Wakefield Town Council Notes -- October 21, 2024

Here's what we discussed at Monday night's Town Council meeting:

• We approved a new vehicle dealer license for GTA Subaru Acquisition LLC, the new owners of Subaru of Wakefield on North Avenue.

• The Town Council discussed the status of several Town properties, including a parcel of Town-owned land off Butler Avenue that is contaminated with asbestos. A remediation plan was approved by the Conservation Commission last week and is expected to be completed by next spring. After the site is cleaned up, the Town Council will discuss potential uses for the parcel, likely focusing on housing for seniors and individuals with disabilities. At Monday's meeting, we also discussed potential uses for 5 Common Street, the upper floors of the Albion Cultural Exchange, and the Hurd School. All of these properties will be the subject of ongoing discussion by the Town Council over the next several months.

• The Council approved the warrant for the Regular Town Meeting, scheduled for Saturday, November 16 at 8:00 AM at the Galvin Middle School. The warrant includes funding for solar panels on the Galvin roof and a plan for compliance with the MBTA Communities law, as well as citizen petitions related to the Annual Town Report and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

• Following approval by Town Meeting this spring for an Assistant Town Administrator position, the Council received an update on hiring and succession planning in Town Hall. Our current Town Accountant, Kevin Gill, has been promoted to Assistant Town Administrator/CFO, and we are currently recruiting for a new Town Accountant. The Town Accountant is one of the most difficult positions to fill in municipal government, and recruiting for this position now allows us to recruit and train a new individual prior to Mr. Gill's retirement in the coming years. We also had a lengthy discussion about succession planning for Town Administrator Steve Maio.

• The Town Council had a brief discussion about No Idling signs on school property, which are required under state law. We anticipate voting on recommendations from the Traffic Advisory Committee about sign placement at a future meeting.

• The Council appointed Ann Hadley, Nithya Ramakrishnan, and Annie Silva to three-year terms on the Economic Development Council, and Tanya Walker to a one-year term. We also appointed three representatives to the Affordable Housing Trust board, including Bill Boodry for the Finance Committee, Maureen Hickey for the Council on Aging, and Mike McLane for the Town Council.

The Town Council will be having our annual Tri-Board Meeting with the School Committee and
Finance Committee next Monday, October 28 at 6:00 PM on Zoom to kick off planning for the Fiscal Year 2026 budget. Our next regular Town Council meeting will be Monday, November 4 at
7:00. And don't forget that early voting is underway at Town Hall for the November 5th presidential election. Information on voting hours can be found at the Town website (www.wakefield.ma.us).