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Truro Town Meeting

    TRURO TOWN MEETING

    Walsh Zoning and Solar Plan Pass in Truro

    Under the town’s white tent, a tug-of-war takes place over housing

    By

    This article was updated on May 15, 2025.

    TRURO — Beneath the spring sunshine and the vaguely Cirque du Soleil white tent under which Truro now holds its town meetings, a peaceful but unmistakable showdown unfolded on May 3.

    Scanning the room to see how neighbors are voting is a cherished tradition at New England town meetings — but Truro’s voters endorsed a one-year trial of electronic voting equipment anyway. (Photos by Paul Benson)

    The speakers on one side included many millennials — working people and business owners, many raised in town, some with parents and children in tow. The speakers on the other side were long-term residents as well, veterans of the town’s civic process, who frequently spoke on housing-related measures to say the cart and horse were disarranged.

    No one claimed to oppose affordable housing — instead, resistance came dressed in the language of water protection, procedural concern, and the need for more study. The two marquee housing votes of the night, one accepting the state’s new “seasonal communities” designation and another to create a zoning overlay district for the town-owned Walsh property, were both close. Both passed.

    Truro select board members Sue Girard-Irwin (left), Nancy Medoff, and chair Sue Areson (right) seated in front of Town Moderator Paul Wisotzky at town meeting on May 3.

    There were 423 voters — more than turned out in Provincetown or Wellfleet last month — and Town Moderator Paul Wisotzky opened the six-hour session with a stirring nod to colonial times, reminding attendees that town meeting was once a revolutionary act derided by British governors.

    “I’m not suggesting with today’s history lesson that we need to be troublemakers and rabble rousers,” said Wisotzky, but rather “for us to embrace the freedom to raise our voices, the freedom to express differing viewpoints, and the privilege and opportunity to work together respectfully, kindly, and honestly to shape our collective future.

    Town meeting has many heroes, but the people who staff the refreshments tent are high on the list. From left, Cookie Glatzel, Krista Edwards, Travis Frey, and Beth Cook, whose efforts kept the electorate’s mood — and blood sugar — on the level.

    “Upholding this democratic practice is more important than ever now,” Wisotzky added.

    Free Cash and Taxes

    The town’s $27.7-million operating budget was approved with no discord, but Article 3 — a 16-part buffet of free cash spending — devoured the morning. It included funding for zoning bylaw consultant Kennan Rhyne ($45,000), a climate action coordinator position held by Chris Palmer ($40,000), and a test run for electronic voting next year ($20,000), all of which voters approved.

    After a 90-minute dissection of the town’s free cash habits, voters briskly greenlit a $3.2-million borrowing and debt exclusion to clean up PFAS contamination at Town Hall Hill.

    They also backed $200,000 for design work on stormwater improvements along Pond Road and $250,000 for HVAC and roof repairs at Truro Central School.

    Debt exclusions add to the amount of property tax the town can levy, while free cash is the money remaining on hand after last year’s budget has been closed out. Because they directly raise taxes, debt exclusions are hotly contested in many towns — but in Truro this year, free cash took all the heat.

    There was one more debt exclusion measure: Article 13, which authorized $5 million in borrowing to install solar arrays on town property. The proposal had been brought forward by the energy committee, and “it would produce enough clean electricity to power all municipal buildings three times over — or about 150 Truro households,” Palmer said.

    Energy committee co-chair Brian Boyle introduced a $5-million debt exclusion proposal that would finance large-scale solar power installations on town property. The measure sailed to approval.

    Energy committee co-chair Brian Boyle said solar power could bring in $550,000 a year with $90,000 in annual maintenance costs. It passed overwhelmingly.

    Seasonal Communities

    Article 27 asked voters to accept the “seasonal communities” designation created by the state’s new Affordable Homes Act — a provision authored by Cape and Islands state Sen. Julian Cyr, a Truro native.

    The designation gives towns with a high percentage of seasonal or vacation homes — Truro is at 67 percent, according to the Cape Cod Commission — tools to promote year-round housing.

    Housing authority chair Betty Gallo called it “a pathway to addressing much-needed attainable housing” that could be targeted at the “missing middle” who make too much to qualify for affordable rental apartments. “This includes medical employees, teachers, fire and rescue workers, and others who serve vital roles in Truro,” Gallo said.

    Housing authority vice chair Mara Glatzel said that she had lobbied for the designation at the state level alongside others “working really hard to creatively meet housing needs on the Cape.”

    Opponents including Dennis O’Brien, Clinton Kershaw, Laurie Lee, and Michael Forgione didn’t buy it. They said the town lacked adequate information to move ahead with a vote.

    A teller count was slowly tallied — but when the section-by-section results were announced, microphones weren’t working and tellers spoke over each other. To eliminate any doubt the entire count was done again. When that one was announced, Tim Hickey challenged it.

    Wisotzky declined to order a third count, and the measure passed, 196 to 132.

    Walsh Overlay

    Article 32 was the main event: a zoning overlay district for the 70-acre Walsh property to set the stage for a mix of multi-family housing, retail use, and dedicated open space. Whether the proposal supplanted or supported last year’s Walsh Committee recommendations was a disagreement the two camps could not bridge.

    Housing authority vice chair and zoning task force member Mara Glatzel said that numerous meetings and countless volunteer hours went into the Walsh zoning proposal. Steven Stahl, behind her, asked why the planning board was divided on the proposal, and Kolby Blehm, behind Stahl, said that “we are changing the culture of this town to not delay in bad faith.”

    “It has nothing to do with water, sewage, traffic, infrastructure, or building design,” said zoning task force vice chair Darrell Shedd. “If you are for affordable housing in the least little bit, you cannot be against an article that simply makes it possible.”

    Supporters lined up at the microphones: Glatzel, Ellery Althaus, Kenneth Oxtoby, Jeff Fischer, Anne Greenbaum, Jackie Fein-Zachary, Kolby Blehm, and Nancy Medoff.

    Greenbaum, vice chair of the planning board, tried to assuage fears about water before they had even been raised. Protecting groundwater “is the given we start with,” but planning for other uses can happen in tandem, she said. “Let’s do water. Let’s do housing. We’re one town — let’s do them together.”

    Michael Forgione objected to numerous spending measures in the first half of the meeting and worried that 660 units would be built at the Walsh property in the second half.

    Opponents were not convinced. Forgione warned of a 660-unit “Walsh City” and cast doubt on the term “attainable housing.” “This is funding the rich,” he said.

    Planning board clerk Jack Riemer said the overlay “fails to consider water protection,” and planning board chair Rich Roberts said it was “ahead of the hydrology and ahead of the science.”

    “Water should be at the top of the planning process,” said Karen Ruymann, advocating against the measure. “Vote like your children’s futures depend on it.”

    It took only one teller-counted vote this time: the overlay passed 154 to 127.

    Citizens’ Petitions

    Clint Kershaw had placed two petitioned articles on the warrant — one that aimed to use free cash to lower taxes and another to allow the town to plow private roads — but neither was in a legal format to become operative and both were indefinitely postponed.

    Delia Medley and Vincent Althaus sported matching shoes on Saturday.

    Dennis O’Brien’s first petition was to ban finance committee members from holding committee seats appointed by the select board — something other towns do to maintain the committee’s complete independence, he said.

    Select board member Stephanie Rein said that “in a town as small as Truro” it can be hard to fill committee seats, and former Town Moderator Monica Kraft said that she had “never seen any kind of conflict, ever” in the years that she appointed finance committee members. The charter amendment failed.

    O’Brien’s second petition — and the last article of what was now the late afternoon — was a nonbinding resolution capping the cost of a new DPW facility at $20 million and calling for two competing designs. It lost, too, albeit in the closest vote of the meeting.

    “Cost needs to be the driving force behind this project, not design,” O’Brien said. “Let’s send the message that we will not support the inflated project.”

    The very next speaker, Kenneth Oxtoby, called the question.

    Fred Gaechter received the town’s Fred Todd Community Service Award at town meeting. Among his feats of civic engagement, said select board chair Sue Areson, are having served as chair of the select board, finance committee, charter review committee, Walsh Property Community Planning committee, Barnstable County charter review committee, and the board of directors of Outer Cape Health Services.

    After a section-by-section teller count, the results were announced: 100 voters in support of O’Brien’s petition and 117 against.

    “With that, we are done,” said Wisotzky, and the crowd clapped and cheered, spirits largely intact.

    Editor’s note: A sentence in an earlier version of this article, published in print on May 8, may have mischaracterized the speakers on one side of the discussion of housing by saying they were “largely” millennials. Millennials were conspicuously present but may not have made up the majority of the speakers in favor of more housing.

    TRURO TOWN MEETING

    Bright Skies and Mild Language at Truro’s Big Tent

    The town’s divisions were evident, but the air felt lighter this year

    By

    TRURO — Staff don’t say much at town meetings here — even the town manager speaks only to answer questions. Instead, Moderator Paul Wisotzky cheerfully asks if anyone wants to introduce the next article, and the people — select board members, committee members, and the public at large — take it from there.

    Meetings can last for six hours and often spill onto a second day. The town was blessed with bright, warm weather on Saturday, May 3, however, and the mood inside Truro’s big tent seemed to reflect the mildness outside.

    People had shed their scarves and heavy jackets, and voters delivered their speeches a bit lightly — more like tennis players warming up than gladiators facing off.

    The gentle air did not resolve the town’s longstanding divisions over the size of town staff, the cost of town buildings, and the problem of housing. Those issues all emerged early during a series of free cash allocations that became a free-for-all for objections.

    The dollar amounts were often small — $45,000 for a zoning consultant, for example — but 11 speakers debated that item. At least five more were in line to speak when Lili Flanders called for a vote: there were about 200 in favor and 35 against.

    The $60,320 for discounted beach and dump stickers for elders was also fair game; Debra Best-Parker offered a complex amendment that was ultimately ruled out of order. DPW Director Jarrod Cabral fielded many questions about a plan to consider expanding the town’s water infrastructure.

    All told, the 16 sections of the free cash article took more than 90 minutes for voters to approve.

    Suddenly conscious of time — or perhaps just ready for lunch — the voters endorsed a $3.2-million plan to remediate PFAS contamination on Town Hall Hill in what felt like seconds.

    A major borrowing for large-scale solar installations on town property also sailed through. With only 10 or so voters against it, the $5-million measure was one of the most popular items at the meeting.

    With spending settled and lunches consumed, the town turned to housing. Voters flocked to the four microphones, and at one point almost 20 people were in line to speak. Despite last year’s town meeting vote in support of 160 homes at the Walsh property, the number of units to be built there was repeatedly questioned.

    “Walsh is vital to our future,” said planning board member Jack Riemer. “Its current value to all of us is measured in hundreds of thousands of gallons of drinking water per day. Walsh is the site for future public water supply development. If we apply the same pattern of extension as happened at the Cloverleaf, we could be looking at more than 550 units ranging from 30 to 45 feet tall.”

    Michael Forgione upped the estimate to 660 units. “This is why some of us believe there’s a plan for Walsh City,” he said.

    “I agree with Mr. Forgione,” said planning board chair Rich Roberts. “We do not know that the Pamet Lens can support development of the Walsh property at the densities implied by this proposed zoning.”

    “Time and time again we hear this: housing is moving too fast,” said planning board member Ellery Althaus. “When one of my employees calls in and says their car won’t start, they were gonna get a cab but they stubbed their toe, and now they have a sore throat — at a certain point I have to acknowledge that person doesn’t want to work. I think we have to acknowledge that some people don’t want housing.”

    Select board member Bob Weinstein said the expression NIMBY should in Truro be written as NIMSBY: “Not In My Second Back Yard.”

    The seasonal communities designation passed with 60 percent of the vote, while the Walsh zoning overlay proposal carried 55 percent. The last article — a nonbinding vote to cap the cost of a new DPW building at $20 million — was rejected by 54 percent of voters.

    The language had been civil, and the air in the tent never turned sour. But the bright skies had soothed the town’s divisions — not erased them.

    TOWN MEETING PREVIEW

    Article 40 Debate Airs Conflicts on DPW Building Committee

    A petition to cap Truro’s new facility at $20 million faces skepticism

    By

    TRURO — When voters arrive at this Saturday’s annual town meeting, they’ll find a confusing new wrinkle in Truro’s years-long effort to replace its aging Dept. of Public Works facility: a nonbinding citizens’ petition to cap the project’s cost at $20 million.

    Submitted by resident Dennis O’Brien, Article 40 is the last item on the warrant. It asks voters to endorse the spending cap and calls for two schematic designs to be developed and presented to the select board. One would come from the town’s contracted architect, Weston & Sampson, and the other from the independent four-member “DPW Study Group,” which in 2023 floated a $15.5-million alternative plan that experts and town staff rejected as incomplete.

    Supporters frame the petition as a bid to control costs. But expert cost estimates for the project are far higher than $20 million. And even if passed, the article would not legally constrain the decisions of the select board or town manager.

    A Familiar Flashpoint

    Article 40 comes at a critical stage in planning. After voters rejected a proposal last May, the ad hoc building committee (AHBC), consultants, and staff spent a year refining the project.

    O’Brien presented his petition to the select board on March 19. When asked how he arrived at $20 million, he said it was based on conversations with Anthony Garrett, a member of the AHBC and leader of the independent study group. “He is convinced that the dollar per square foot we’re looking at right now is completely unacceptable and that it is totally realistic to reduce that cost significantly,” O’Brien said.

    The select board voted unanimously not to recommend the article at its March 25 meeting. “To tie our hands with a price of $20 million I think is shortsighted,” said member Stephanie Rein.

    AHBC co-chair Bob Higgins-Steele said the proposed cap undermined the committee’s work and would limit its ability to go forward.

    At the AHBC’s March 27 meeting, Garrett denied supplying the number or having “offline conversations” with O’Brien about costs. He added that he thought it would be possible to bring the project into “the lower 20-million range.”

    That wasn’t enough to sway AHBC co-chair Michael Cohen. He said that O’Brien’s comments on March 19 convinced him that “the AHBC had been undermined by one of our own.”

    He pointed to a March 23 email from O’Brien retracting his earlier claim and attributing the $20-million figure instead to a March 14 conversation with Wes Stinson of Environmental Partners. Cohen said this was a “falsehood” and “simply impossible.” O’Brien’s petition was time-stamped by the town clerk on March 3 — 11 days before that meeting took place, Cohen said.

    Cohen resigned from the committee on April 8, citing dysfunction and his inability to keep working with Garrett.

    What $20 Million Won’t Buy

    In January, Weston & Sampson delivered four preliminary schematic options to the town, all priced between $26.9 million and $32.1 million. Those estimates were produced before the Trump administration announced tariffs expected to drive up the cost of materials.

    Paul Millett of Environmental Partners, the town’s owner’s project manager (OPM), estimated on March 27 that the 23,000-square-foot consolidated design — the most recent projected size following an inventory of DPW assets — will cost about $33 million, factoring in inflation, soft costs, and geographic premiums for Outer Cape construction.

    “The reality of construction isn’t going to change,” Millett told the AHBC. He said if the target cost was $24 million, the building would need to shrink by one-third.

    AHBC alternate member Bob Panessiti asked whether an alternative layout — such as the “campus-style” plan favored by the study group — could produce savings. Weston & Sampson president Jeff Alberti said no. “You have to cut space,” he said. “There would not be any significant savings by breaking it apart.”

    The Path Ahead

    The town’s effort to replace the DPW facility started more than a decade ago. But progress stalled last May, when voters rejected a $28-million plan at town meeting.

    Since then, planners have worked to refine the project with a new focus on operational efficiency and cost reduction. The select board formally identified Town Hall Hill as the site for the new facility on Feb. 25 after declining to pursue an alternative site at 340 Route 6.

    Town Hall Hill is the site of the current DPW and needs environmental remediation because PFAS was discovered there. Article 10 on Saturday’s warrant seeks $3.2 million for cleanup and long-term monitoring at the site.

    DPW Director Jarrod Cabral said Weston & Sampson’s schematic design is expected by May 5. It will then undergo value engineering and targeted square footage reductions before updated figures are presented to the select board in June.

    At the April 8 select board meeting, AHBC liaison Sue Girard-Irwin described that committee’s dysfunction and the need for the select board to address it. “Strong differences of opinions and internal and external pressures have made it difficult to be in alignment on key aspects of the project,” she said.

    Girard-Irwin proposed a facilitated work session between the select board and the AHBC to address communication and cohesion. “It’s not about the building, it’s not about the architecture, it’s not about the schematics,” she said. “It’s about how they function as a team and how we interact.”

    That session is scheduled for May 20. The terms of current AHBC members expire at the end of June.

    Despite the challenges, the ad hoc committee is moving forward. Its charge is to deliver a design that can be funded and built, not just envisioned. Weston & Sampson’s design is the basis of that work. Pursuing a second schematic design, as Article 40 proposes, would likely cost the town at least $100,000.

    If voters approve Article 40 this weekend, it could shape the public conversation heading into the 2026 town meeting, when a final funding request will likely be presented following a bidding process. But it won’t reduce the price of steel or build a building.

    “We have an important task ahead: the new facility must be functional, sustainable, and financially responsible,” said Girard-Irwin on April 8. “For us to succeed, it’s important that the committee remains unified and continues moving forward with a shared sense of purpose.”

    ON THE WARRANT

    Truro’s Voters Face 40 Articles at May 3 Meeting

    Housing, PFAS, solar power, and gravesites are among this year’s big decisions

    By

    TRURO — The tent is back in town. Not a red-and-yellow tent with elephants — but an enormous, unevenly heated white tent that was set up for the first time last year on the Truro Central School ballfield so that 647 voters could juggle motions, amendments, and spirited disagreements.

    Voters approved a Proposition 2½ debt exclusion of $1.54 million at last year’s town meeting to repair the roof and HVAC system at Truro Central School. Article 12 on this year’s warrant asks for another $250,000, as costs have risen since last year’s vote. (Photo by Aden Choate)

    “We’ll be under the big top again,” Town Moderator Paul Wisotzky announced at Truro’s April 17 pre-town meeting at the Community Center.

    There will be 40 warrant articles at town meeting on May 3 — some of which could be held over to May 4 — and voters can expect to witness some rhetorical acrobatics and high-wire balancing acts.

    One headline measure is Article 27, which would accept the state’s new “seasonal communities” designation created in the Affordable Homes Act that Gov. Maura Healey signed last August. The designation provides towns with a high percentage of vacation homes a bundle of legal tools to help support middle-income year-round housing.

    The designation “allows us to be more nimble,” said select board member Nancy Medoff, and “allows us to move forward with less legislative paperwork.”

    The measure has drawn discussion in several towns, including Truro, because it also allows towns to increase their residential tax exemption amount from the state’s current maximum of 35 percent of the value of the average residential property to a new maximum of 50 percent.

    Article 10, unanimously recommended by the finance committee and select board, authorizes $3.2 million to clean up soil contaminated with PFAS at the DPW facility at Town Hall Hill. The work includes capping the soil and installing a permeable barrier at the site.

    “We have five years to do this work, but it is better to do it in advance of DEP telling us, ‘Hey, you need to get on this and do this,’ ” said DPW Director Jarrod Cabral at the April 17 meeting. “We’d rather get out in front of it.”

    Article 32, the proposed zoning overlay district for the 70-acre Walsh property, will be the star attraction for many voters. Because it would allow multi-family housing, retail space, and dedicated open space on the property — which is itself next to a municipal water supply — it plays to many of the town’s favorite themes.

    Cabral tried to assuage worries about water at the April 17 meeting. The Walsh property itself has “not been confirmed, selected, or considered” as the location for a new well to supply public water to Truro and Provincetown, he said. “If it is going to be studied or modeled, jointly both towns would review that together,” he added.

    First, the Money

    Article 1 funds the town’s annual budget at a total of $27.7 million.

    Article 2 and the 16-part Article 3 would make a series of transfers from free cash to fund various initiatives, including a public safety staffing analysis, a climate action coordinator, and staff support for the town clerk’s office.

    Articles 4 through 9 make up the consent agenda and are set to be approved in a single vote.

    In addition to the PFAS project in Article 10, there are three more borrowing authorizations that would need to pass with a two-thirds vote and at the ballot.

    Article 11 asks for $200,000 to finish stormwater infrastructure design at Pond Road. Cabral said the current design plan is 75 percent completed. “If the timing works out right, we’ll be able to bring an actual construction estimate and a cost to town meeting next year,” he said.

    Article 12 would add $250,000 to last year’s voter-approved $1.54 million for HVAC and roof repairs at Truro Central School. Cabral said that inflation and the delay in bidding the project have increased the expected cost.

    Article 13, sponsored by the town’s energy committee, would authorize $5 million in borrowing to fund town-owned solar power installations on town property.

    Article 14 would refund $2,000 to two living town residents, Jonathan Sperber and Jacqueline Kouffman, who bought Lot O-6A in the natural burial section of Old North Cemetery and wish to return it to the town.

    Article 15 would set up a new fund to collect rents from properties the town leases out, allowing the receipts to fund maintenance in future years rather than go to the town’s general fund.

    Articles 16 through 23 allocate Community Preservation Act funds to a variety of local needs: affordable housing, historic preservation, disability access, and the creation of a new cemetery for natural burials adjacent to New South Cemetery on Old County Road.

    Policy Changes

    Article 24 would loosen up town charter rules to allow “informational non-directive conversations” between select board members and department heads; Article 25 would do the same for the chairs of other town boards and department heads. Article 26, also a charter amendment, would allow annual town meeting to be held as late as “the Saturday before Memorial Day weekend.”

    Article 28 would adopt a state statute that lets town offices treat Saturdays as a legal holiday for certain administrative timelines.

    Article 29 would authorize the select board to acquire easements from the Cape Cod National Seashore for the Herring River Restoration Project. “There is no cost associated with this,” said Cabral. “It just avoids us having to do a land exchange. It’s something the Seashore came up with to make the process a little easier.”

    Article 30 would double beach parking fines from $50 to $100, while Article 31 would encode the select board’s curb cut policy into a bylaw with an accompanying fine schedule for violations.

    Article 33, a zoning bylaw amendment requiring a two-thirds vote, updates language for tower structures to match the state building code. Article 34, a home rule petition, asks the state to let Truro regulate pesticides.

    Article 35 proposes special legislation that would allow the town to impose a 0.5-percent real estate transfer fee to support capital improvements and affordable housing. This is its third spin around — voters approved it in 2019 and 2022, but Beacon Hill has yet to act.

    Article 36 is an “advisory vote,” put on the warrant by the select board, to gauge public support for pursuing “a pilot test of electronic voting” at next year’s town meeting. A vote would be taken at the end of that town meeting, the article says, to decide whether to use electronic voting permanently.

    Article 36 may be taken out of order on May 3, since Article 3-16 would allocate $20,000 in free cash to pay for electronic voting devices.

    “The plan right now is to vote on Article 36 first,” said Wisotzky.

    Citizens’ Petitions

    Article 37, a nonbinding citizens’ petition from Clinton Kershaw, urges the town to use all its free cash to reduce the property tax rate.

    “Having all of the free cash go to reducing and stabilizing the tax rate stops all of this nonsense with free cash and brings all of the articles onto a level playing field,” Kershaw wrote in his explanation.

    KP Law’s Gregg Corbo said it was “merely an advisory vote,” meaning even if it were to pass, the town would not be bound to follow it.

    Article 38, also from Kershaw, asks the town to accept a state law that would allow the town to plow private roads. Corbo said it would need a companion ballot vote to take effect.

    Article 39, sponsored by Dennis O’Brien and requiring a two-thirds vote, seeks to ban finance committee members from holding any town office appointed by the select board. The current rule already prohibits them from holding or running for elected office.

    O’Brien said that “independence from the select board is the foundation of the FinCom’s role and responsibilities.” Corbo said that this kind of prohibition is relatively common statewide.

    Article 40, also from O’Brien, is a nonbinding resolution to cap the future DPW facility cost at $20 million and require competing schematic designs to be developed and presented to the select board. It is the only article on this year’s warrant concerning the DPW project, which dominated discussion at last year’s town meeting and is set for another official vote at next year’s town meeting.

    Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article, published in print on April 24, incorrectly reported that funds were being requested for a new natural burial section at New South Cemetery. The plan is to create a new cemetery for green burials adjacent to New South Cemetery. 

    TRURO TOWN MEETINGS

    DPW Plan Sent Back; Voters OK Walsh Proposal

    A two-day 12-hour marathon showed solid support for housing

    By

    TRURO — Last weekend’s town meeting marathon saw overwhelming support for multi-pronged efforts to build affordable housing. But when it came to plans to upgrade a dept. of public works facility, voters wanted almost none of it.

    TRURO TOWN MEETING

    With a Record Turnout, Truro OKs $23.5M Budget

    Housing funds and child care were voted up; resource officer and dog rules were not

    By

    TRURO — As the Truro Central School gym reached and then exceeded capacity before town meeting began on April 25, staff adapted to the unprecedented turnout — the highest since 2010, which is as far back as the records go — by funneling nonvoters and voters who had not found seats into the cafeteria, where a television livestreamed Moderator Monica Kraft as she banged her gavel to call the meeting to order.

    Voters’ agreement on certain issues such as dog leash rules and library trustees is evident when they raise their pink voting cards. (Photo by Sophie Mann-Shafir)

    The 383 voters in attendance drilled eagerly into articles of the kind that routinely pass without incident. Questions were raised on Article 5, the fiscal 2024 omnibus budget. Finance committee chair Bob Panessiti began: “Today is Tuesday. Today is also Wednesday. Both statements are factually correct. It’s Wednesday today in Asia.”

    His point was to comment on the spread of misinformation on social media, he said. He urged voters to approve the finance committee’s recommended budget of $23.5 million.

    Mike Forgione asked the cause of a $5.8-million increase in the town’s budget since 2017.

    It was largely attributable to health care and salaries, Panessiti said, “which are necessary to retain people.”

    The budget passed easily.

    Lines formed at the microphones as voters considered transfers from the free cash account, which held $4,435,890 this year, said Town Accountant Trudi Brazil. Kolby Blehm moved to take all 14 sections of the free-cash article together.

    Cheryl Best wanted each section to be discussed individually. She proposed amending Blehm’s motion by removing sections 12 and 13, both addressing water issues, from the compendium.

    Then, John Riemer proposed an amendment to section 13 of the article.

    “Oh god,” Kraft said into her microphone. “This gets more and more complicated.”

    Riemer’s proposal was to make the wastewater management plan nonbinding. Kraft rejected the motion as “well beyond the scope of the article.”

    Best’s motion failed, and the room returned to Blehm’s motion to discuss all the sections together. The motion passed, 207 to 141.

    Following a discussion about the transfer of free cash for emergency services, Article 6 finally passed.

    Three of the select board’s four requested budget overrides passed easily: Article 11, which expanded funds for emergency services; Article 12, which bolstered child-care and after-school programs; and Article 13, adding a full-time housing coordinator position to town administration.  The overrides will appear as ballot questions at town election on May 9.

    Article 14, calling for a full-time “school resource officer” to be stationed at the elementary school, was voted down.

    Rafael Richter’s motion to consolidate all of the community preservation committee articles on the warrant passed, as did the compendium itself.

    The Truro Housing Authority proposed Article 29, seeking to set a 60-percent floor on the amount of Community Preservation Act money that would go to housing each year. The existing bylaw places the housing grant minimum at 10 percent, equal to historic preservation and open space.

    State Sen. Julian Cyr spoke in favor of the article. “Housing is the most important issue facing us in Truro,” he said. “I think this is a prudent way for us to be allocating CPA funds in anticipation of state action.”

    “If I were to pick a most important issue, it would be the environmental crisis, which is a human survival issue,” said Michael Holt. “Housing is for some people ultimately a human survival issue, but not for all people.”

    The article passed, 158 to 112.

    Murmurs rippled through the crowd in anticipation of the much-discussed and widely criticized Article 40, which would have imposed exacting dog restraint regulations.

    “We’re getting giddy,” Kraft said.

    A motion was made to indefinitely postpone the article, and a sea of pink voting cards flew into the air.

    Voters worked their way through passage of specialized energy stretch codes, and they shortened planning board terms from five years to three. They added Juneteenth to the register of town-recognized holidays and renamed October’s “Columbus Day” as “Indigenous People’s Day.”

    The pace slowed, though, for discussion of the final article on the warrant: a proposal to amend the town charter to require that library trustees be consulted in the appointment of a new library director.

    The town manager makes that appointment, and Town Manager Darrin Tangeman clearly opposed the change, commenting on the warrant that such an amendment “could lead to unfounded assertions of authority and a mistaken outsized role for the Library Trustees.”

    “As custodians of the library and its assets, there should be no question that when the management of the library changes, the trustees should play a role in that transition,” said Martha Magane, lead petitioner and chair of the library trustees.

    The trustees’ vice chair, Keith Althaus, called the article “a restoration of common-sense language. I don’t think it’s an attempt to usurp power,” he said.

    Magane said the trustees wanted their role enshrined in the charter rather than simply followed as a matter of select board policy.

    Select board chair Kristen Reed said that she opposed the article because the charter review committee had not yet voted on it.

    “We did not feel that we had enough time to properly vet all of the different opinions — and there are a lot,” said charter review committee chair Nancy Medoff.

    “I have yet to encounter anyone who doesn’t think that we have a gem of a library,” said Jon Winder. “It’s a first-rate public resource for all of us. Why would we not want to consult with the trustees?”

    This generated a point of order from Reed: “There’s inaccuracy and misinformation being spread,” she said, adding that no effort was being made to exclude the trustees, and that the question was whether to amend the charter.

    The question was called, and voting cards flew up in favor of the trustees, with a fervor reminiscent of the opposition to vigilante dog leash legislation. The article passed, closing out the evening.

    “There were a lot of things to contend with,” Kraft said after the meeting. “I was pleased that it all got done in one night.”

    TRURO TOWN MEETING

    Voters Nix School Resource Officer but OK Three Other Overrides

    By

    TRURO — Voters at Tuesday’s annual town meeting approved three Proposition 2½ overrides totaling $1.4 million but rejected a fourth seeking $107,000 for a full-time “school resource officer,” which had been requested by the select board.

    The only speaker on the question was not against Article 14 in principle but raised financial concerns. “It’s not a question of wanting all these things,” he said of the override request. “It’s a question of affording all these things.”

    The vote was one-sided, with only scattered support. The override would have created a police officer position whose duties would have included law enforcement and promoting school safety at Truro Central School. The article was narrowly recommended by the select board but not endorsed by the finance committee.

    Voters approved an override for $601,122 to fund added emergency personnel and an administrator to the fire & rescue dept. as the town transitions away from its contract with Lower Cape Ambulance Association.

    Another override added three community sustainability programs having to do with child care, including preschool and after-school care as well as an ongoing voucher program, to the town’s budget.

    Select board member Sue Areson sought to remove the child-care-outside-school-hours provision from the article. Her motion failed — with 144 votes in favor and 164 against. She wanted to divide the question, she said, in the interests of “transparency.”

    State Sen. Julian Cyr spoke as a Truro voter in favor of the article in its entirety. “I want my fellow residents to realize how fundamentally the game has changed,” he said, citing a 62-percent jump in Truro real-estate prices since 2020. Cyr encouraged “those of us who are, frankly, lucky enough to have a foothold here” to vote in favor of the community sustainability article.

    A third override made Truro the ninth town on Cape Cod to create a full-time housing coordinator position.

    A full town meeting report will appear in next week’s Independent.

    TOWN MEETING PREVIEW

    A Long Warrant Offers Much to Debate in Truro

    Budget overrides, citizen petitions, and ‘adopted’ and withdrawn articles

    By

    TRURO — Town meeting is less than a week away, and there are 42 articles on this year’s warrant. With four budget overrides, 10 Community Preservation Act articles, six citizen petitions, and at least one withdrawn article from the planning board, there is plenty to keep voters on their toes on Tuesday night, April 25 at Truro Central School.

    Articles 11 through 14 are Proposition 2½ overrides totaling just over $1.5 million in new spending. They affect the town’s fire and police departments, child-care programs, and housing efforts.

    Article 11 would add $601,122 to the fire & rescue dept. budget to bring on more full-time emergency medical staff. Currently, Truro and Provincetown contract for supplemental ambulance support from the nonprofit Lower Cape Ambulance Association, an arrangement that was at one point supposed to end in July. The LCAA contract has now been extended for three years, but the override to fund the transition to a fully-staffed EMS department still received unanimous support from the select board and finance committee.

    “This isn’t a system where you just stop one day and start the next,” said Truro Fire Chief Tim Collins at a pre-town meeting forum on April 13. “You need a transition.”

    Provincetown’s voters passed a similar $1,058,000 override earlier this month to hire more EMS employees and extend the town’s LCAA contract. Truro’s override would fund four more full-time firefighter-paramedics and a full-time fire and EMS administrator.

    Article 12 would appropriate $703,050 to fund three community sustainability efforts: a child-care voucher program for kids up to four years old, a preschool program at Truro Central School, and a program that would provide child care outside of school hours and during vacations.

    The article is based on two petitioned articles from Raphael Richter that appear on the warrant as Articles 38 and 39. The select board chose to “adopt” those articles, provide them with a specific funding source, and place them on the warrant separately, a move that the finance committee supported.

    Richter’s initial articles are still on the warrant. According to Town Moderator Monica Kraft, they are “still there because it was too late to withdraw.”

    Conceivably, town meeting attendees could vote against the override and later in favor of Richter’s very similar article without a funding source — but Kraft told the Independent “that’s very, very unlikely.”

    The third override, in Article 13, would appropriate $120,150 to the Planning Dept. budget for the establishment of a full-time housing coordinator. This proposal was an element of Richter’s Article 39, which asks for $82,500 for the position.

    “What this position does,” said Kevin Grunwald, the housing authority chair, “is give us somebody within town administration whose primary responsibility is to provide oversight and to really take our housing initiatives and goals to the next level.”

    Ten of the 15 towns on Cape Cod have a similar position, Grunwald said. Wellfleet’s town meeting will consider adding a housing coordinator this year, which the select board and finance committee have both voted to support.

    Article 14, the final override, would allocate $107,017 to the police dept. budget for the hiring of a full-time “school resource officer” (SRO), requested earlier this year by Police Chief Jamie Calise. “It’s really a position that’s shown a lot of benefit over time,” Calise said at the April 13 forum, citing school safety.

    A report by the Mass. nonprofit Citizens for Juvenile Justice offers the opposing view, however, with evidence that police in schools disproportionately harm students of color.

    School resource officers “can convey to some people the idea that they’re making places safer,” Citizens for Juvenile Justice Executive Director Leon Smith told the Independent, “but when you look at research there’s really nothing to support that. The school is better off investing money in restorative justice practices and de-escalation.”

    Calise also said that an SRO would come with “some ancillary benefits. With an extra staff member during the summer months, there would be a utilization for road work.” The select board narrowly supported Article 14, while the finance committee voted against it.

    Articles 16 through 25 propose 10 Community Preservation Act grants, all of which received unanimous support from the finance committee and the community preservation committee. An appropriation of $100,000 for the affordable housing project at 3 Jerome Smith Road in Provincetown also received unanimous support from the select board.

    The select board opposed Articles 23 and 24, however, both of which were requested by Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill and which ask for just under $50,000 for two historic structures.

    Deeper into the warrant, it appears that the planning board will be withdrawing Article 35, which would amend the town’s zoning bylaw to allow duplex structures by right in certain circumstances.

    At a public hearing on March 29, confusion about the duplex article led to a discussion about amending it on town meeting floor or withdrawing it for revisions.

    The planning board considered voting in favor of its article and amending it later, but Town Planner Barbara Carboni said, “You can’t really have a player to be named later in your vote.”

    “Members of the public brought up a few very good points,” planning board chair Anne Greenbaum told the Independent, “and we will have it ready for special town meeting in the fall.”

    In addition to Richter’s two petitioned articles, there are four others, including a zoning bylaw meant to limit the size of houses.

    Article 37, submitted by Darrell Shedd, would eliminate a special permit provision that allows houses to exceed the total gross floor area limit by 1,000 square feet. Planning board members had initially praised the article, but at the March 29 public hearing it became clear that it could backfire by making it possible to request special permits for even larger areas.

    After a discussion with Shedd, the board decided to revise the measure for fall town meeting — and vote against it for now.

    For weeks, it has appeared that Article 40 might be the most hotly contested measure at town meeting. The petitioned article would require dogs be leashed or otherwise restrained at all times, and it would authorize a person being approached by an unrestrained dog to “use any means necessary to stop the dog.”

    The select board voted unanimously against Article 40. Kraft said that, according to the town counsel, the article is improperly drafted.

    “It’s not in proper form for a bylaw, and at town meeting town counsel will explain that to the body,” Kraft said.

    Article 41 is a nonbinding resolution regarding a potential closure of Mill Pond Road, but it is no longer relevant following the select board’s March 28 decision to install a culvert rather than breach the roadway.

    Finally, Article 42 is a petitioned article that would amend the town charter so that the library trustees must be consulted in the hiring of a new library director, which is currently at the town manager’s discretion.

    In a comment published in the warrant, Town Manager Darrin Tangeman wrote that the article “could lead to unfounded assertions of authority and a mistaken outsized role for the Library Trustees in the appointment process in the future.”

    The charter review committee did not issue a recommendation regarding the article, and the select board had four abstentions and one vote against it.

    Truro’s town meeting will begin at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 25 at Truro Central School. Transportation, child care, and assistive listening devices are available, although voters are requested to call town hall by Thursday, April 20 to secure those services.

    TOWN MEETING

    Effort to Change Planning Board Selection Fails in Close Vote

    Child-care vouchers and an override for firefighters are approved

    By

    TRURO — Truro’s housing crisis took center stage at Saturday’s town meeting, which featured chilly temperatures, gusty winds, and heated debate over Article 50.

    That petitioned article would have changed the planning board from an elected one to one appointed by the select board. It required a two-thirds majority, which it barely missed.

    Voters approved the expansion of a child-care voucher program and a Proposition 2½ override to fund four more firefighter-paramedics to the town’s struggling fire dept.

    The meeting adjourned just before 2 p.m. when a quorum was lost, but it resumed the next day to close out the last items on the warrant.

    Charter change advocate Raphael Richter. (Photo by Nancy Bloom)

    Voters approved Article 7, a $212,500 expenditure that will expand a child-care voucher program to all children through age four who can’t be accommodated at Truro Central School’s preschool. The original voucher program started with a petitioned article from Raphael Richter at last year’s town meeting; it offered parents $7,500 vouchers to enroll two- and three-year-olds in child care.

    “That pilot was a success, with a large uptake of families using the program,” said Richter. “As a reminder, child care in Mass. is the most expensive in the nation.” Article 7 expanded the existing program to include children younger than two as well as three- and four-year-olds.

    Planning Board in the Hot Seat

    Shortly after the vote on Article 7, charter review committee (CRC) member Chris Lucy asked to take Article 50 out of order before the chill sent people home and dissolved the quorum.

    Richter, the originator of the article, urged voters to support the change. “Folks, the situation is broken,” he said. “Supporters of this article have not just appeared out of nowhere or with a personal vendetta. We are active and concerned community members who have watched with frustration and sadness as important initiatives have been delayed and derailed, while our friends and colleagues are forced out of the community at a steady clip.”

    The planning board’s votes, he said, have reflected a “clear pattern of obstruction and, at times, outright opposition to housing solutions being brought forward.”

    “The median home price in this town is over a million dollars,” said state Sen. Julian Cyr. “I can’t afford to buy a home in this town — and I’m your state senator. I’m a hometown kid.”

    Brian Boyle, the CRC chair, said that a 4-3 majority of his committee had concluded that the charter should remain unchanged. Amy Wolff, a voter, said the planning board was being “scapegoated” and that keeping the board elected “brings balance and greater diversity of ideas and thoughts to the table.” Jack Riemer, a planning board member, argued that doing away with these elected positions amounted to “giving up our democratic right.”

    Richter said that few candidates step up to run for any elected board. He argued that contested select board races were the venue for “the best discussions about the important issues facing our community. By making this change, you are strengthening the power and meaning of your vote.”

    Tensions flared when select board vice chair Kristen Reed pinpointed Articles 43 through 46 as evidence of the planning board’s “silo-ed” approach to drafting zoning bylaws. Those articles were postponed indefinitely.

    Truro Planning Board chair Anne Greenbaum. (Photo by Nancy Bloom)

    “The select board couldn’t support those articles because they aren’t ready, because the boards don’t work together,” Reed said. “Effectively, it’s lip service. There’s just no honesty in it. I’m sorry —”

    “Point of order!” planning board chair Anne Greenbaum called out. “I will not be called a liar at this town meeting.”

    “I’m rather loath to get up here,” said Ellery Althaus, a planning board member. He said he was the person who had drafted Article 46, a bylaw on duplexes with problems that derailed it for this town meeting. He had scraped it together in just 15 minutes before a planning board meeting, he said.

    “I thought the whole group would have multiple meetings forming bylaws that might help save this town,” Althaus said. “Instead, it was me in that silo we’ve all talked about. Perhaps it’s time to allow the select board to appoint people who are more qualified than myself to do this.”

    In the end, 130 voted for the charter change; 77 voted against it — 63 percent in favor, short of the two-thirds needed.

    Dozens of voters scooped up their bags and moved toward the parking lot to escape the cold. As voters flipped back 50 pages in their warrant booklets to Article 8, Richter sprang to his feet and moved for reconsideration of Article 50.

    The group had by then dwindled from 207 voters to 155. The motion to reconsider, which required only a simple majority, passed 91 to 64.

    Before Article 50 came to its second vote, however, some voters had hustled back to the ballfield. There were now 171 voters: 113 voted for the charter change, and 58 voted against it. That was 66.08 percent in favor — barely shy of two-thirds. If one “no” vote had been a “yes,” the tally would have been 114 to 57 — exactly two-thirds in favor.

    Richter and Cyr said that coming so close was still a win. “A strong majority in town agree we need to take a different course on housing, continue the momentum, and bring that to the Walsh property,” said Cyr. The Walsh property is a 70-acre parcel of undeveloped land that Truro purchased in 2019.

    As for Greenbaum, she’s “looking forward to turning the page,” she told the Independent.

    Firefighters and More

    Voters passed Article 10, a Proposition 2½ override that will permanently bump up the town’s levy limit by $355,765. The extra funding will allow the town to add four full-time firefighter-paramedics and move toward three-person crews.

    “We almost experienced a catastrophic failure of this fire department,” said Chief Tim Collins. “Sending two people to a fire is not sufficient. To respond to a building fire, 25 tasks need to be completed within eight minutes. Three people can accomplish those tasks 25 percent more quickly than two people.”

    Article 10 still needs to pass at the annual town election on May 10.

    A 13-article bundle of Community Preservation Act expenditures was approved in one fell swoop. Among them: Truro will pitch in $100,000 to help support an affordable housing project at the former Cape Cod 5 bank headquarters in Orleans; the High Head conservation area will get 1½ miles of trails and six benches; and the Highland House Museum will acquire a collection of Wampanoag art and artifacts and build a wetu, a traditional house.

    CIVICS

    Playing Ball at Truro Town Meeting

    A sunny-then-moody field day with blue slips and blankets

    By

    TRURO — As the crowd dwindled after the first day of town meeting on Saturday, two-year-old Harper Richter and five-year-old Mica Richter ran from inside Truro Central School to greet their parents on the school ballfield.

    Their father, Raphael Richter, had spent the day speaking out on various hot-button issues. Mica reported that at the town-meeting child-care program he “played games with cars. I played in the vet office and I played with trains.”

    During the first few hours outside on the field that day the mood was upbeat, as people spread blankets on the grass, moved their chairs out from under the tarp into the sunlight, and hugged their neighbors. With blue slips in hand, voters — some accompanied by friends, babies, or small dogs — sat in left and center field. Nonvoters sat in right field.

    To someone from a bigger community, said first-time meeting-goer Chelsea Loughran, a new resident of Truro with two small children, town meeting “feels exciting.”

    Julian (not Adrian) Cyr addresses Truro town meeting. (Photo by Nancy Bloom)

    State Sen. Julian Cyr, who grew up in Truro, got Town Moderator Monica Kraft to crack a smile after she accidentally addressed him as “Adrian.” Cyr said, “Adrian Cyr is the beloved Cyr.”

    The mood grew darker as the afternoon rolled on. Blankets were draped around shivering legs and dirt from the outfield started to blow in people’s faces.

    “Time!” yelled out a group as Richter was speaking at the mic. “I have a timer; his time is not up,” Kraft responded. “Please stop,” Kraft asked. But the tactic of calling “Time!” continued until the end of the meeting.

    Blue slips shot up and down for various votes, including the most contentious of the day, on Article 50, which would have changed the planning board from an elected to an appointed body. That discussion went on for about an hour, and a few people were clearly exasperated by it.

    “I’m not sure what’s going to come out of my mouth,” resident Susan Howe said at the podium. “I’m discouraged by the town. There’s a lot of labeling that doesn’t need to happen.”

    Article 50, because it was a charter change, needed a two-thirds majority to pass and did not get it. Richter called for a new vote, which led to further debate. Whether the motion to reconsider was a “travesty” or “only fair,” it passed with a majority. But the second vote on Article 50 again fell just shy of the needed two-thirds.

    Resident Nancy Medoff said she enjoyed the entire process. It’s important to come prepared and stay to the bitter end, she said — that’s why she brought breakfast burritos and blankets.

    “There can always be a revisit on an article, and it’s part of our duty as citizens to see all the issues brought forward,” said Medoff. “I love healthy debate, and seeing our small town come to life.”

    PETITIONED IN TRURO

    Effort to Make Planning Board Appointed Resurfaces

    A second try at a charter amendment, after last year’s died in committee

    By

    TRURO — At the annual town meeting on April 30, Raphael Richter plans to approach the microphone on the Truro Central School ballfield and air his frustrations with the town’s elected planning board. He will be asking voters, once more, to support a citizen-petitioned article to amend the town’s charter.

    This year’s article mirrors the one he presented last year, which was postponed indefinitely and referred to the charter review committee, where it fizzled out. Richter wants the planning board to be appointed by the select board, which, in his view, serves as the “one policy-setting body in this community.” Other boards and committees would then be charged with carrying out goals set by the select board.

    “This town meeting body has voted with strong majorities to support affordable and community housing,” Richter said at last year’s town meeting in June. “Unfortunately, despite that being a goal of the town for quite a long time, the planning board continues to undermine that effort.”

    He was referring to the lengthy process the board had undertaken to review the Cloverleaf affordable housing project. Nearly a year later, his grievances remain, and at the March 29 select board meeting Richter called the planning board a “shadow policy-setting board” that has been wielding its authority to “slow down, delay, and potentially kill important projects that the town wishes to take on.”

    The select board voted 3-1 to recommend the charter change.

    Kristen Reed, vice chair of the select board, was galvanized by the town’s mounting housing crisis. “I feel like we’re way past crisis,” she said. “We have an override for firefighters. We are hemorrhaging staff. We’re having retention issues. We’re having recruitment issues. We’re going to potentially offer signing bonuses, and so many of the issues related to our staffing challenges and our businesses not being open this time of year — all is connected to housing.”

    Dying in Committee

    After Richter presented the charter amendment last June, three members of the charter review committee — Bob Panessiti, Cheryl Best, and Brian Boyle — urged voters to table it until their committee had “the opportunity to look at all the data,” as Best put it. A 114-83 vote indefinitely postponed Richter’s article, and the charter review committee took up the matter.

    The 2021 annual town meeting also featured articles that would have changed the status of the zoning board of appeals and the board of health. These were presented by Joan Holt, who urged voters to turn these select-board-appointed committees into elected ones.

    “Those articles were directly reactionary to the planning board article,” Richter told the Independent. “They never appeared on the horizon until the planning board articles were submitted.”

    Those articles were also indefinitely postponed, and the charter review committee considered them all. But in November, those discussions ended when the committee, in a 4-3 vote, decided to maintain the existing manner of filling seats for all three boards.

    That Nov. 22 meeting was divisive. Nancy Medoff, the vice chair of the charter review committee, said there had not been adequate discussion of the merits of an elected versus an appointed planning board. “I would rather see us talk through it before we do anything,” she said.

    Best insisted that the discussion was, in fact, underway. “We’re having it now,” she responded to Medoff, “as part of the motion.”

    Panessiti asked other members to think about what further data they needed before making a recommendation. “Actually,” Best replied, “it’s not that we don’t have data. We’ve done a lot of work with data. I don’t feel that any of the data is conclusive enough to make these decisions on these committees.” She later added, “I don’t think there’s other data out there that we could gather, frankly.”

    Medoff pointed out that Richter’s petition was submitted for a reason. “Why wouldn’t we want to find out why?” she asked.

    Boyle said that the committee had held a public hearing, but that event yielded little further information “other than somebody sat down and signed their name to it. That’s a relatively low hurdle,” he said. “So, I have to conclude there’s not a strong feeling about that, which makes me even want to take less action.”

    Best wondered if the initiative was fueled by a “personal reason” or a “vendetta” against the committee. “Or did the ZBA not give you the waiver you asked for?” she said. “I don’t believe we should be using the charter as a political instrument. It’s about running the town.”

    Boyle, Best, William Golden, and Meg Royka voted to maintain the status quo in the charter. Medoff, Panessiti, and Chris Lucy dissented.

    Flashing Forward

    At the March 29 select board meeting, after Richter’s presentation, chair Bob Weinstein said he was disappointed in what he called “the inaction of the charter review committee.” The committee, he said, had promised to address whether the planning board should remain elected or become appointed. “They simply didn’t do it,” Weinstein said. “They were getting into weeds about things that were totally inappropriate or cumbersome.”

    “The charter review has had two years to have a discussion and come up with something substantive for the select board,” said Reed. “And they have not delivered that.” She added that she also wanted “a planning board that works in harmony with the select board’s goals and objectives.”

    Brian Boyle, chair of the charter review committee, reiterated that he and his colleagues “didn’t have enough information at the time” to recommend a change regarding the planning board.

    As for the planning board, Weinstein strongly supported Richter’s article. “We’re all in a lifeboat,” he said. “Right now, what’s happening is we have half the crew rowing toward Boston and the other half rowing toward Portugal. I think it is now time to move forward and have the planning board discontinued in its present form as an elected body.”

    Select board member Sue Areson agreed that the planning board had made some missteps, but she said the select board was “unfairly chastising them” to the point of saying, “Oh, we’ll just get rid of them, and we’ll appoint them rather than elect them.”

    Weinstein, Reed, and select board member Stephanie Rein voted to support Richter’s article at town meeting; Areson was opposed. The fifth member of the board, John Dundas, was absent.

    The measure will appear on the town meeting warrant as Article 50.

    PRESERVATION

    Housing Is Top Priority for Truro CPC Funds

    Committee recommends spending $780,000 of the $1.6 million available

    By

    TRURO — Housing is this year’s top priority for the community preservation committee (CPC), which plans to recommend that annual town meeting voters allocate $440,000 to efforts related to affordable homes.

    Among the other recommended projects are trail development at the High Head conservation land, digitalization of fragile town records dating back to the 1700s, a study of memorials to honor the Payomet people, and money for acquisition of Wampanoag and other art, along with a handful of “mini grants.”

    Of the $1,637,613.26 available in the preservation fund, the committee will recommend spending $780,000.

    Housing Requests

    Pennrose LLC, a Pennsylvania company, has been selected to develop the former Cape Cod Five bank building in Orleans into 62 units of affordable and workforce housing. The company has asked nearby towns to pitch in $100,000. Rio Sacchetti, a developer for Pennrose, told the CPC that Orleans, Eastham, Provincetown, and Brewster have committed funds to the project.

    Requests also went to Wellfleet, Chatham, and Harwich. The Wellfleet CPC deferred the request this year.

    “Our CPC generally supports regional housing efforts as evidenced by the grant to Pennrose for the Nauset Green project in Eastham,” wrote Wellfleet CPC chair Gary Sorkin. “Given the schedule for the Orleans Pennrose project, we felt we could defer on this request for now and reconsider it during our next grant round.”

    Sacchetti told the Truro CPC that 65 percent of the housing would be designated for “local preference” during the initial rental phase. And 10 percent would go to Outer and Lower Cape towns that contributed CPC funds.

    The committee supported a request for $300,000 for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which currently contains $800,000.

    Truro Housing Authority chair Kevin Grunwald told the CPC that trust fund money isn’t tied to a particular project, but members are always searching for a suitable property to buy for affordable housing purposes.

    “If there’s a chance to acquire affordable housing, this would give us the ability to act on it quickly,” Grunwald said. Last year, $50,000 went to emergency rental assistance, but it was tied to Covid-related hardships and no applications were submitted. Grunwald told the Independent that a few weeks ago the select board agreed to loosen the criteria.

    “Now they have modified it for anyone with financial need,” he said.

    Such assistance will continue. The trust fund could also be tapped for plans related to the Walsh property.

    The affordable housing project known as the Cloverleaf has received some state money but may need additional funds for infrastructure needs, according to Grunwald.

    The CPC will also recommend a request for $25,000 to allow the housing authority to continue using the technical assistance of consultant Leedara Zola, who has helped prepare requests for proposals and conducted planning and housing assessments.

    The final housing-related request being recommended is $15,000, the town’s contribution to the next two years of the Lower Cape Housing Institute run by the Community Development Partnership.

    High Head Trail

    The Truro Community Preservation Committee recommends a $78,000 grant for a walking trail so people can enjoy views like this one of High Head. (Photo by Nancy Bloom)

    The CPC will recommend allocating $78,000 in open space funding to the Truro Conservation Trust for development of trials on the High Head conservation land, owned by the town and the state. The plan includes 1.5 miles of trails running from the beach parking area on Route 6A to the parking area on Route 6. In a letter accompanying the application, the trust’s chair, Fred Gaechter, said the trail system “will both protect the land and open it to public access in a controlled and environmentally sensitive manner.”

    The plan includes the installation of signs and educational placards as well as six benches for walkers to enjoy scenic vistas. Bicycles and motorized bikes will not be allowed on the trails, but dogs could enjoy them with their people.

    Payomet People Memorial

    The CPC will recommend funding a $37,500 request from the historical commission for the study of memorials to the Payomet People. Commission chair Chuck Steinman identified three sites under consideration: Pamet Park, a spot near the Highland House Museum, and Corn Hill. In addition to choosing a site, the commission will consult with historical and cultural experts from the Wampanoag tribe. The final product would not be “a plaque stuck to a stone” but a “creative object using contemporary ideas,” said Helen McNeil-Ashton, the vice president of collections for the Truro Historical Society.

    Other Recommendations

    The CPC will recommend a $49,440 historical society request to acquire Wampanoag art, construct a wetu for the Highland House Museum’s permanent collection, acquire Truro artwork, and restore a historic loom. After artifacts from a previous Wampanoag display were returned, the society realized, “We have almost nothing of Wampanoag and Eastern Woodland Art,” McNeil-Ashton told the CPC. “We want some funding so when something comes up for sale, we will be able to go for it.”

    The CPC will recommend $106,000 to cover phase 1 of a three-phase project to digitize the town’s oldest records. Jim Summers, who sits on the CPC and historical commission, said it will save “a tremendous number of delicate documents” dating back to the 17th century.

    The CPC will recommend $40,540 for Mobi-mats and fencing to keep the sand off them at three beaches. Susan Howe, a CPC member and chair of the commission on disabilities, said her panel was presenting the request on behalf of the DPW. The money will be used to replace some worn-out mats and add to the town’s stock.

    Mini-Grants

    $6,940 for 15 paddlecraft racks. The request was submitted by the beach advisory committee. The racks, which are designed to hold kayaks, small boats, and paddleboards, will be placed at Corn Hill, Great Hollow, Cold Storage Beach, and potentially other beaches.

    $15,800 to add a section of native edible plants to the garden behind the library, with signage and protected areas for small classes, tying together the garden, mud kitchen, and the path between Sally’s Way and the library. This request is from the library trustees, Friends of the Library, and Sustainable CAPE.

    $4,936 for Cold Storage Beach historic displays to commemorate the trap fishing industry, the icehouse, and the once vibrant community of Pond Village. The request is from the Pond Village Preservation Committee.

    TRURO TOWN MEETING

    Housing and Child Care Get Voter Support

    Petitioned changes to board selection are all put off

    By

    TRURO — Tensions between proponents of affordable housing and its detractors were on display at the annual town meeting Saturday, with the proponents ultimately winning the day. Voters approved all three of the affordable housing-related articles on the warrant and took significant steps to take power from the planning board, which some housing advocates say has obstructed affordable housing in town.

    Retiring School Supt. Michael Gradone, left, is congratulated by Town Moderator Monica Kraft and Town Manager Darrin Tangeman. (Photos Nancy Bloom)

    Despite the mandatory mask policy and beaming sun, 199 Truro residents showed up at the Truro Central School ballfield for the second-ever outdoor meeting to cast their votes. By 1 p.m., that number had dwindled to 149, still well above the quorum of 100.

    All three petitioned articles on the warrant meant to address the housing crisis passed. The voters approved an article raising the local room occupancy and short-term rental tax from 4 to 6 percent. State Sen. Julian Cyr argued that raising the tax would provide a “pot of money” to address the housing crisis. Bob Panessiti, chair of the finance committee, said that the increase would likely generate $200,000 in additional revenue.

    Immediately after approving the tax increase, more than two-thirds of the voters approved an article to establish an affordable housing stabilization fund and designate a third of the room and rental tax revenue for that fund. Later in the meeting, voters approved the creation of a year-round rental housing trust, similar to the trust created by the town of Provincetown, the first such body in the state.

    Changing of the Boards

    The verdict on how certain town boards will be chosen — by appointment or by election — was left for another day, as the town meeting voters chose to indefinitely postpone all three petitioned articles that would have changed the way boards were selected. One petition called for the planning board to be appointed rather than elected; two others, supported by citizens who are unhappy with plans for the Cloverleaf affordable housing development in North Truro, called for the zoning board of appeals and board of health to be elected rather than appointed.

    Before the votes to indefinitely postpone, the debate was contentious. Rafael Richter argued that the planning board has blocked the will of Truro voters by delaying affordable housing developments with popular support. He also pointed out that the current members of the planning board all ran unopposed for their five-year terms; he argued that the process of seeking appointment from the select board would force candidates to more completely explain their views.

    Planning board chair Anne Greenbaum fired back: “The planning board’s work is balance,” she said. “The members are intelligent. We don’t always agree.”

    Greenbaum also questioned Richter’s reasoning about elected versus appointed boards. “It is true that currently no members of the planning board were elected in contested elections,” she said, “just as it is true that, as of Tuesday, no members of the select board will hold their positions as a result of contested elections. So that argument doesn’t quite work for me.”

    While several voters voiced support for the article because they believed it would make town government more efficient and would pave the way for more affordable housing, others expressed concerns about placing more power in the hands of select board members. “The more power you concentrate in just three people [a select board majority], the more difficult it’s going to be to actually preserve the rural character of Truro,” said Joanne Barkan.

    “When I was on the planning board,” said Curtis Hartman, “we often thought the select board had a tendency to be power-mad autocrats. When I was on the select board, we often thought the planning board was obstructionist. We were correct about the half the time in both cases.”

    After charter review committee chair Bob Panessiti explained that his committee was currently reviewing all elected and appointed positions in town government, Paul Asher-Best moved to indefinitely postpone the article, arguing that voters should defer to the committee’s assessment. The vote to postpone, which essentially kills the article for the current meeting, was 114 to 83.

    Later in the meeting, the articles about the zoning board of appeals and board of health were postponed without debate, in light of the vote on the planning board article.

    Retiring School Supt. Michael Gradone, left, is congratulated by Town Moderator Monica Kraft and Town Manager Darrin Tangeman. (Photos Nancy Bloom)

    An article to establish a child-care voucher pilot program for two-year-old children of Truro residents and town employees passed overwhelmingly. The program will fund up to $7,500 in tuition assistance for state-licensed child care and will cost the town $112,500, funded from the free cash account.

    Multiple Truro residents with two-year-olds spoke in support of the article, arguing that the program will provide an incentive to keep young families in Truro. “I have not worked a full week since my children were born, largely because we don’t have child-care opportunities,” said Mara Glatzel. “Parents need this support.”

    Morgan Clark referred to the undemocratic choice to have the annual town meeting on the Saturday before July 4th weekend, when young parents have to work and care for children. “I want to provide context,” she said. “There’s maybe two two-parent partnerships represented here today, because one parent has to take care of the kids. If this doesn’t pass, go home knowing you got to show up with your partner and we didn’t.”

    The town meeting passed two bylaws aimed at curbing pollution in Truro with majority votes and no public comment. One bylaw banned the sale of single-use plastic water bottles on town property, and another banned the sale and use of balloons filled with “lighter-than-air gas” and mandated that balloons already in the community be disposed of in a plastic trash bag at the transfer station.

    TRURO TOWN MEETING

    Three Key Town Boards May Be Chosen in New Way

    Citizens’ petitions would require changes in the charter

    By

    TRURO — Three articles on the June 26 annual town meeting warrant, all submitted by citizens’ petition, call for changing the ways certain town board members are chosen. Each one involves a change in the town charter.

    But such changes should be made only after careful study, according to charter review committee chair Robert Panessiti.

    “I say this because nowhere in our decision-making process is ‘We don’t like the people on the board or committee,’ ” Panessiti said during a joint meeting of a handful of town boards on June 3. “That’s the furthest thing from our discussion.”

    The three petitions call for the zoning board of appeals and board of health to be elected rather than appointed, and for the planning board to be appointed rather than elected.

    Town charter changes require a two-thirds majority vote at town meeting, followed by a simple majority vote at the following year’s town election.

    Currently, all of the zoning boards of appeals in Barnstable County are appointed, along with the majority of the county’s planning boards and boards of health. On the Outer Cape, all three of those boards are appointed in Provincetown, Wellfleet, and Eastham. Truro is the one exception, with an elected planning board.

    All zoning boards of appeals in Barnstable County are appointed, as are most planning boards and boards of health.

    Cheryl Best, a Truro charter review committee member, said her group will be “neutral” on the questions at town meeting, “because we haven’t finished our process.”

    The first step for the review committee is a survey it plans to send to elected and appointed boards in the next month or two, “that will address all aspects of whether a board or committee should be elected or appointed,” Panessiti said. The charter review committee will focus on the planning board, zoning board of appeals, and cemetery commission for starters.

    The petition to change the planning board from elected to appointed was promoted by Raphael Richter in advance of last year’s annual town meeting, but action on it was postponed until this year in an effort to keep the 2020 annual town meeting short in the pandemic.

    In a phone interview, Richter said he was acting as a citizen, not in his capacity as a member of the Truro Finance Committee. For the last several years, planning board candidates have run unopposed, he noted.

    “When you don’t have contested races, people who know each other recruit each other,” he said. Having the select board appoint members would give the public a better idea of the candidates’ positions, he argued. “The select board would at least interview them, and they would explain their views,” Richter said.

    What the town has now is a “broken system,” according to Richter. One of the main functions of the select board is goal setting for the community, he said, and regulatory boards generally then work to attain the community’s vision. That’s not happening, in his opinion.

    “As to the planning board and the select board, there is a misalignment of goals,” he said.

    The heart of the disconnect is a controversial affordable housing proposal.

    “The tension between the planning board and the select board is directly related to the planning board slowing the Cloverleaf down,” Richter said, referring to 39-unit North Truro project. “They enabled a neighborhood to feel more empowered.”

    While the zoning board of appeals approved a comprehensive permit for the project, the Cloverleaf is now stalled in court, thanks to an appeal from those neighbors. Truro’s affordable housing numbers remain at just over 2 percent of its housing stock.

    State Sen. Julian Cyr supported Richter’s initiative to shift the planning board from elected to appointed. “It is increasingly clear the planning board is out of step with what the voters of town meeting are going for,” Cyr said. “The planning board is so disconnected from the town’s voters that it is holding the town back.”

    Cyr supports the building of more affordable housing so Truro doesn’t become “a shell of a community only for the affluent.”

    The senator said he has tried to recruit friends to serve on the planning board. “Many people would be willing to serve,” he said, “but feel the composition of the board is too toxic.”

    Former zoning board of appeals chair Buddy Perkel, who now lives in Provincetown, said he also supports Richter’s proposal. “The planning board for years has been a place of terror for the townspeople,” Perkel said. “In my judgment, they were abused by the board. That’s what happens when you have people elected for long terms.”

    Perkel also strongly opposes changing the zoning board and the board of health from appointed to elected. Elections can be skewed by special interest groups that candidates are then beholden to, he said.

    Regarding regulatory boards like the zoning board and board of health, Perkel said, “They should reflect the goals and objectives of the selectmen. The shaping of the town is in the hands of the selectmen. Their job is not to stop the future but to manage it carefully.”

    At last week’s meeting, Town Manager Darrin Tangeman said no one has come forward as the lead petitioner for the changes to the zoning board and board of health. Resident Joan Holt has been the only one talking to officials about those two petitions, but she does not wish to be identified as lead petitioner. Holt says the articles were written by a group of people, with a lot of back-and-forth discussion. But it is not clear who will stand and introduce them at town meeting.

    Efforts by the Independent to contact signers of the petitions about the zoning and health boards were largely unsuccessful. Shore Road resident Jon Seager did respond to a phone call. He and his wife, Denise, signed the petitions to make the board of health and zoning board elected. “That’s what we have been used to in the past,” Seager said. The couple is from Poughkeepsie, N.Y. He called the appointment of boards by the selectmen “too much power in too few hands.”

    In written comments submitted to the zoning board and board of health, the petitioners wrote that the changes were “intended to enhance the democratic principles of representation by making [them] directly accountable to Truro voters.”

    If the charter changes are approved at the June 26 town meeting and the 2022 general election, a gradual conversion would take place over several years. Elected members of the planning board would serve until their five-year terms expire. The select board would appoint members to those seats as they expire. For the zoning board and board of health, appointed members would serve until their appointments expire. The seats would then be filled at the next town election.

    This Week In Truro

    Meetings Ahead

    By

    Meetings are held remotely. Go to truro-ma.gov, click on the meeting you want to watch, and open its agenda for instructions on how to watch or take part online.

    Thursday, March 18

    • Climate Action Committee, 10:30 a.m.

     Friday, March 19

    • Library Trustees, 11:30 a.m.
    • Commission on Disabilities, 3:30 p.m.
    • Community Preservation Committee, 5 p.m.

    Monday, March 22

    • Zoning Board of Appeals, 5:30 p.m.

    Tuesday, March 23

    • Select Board, 5 p.m.

    Wednesday, March 24

    • Planning Board, 5 p.m.

    Thursday, March 25

    • Climate Action Committee, 10:30 a.m.

    Conversation Starters

    Covid-19 Update

    As of March 11, Truro had two active cases of Covid-19, according to the town. The state reports that there have been 38 total cases and no deaths related to Covid-19.

    Plethora of Petitions

    The draft of the Truro town meeting warrant currently shows 64 articles, including nine new petitioned articles. Two of these would make the board of health and zoning board of appeals elected as opposed to appointed by the select board. (See story on page 1.)

    The other petitions include one seeking $150,000 for grants of up to $7,500 a year per child to cover the costs of care for two- and three-year-olds of Truro residents and town employees. Four-year-olds get priority and are accommodated with free preschool at Truro Central School already. This voucher plan would fill the gap when the school program cannot accommodate all three-year-olds.

    Two other articles aim to increase financial transparency. One would require town staff to produce quarterly public reports on town projects costing more than $75,000. The other asks town staff to explain at town meeting the tax impact on a $500,000 home of any town project costing over $50,000.

    Another petition asks to change the zoning bylaw so that accessory dwelling units (cottages or apartments sharing a lot with another home) are allowed by right rather than going through a hearing before the planning board.

    An article asks voters to create a year-round rental-housing trust similar to the one in Provincetown that financed the purchase of 28 market-rate units at Harbor Hill.

    One petition asks voters to ban the use and sale of single-use water bottles by the town and on town property.

    Another asks town meeting to create a “clean water fund” that would support the upgrade of cesspools and other noncompliant waste treatment systems in town. —K.C. Myers

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