when the weather improves in the spring, they also noted that there were no accidents, emergency response delays, or other safety issues during the two weeks that the posts were in place last month.

• We received a presentation from the Bylaw Review Committee about their work to recodify Wakefield's zoning bylaws. Working with outside counsel, they are undertaking the first comprehensive review of our zoning bylaws in over 40 years. This effort does not involve modifications to existing zones, usage requirements, or dimensional restrictions. Instead, it is focused on correcting legal references, updating outdated information, and improving the readability of the document. Once their work is completed, the Bylaw Review Committee will present the new proposed bylaw to Town Meeting later this year for approval.

• After a lengthy discussion, the Town Council approved the replacement of the failing wooden windows at the Senior Center with new windows made of a composite material. The new windows will have the same visual design of the existing windows, while allowing for greater usability and durability. The replacement of the windows is part of a larger effort to renovate the upper floors of the building to allow for more Council on Aging and community programming.

• The Council approved final assessments for the betterment projects completed on the formerly-private ways at Flanders Lane and Walton Lane. These projects had previously been approved by Town Meeting. We also approved the installation of a No Thru Way sign on Lakeshore Drive and a No Outlet sign on Walton Street upon the recommendation of the Traffic Advisory Committee.

• We reviewed the first set of budgets for the fiscal year that begins on July 1, 2025, including budgets for the Legal Department, Tax Collector, Town Clerk, Conservation Commission, and Council on Aging, among others. The budgets approved totaled approximately $1.5 million, or a little more than 1% of Wakefield's total budget. Relative to Fiscal Year 2025, spending for these departments is expected to decrease by about 0.2%.

• Town Administrator Steve Maio announced his intention to retire as of July 2025. Steve has served as Town Administrator for 17 years, and previously was a member of the Board of Selectmen. Steve has been a dedicated, creative, and compassionate leader for our community, and it has been a pleasure working with him since I joined the Town Council. We will be discussing a transition and succession plan at future Council meetings.

Our next meeting will be on Monday, January 27 at 7:00 PM. As always, the public is invited to join us at Wakefield Community Access TV, or on Zoom.