The Finance Committee met Monday night, focusing primarily on the warrant articles for the upcoming Town Meeting.
Planning Board Chair Page Wilkins and Director Emilie Cademartori attended the first half of the meeting to present the proposed by-law revisions regarding accessory dwelling units (ADUs). It was emphasized that these revisions are needed to bring the by-right ADUs in line with Lynnfield’s existing site planning structure.
When asked what’s at risk if these articles do not pass, Cademartori stated, “What’s at risk is having no control versus having some control.”
ADUs are already being built in Lynnfield, and this measure is intended to add site planning to the process. Even during the 180-day period between the law being passed in late 2024 and when it went into effect in February, the Town was receiving multiple calls per week seeking ADU permits. Since that waiting period ended, the Town has issued a number of them.
The Finance Committee voted to recommend the majority of the articles unanimously.
It deferred the vote on Article 11, which would fund the completion of the South Fire Station project and remediation of the site — which was discovered to be contaminated with PFAS — pending more detailed explanation of the existing contract to complete the project. The Committee also deferred Articles 13 and 14, both revolving around the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee (TSAC) pending further explanation of their implications. Explanation for these will be sought at a meeting just prior to Town Meeting on Oct 27.
Discussion of the articles surrounding the sale of the Old South Library site, which the Fire Department had been using as a temporary headquarters, generated some consternation about the bid process that has already occurred. Three bids were in the running, with the winning bid coming in at $475,000 whether or not the plot is rezoned.
At issue was whether it would have been more financially sound to wait to put it up for bid until it is rezoned, and whether it would have been better to advertise it more heavily in hopes of getting more and higher bids. Ultimately, the Committee voted to recommend the articles having to do with the sale and rezoning, but multiple members agreed that it seemed like a “sub-optimal” outcome.
