Wakefield Town Council Notes -- June 24, 2024

Here's a summary of what we covered at Monday's Town Council meeting:

• The Council reiterated its support for the northbound bike line on North Avenue, as previously reviewed in 2022. We also voted to include removable posts between the bike lane and vehicle lanes for additional protection for cyclists and drivers. The posts will be placed approximately every 40 feet, and will be removed in the winter to aid in snow removal.

• The Town Administrator provided an update on the revision of Wakefield's Housing Production Plan, which has not been reviewed by 2015. We received three qualifying bids for the completion of the plan, with the expectation that a plan will be ready for Town Council approval in early 2025. Completion and state certification of this plan is one condition that will allow Wakefield to claim a "safe harbor" exemption under Chapter 40B, which would compel developers of potential 40B projects to work more collaboratively with Wakefield's Zoning Board of Appeals and other Town committees. The Town has received a $78,000 grant to support the development of the Housing Production Plan.

• We also received an update on a Climate Leaders state grant that the Town was awarded last month. The no-obligation award provides technical assistance for municipalities to develop a long-term carbon neutralization roadmap. Any recommendations to come out of this process would be subject to further discussion and approval by the Town Council.

• The Town Council approved water and sewer rates for the fiscal year that begins on July 1, 2024. For the average household in Wakefield, a typical bill will increase by 2.7% over the prior year, depending on usage. This represents the lowest water and sewer increase approved in the past few years. The Council also voted to keep Wakefield's moratorium on second water meters in place for now, pending future a policy discussion following the development of recommendations by the Advisory Board of Public Works.

• Appointments to the Wakefield Youth Council were deferred to our next meeting, pending further review by the Town Council's liaison to the Youth Council and appointment of a new adult advisor.

• The Town Council created a three-member subcommittee to develop a proposal for compliance with the MBTA Communities Act for consideration at Town Meeting in November. We also appointed Councilor John Carney as the Council's liaison for a potential friendly 40B project at 484-504 Salem Street.

Our next meeting will be on Monday, July 15 at the Wakefield Community Access TV studio and on
Zoom. Until then, best wishes for a happy and safe 4th of July holiday!