A Status Update on Annual Town Meeting

With four nights down and at least as many to go, annual Town Meeting has put the operating budget to bed, approved funding for a new in a April 2 special Town Meeting, and voted to allow residential uses within the Lexington Center Business District.

But there is still much business ahead, including a citizen’s petition seeking a school bus subsidy and a controversial zoning amendment to allow redevelopment of and an adjacent property as a hotel and restaurant.

On Wednesday, April 4, Town Meeting approved a more than $150 million operating budget for fiscal 2013, as well as the first three CPA projects, leaving another nine Community Preservation Committee requests for the start of the next session, on Monday, April 9.

According to Town Moderator Deborah Brown, next Monday’s meeting will begin with the remainder of Article 8, the CPC requests for FY13, and move on to Article 17, the petition related to the school bus transportation system, and finally Article 12, municipal capital projects and equipment.

Brown said she expects Town Meeting return next Wednesday, as well. And then Article 34, to rezone the Dana Home, won't be taken up until April 30 and the Wright Farm land acquisition could be even later than that.

Here’s a rundown of what’s happened so far:

On its opening night, Monday, March 26, .

In its second session, on Wednesday, March 28, Town Meeting members approved a pair of zoning articles that , but voted against increasing building height and floor area ratio.

Reconvening on Monday, April 2, a special Town Meeting within annual Town Meeting l. Also approved that night was the .

And the most recent session, on Wednesday, April 4, saw approval of the .