Wayland Annual Town Meeting: Night One

WAYLAND, MA — The Wayland High School Field House was packed with residents ready to vote for Town Meeting on Monday night. Over 600 voters piled into the gym, voting on the first twelve articles on the Town Meeting Warrant.

All twelve of the articles passed including Article 10 which is the Wayland Welcomes Resolution. The resolution makes Wayland a welcoming community and is meant to alleviate fears that municipal governments will hand undocumented immigrants over to federal authorities. Cities and towns cannot legally be forced to use their own resources to assist in the enforcement of immigration laws, according to the ACLU.

The article says, in part, that police cannot prolong the detainment of a person based solely on their immigration status unless they have a warrant. With the passage of the article, Wayland now joins the ranks of several neighboring towns who have become welcoming communities including Waltham, Newton and Sudbury.

Other articles that passed include the Article 1, to recognize citizens and employees for particular service to the town. The article was composed of three motions, each honoring a different group of people: volunteers, retirees and those who passed over the year. Lawrence Scult , a representative for the South Middlesex Opportunity Council (SMOC) was honored as well as former Fire Chief David Houghton who retired and the late Robert Parker, a police sergeant with the town.

The Fiscal Year 2020 Omnibus Budget and Capital budget were both passed by Town Meeting.

Town Meeting will continue Tuesday night, picking up at Article 13, the High School Athletic Complex renovation. The meeting will again be in the Wayland High School field house — doors open at 5:30 p.m. and Town Meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

Read the full Town Meeting Warrant.