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Special Town Meeting Fall 2023 - Recommendations of the Finance Committee to the Voters of Canton Massachusetts.pdf pdf file

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Recommendations of the Finance Committee
to the Voters of Canton, Massachusetts

2023

TOWN OF CANTON

SPECIAL TOWN MEETING
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2023 at 7:00 p.m.

Morse Auditorium
Canton High School
900 Washington Street, Canton

Study this report and come to Special Town Meeting.
Bring this report with you.

YOUR VOTE at Special Town Meeting is important
because it establishes the priorities for our schools,
public works, public safety, town government and
future direction for our environment.

The Town, upon request, will endeavor, to the
greatest extent possible, to make available any
and all visual and audio devices and assistance for
the disabled. For more information, please call
781-821-5000.

SPECIAL TOWN MEETING — NOVEMBER 20, 2023

Finance Committee Report and Comments

In reviewing the articles presented in this warrant, the Finance
Committee has been mindful of the intent of the citizen petitioners.
We understand that voters in our town want the opportunity to be
heard. They want to be safe, and free from intimidation. They want
our town to be governed well.

The Finance Committee has worked to consider each article carefully,
working within the framework of town meeting, and voted in the
manner we feel is in the best interest of our town. We understand that
there will be many different points of view and ultimately the decisions
will fall to the voters. We have proceeded with honorable intent and
look forward to a productive town meeting.

We hope that this Special Town Meeting will be a first step in helping
our community move forward.
Respectfully submitted,

Town of Canton Finance Committee:
Cindy Thomas, Chair

Emilio Mauro, Vice Chair

David Clough

Dan Cole

Karen Foley

Tim McKenna

Maureen Menconi

Kristin Mirliani

Reuki Schutt

SPECIAL TOWN MEETING — NOVEMBER 20, 2023

ee
TOWN FINANCE TERMINOLOGY

The terms below are frequently used in the annual Town report and at Town Meetings. In order to provide
everyone with a better understanding of their meanings, the following definitions are provided:

APPROPRIATE: To authorize spending. Once an appropriation for a budget or article has been made by
Town Meeting, the appropriation can only be changed by another Town Meeting. The exceptions are a
transfer from the Reserve Fund or a year end transfer authorized by the Selectmen and the Finance
Committee.

BONDS: The money Canton borrows to pay for capital projects such as the High School and Library.
CAPITAL EXPENSES: Expenses associated with the purchase of long-term assets, or projects. Paying
for these expenses can come from either cash (Cash Capital) or from long term bonding / borrowing.
CHERRY SHEET: A financial statement from the State, previously printed on cherry-colored paper which
itemizes State disbursements due the Town, and State and County charges to the Town, usually resulting
in a net receipt of funds.

DEBT EXCLUSION: Taxes raised through a Prop. 2% override to pay for capital projects such as building
the middle school or library, and end when the dept obligation is paid off.

EMINENT DOMAIN: Eminent domain refers to the power of the government to take private property and
convert it into public use. The Fifth Amendment provides that the government may only exercise this
power if they provide just compensation to the property owners.

ENTERPRISE SURPLUS: (Retained Earnings) This fund balance represents the amount to be used, by a
vote of Town Meeting, for operating cost offsets, funding capital improvements and reimbursing the
General Fund for prior year funding.

FIXED COSTS: Costs associated with employee benefits, such as health insurance and retirement costs,
but also include debt service, trash collection, street lighting, snow & ice removal, and regional & county
school assessments.

FREE CASH RESERVE (UNDESIGNATED FUND BALANCE): An accumulation of surpluses left at the
end of the fiscal year. This funding is available to be allocated at Town Meeting through a simple majority
vote. It is akin to a savings account.

INDEFINITELY POSTPONE: This is the equivalent of a negative vote on an article.

FY24: July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024

FY25: July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025

LEVEL FUNDING: The budget amount for this year will be identical to the budget amount last year (i.e.,
no additional money will be available to cover increased costs in salaries or supplies.)

LEVY LIMIT: The maximum amount of tax levy in any given year. The levy limit is based on the previous
year’s levy limit plus 2 1/2% plus new growth, and not the previous year’s actual levy.

LOCAL RECEIPTS: Money the town collects from local sources such as excise tax, licenses and permits,
investment income, payments in lieu of taxes and penalties.

NEW GROWTH: Additional tax revenue the Town receives from new construction, such as new homes
and commercial buildings or additions to existing buildings.

OPEB: Other Post-Employment Benefits are benefits provided to town retirees for such things as health,
dental and life insurance. Retirees are eligible for these benefits in addition to a town pension.
OPERATIONAL OVERRIDE: An increase above the standard Prop. 2% yearly increase in taxes. This
increase is unlike a debt exclusion override, in that it is permanent.

OVERLAY: The amount raised by the Assessors for the purposes of funding tax exemptions and
abatements.

OVERLAY RESERVE: The accumulated amount of Overlay funds for not used or required to be held in
the Overlay fund. The Board of Assessors control release of funds to the Overlay Reserve exceeding
pending tax liabilities.

RAISE: To tax. The tax rate is recommended by the Board of Assessors to the Select Board after the
Annual Town Meeting, receipt of the final “Cherry Sheet”, and the State’s certification of New Taxable
Property Growth.

RESERVE FUND: This fund is established by the voters at an Annual Town Meeting. Transfers from the
Reserve Fund are within the control of the Finance Committee, and are for “extraordinary or unforeseen
expenditures.”

REVENUES: Amount of money the Town receives to cover expenses. The majority of this money comes
from property taxes. The remainder comes from local receipts, State Aid, transfers from other funds and
Water & Sewer receipts.

STABILIZATION FUND: The reserve fund is established by the voters for future uses. A 2/3 Town
Meeting vote is required for its use.

STATE AID: The amount of money that the state of Massachusetts gives to the Town of Canton.

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SPECIAL TOWN MEETING — NOVEMBER 20, 2023

STEP AND LANE INCREASES: Automatic increases in salary for town employees, negotiated in union
contracts.

STRUCTURAL DEFICIT: When the Town’s recurring expenses are greater than its recurring revenues.
TAX LEVY: (LEVY): The revenue a community can raise through real estate and personal property taxes.

A GUIDE TO PARTICIPATING AT TOWN MEETING
If town meeting is to run smoothly a few simple rules must be followed.......

All voting will take place in the Auditorium. Only those people registered to vote in Canton and those
approved in Article 1 will be allowed in the auditorium. The cafeteria will be set up for video viewing for
registered voter overflow and Canton residents that are not registered to vote in Canton. The gymnasium
will be set up for video viewing for non-Canton residents. A separate area will be established outside of
the school for those that are there to protest. If the Moderator deems that a registered voter is there to
protest, that person will be removed from the auditorium and escorted to the protest area.

During the meeting, no person should speak unless standing at a microphone and then only after having
been ‘recognized’ by the moderator.

When recognized, a voter should first state his or her name and address clearly and distinctly before
making any statement.

If the Moderator bangs his gavel and calls “Order”, attendees should immediately remain quiet until the
Moderator has spoken.

All questions should be addressed to the Moderator. The moderator will ask for a response from someone
if he is unable to satisfactorily answer the question.

The debate is limited to the Motion that is on the floor. Comments and questions that do not pertain to the
motion being debated will be ruled out of order.

The standard rules for offering amendments and substitute motions will be followed. First a vote on
whether the town wants to debate the revision is made. If the motion to change the motion is successful,
the amended or substitute motion will be debated and voted.

If the proposed amendment or substitution consists of thirty words or more, it shall be duplicated and a
copy made available to every person present before the meeting is asked to vote on the motion to amend
or to substitute.

It is both impolite and contrary to the rules of procedure to shout out “Question”, or “Move the Question”
while seated, while someone else is speaking, or without being ‘recognized’.

Voters should be brief. It is a good idea to state at the outset why you have risen to speak: e.g., “I rise to
speak in favor (or against) the motion to...” Voters may wish to summarize at the close of their remarks:
“I hope the motion now pending is (not) adopted.”

Rather than repeat arguments already made, consider saying: “I concur with the statements made by the
previous speaker(s) and for the same reasons urge you to vote (in support of) or (against) the main
motion when it is put.” If the Moderator notifies the speaker that they are out of order or that they are
repeating points previously made, the speaker’s time may be limited to less than the five minutes allotted.

A Town by-law restricts any one speaker to not more than ten minutes at any one time. The patience of
other voters is often not as long. To facilitate the discussion and provide an opportunity for all citizens to
speak at the Special Town Meeting, the moderator may extend the time that the petitioners may present
their motion to longer than ten minutes when the motion is made and will offer the same courtesy to the
Select Board for their response. Following that, the Moderator will limit the debate for each speaker to
five minutes. If a speaker believes that his discussion will last more than the allotted time, the Moderator
should be contacted in advance of the meeting.

A Town by-law restricts any one speaker from speaking more than twice on the same matter except to
correct an error or a misstatement.

A person who is speaking on behalf of another (such as an attorney) is required to disclose that fact
before making any statement.

SPECIAL TOWN MEETING — NOVEMBER 20, 2023

A motion to reconsider is quite technical in nature. A person who intends to move reconsideration should
discuss it in advance with the moderator. Generally the motion may be made at any time so long as a
sufficient interval has elapsed since the last vote on the matter was taken, and/or additional information
has become available, so as to give a reasonable basis to believe the meeting might vote differently.
When the motion to reconsider is pending, debate is limited to why reconsideration should prevail and not
to the merits of the underlying motion.

When one voter is speaking all others in the hall should pay attention to what is being said. No person
should interrupt a speaker unless some ‘rule’ is being violated. If a voter believes a rule is being violated
they should rise in place, wait to be recognized by the moderator (For what purpose does the lady rise?)
Voter: “I rise to a point of order.” Moderator: State your point of Order. Voter: “...The speaker is dealing in
personalities, (or) the remarks of the speaker are not germane to the subject at hand”, etc.

Rather than read every warrant article the moderator may say “The chair asks unanimous consent that
the reading of the article be waived (Pause) Seeing no objection it is so ordered.”

Voters should refrain from displaying their approval or disfavor towards a speaker by applauding or by any
other means.

NOTE TO ALL VOTERS CONCERNING
TOWN MEETING PROCEDURES

At a previous Annual Town Meeting a by-law was adopted which requires that almost all warrant articles
be acted upon in the order they are drawn by a lottery, not the order they appear in the warrant. There
are certain exceptions, however, to the lottery system. The following should help you understand how the
Town Meeting works:

Town Meeting will be opened by the Town Clerk. Procedures to govern Town Meeting will be adopted
(Article 1). There are instances, however, where the Moderator may declare that for some legal or
technical reason a particular article or articles must be considered in some other sequence.

It is hoped that this brief explanation will be helpful to you in understanding the lottery system under
which the Town Meeting is currently operated.

SPECIAL TOWN MEETING — NOVEMBER 20, 2023

Town of Canton
Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Norfolk, ss
To the Constables of the Town of Canton,

Greetings:

In the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts you are hereby required to notify and warn the
inhabitants of the Town of Canton to meet at Morse Auditorium, on the grounds of the Canton High
School, 900 Washington Street in said town on;

SPECIAL TOWN MEETING
MONDAY, THE TWETIETH DAY
OF NOVEMBER 2023

At seven-o‘clock (7:00 P.M.) in the evening at which time and place the following articles are to be acted
upon:

ARTICLE 1

ADOPT THE RULES TO GOVERN SPECIAL TOWN MEETING

Article 1 To see if the Town will vote to adopt certain procedures to govern the conduct of the 2023
Special Town Meeting; or to take any other action related thereto.

Select Board

FINANCE COMMITTEE MOTION
MOTION 1

MOVED:      That this 2023 Special Town Meeting shall meet on Monday, November 20,
2023, and if necessary on Tuesday, November 21, 2023, and if necessary the Monday and
Wednesdays thereafter in the Morse Auditorium, on the grounds of the Canton High School
until the business of this Special Town Meeting has been concluded, each such session to begin
at 7:00 o'clock P.M. and to adjourn at 11:00 o’clock P.M., or as near that hour as may be
feasible, according to the nature of the business pending at the said hour.

FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 8-0-0

FINANCE COMMITTEE DISCUSSION:    The Finance Committee unanimously recommends this
motion. Motion 1 will establish the meeting schedule for the Autumn 2023 Special Town Meeting (STM) as
the two consecutive nights of Monday, November 20, 2023, and Tuesday, November 21, 2023, and then
each subsequent Monday and Wednesday, at the Morse Auditorium of Canton High School until the
business of the STM is concluded. The schedule will allow for a timely and efficient process to deliberate
the articles at the STM without any delay while reasonably avoiding the Thanksgiving holiday and
associated long weekend.

APPROVED              DISAPPROVED.

SPECIAL TOWN MEETING — NOVEMBER 20, 2023

MOTION 2

MOVED:        All voters at the time of the vote shall be in the auditorium and votes will be
counted by a show of hands holding voter cards for all articles with the exception that Articles
4, 5, 6 and 8 votes will be counted by paper ballots pursuant to Art IV, section 17 of the Town
of Canton bylaws. If the Moderator is unable to determine the vote result from the show of
hands for remaining articles, then the votes will be counted by the standard teller process set
forth in ART IV, Section 12 of such bylaws with the exception that no person shall at any time
be required to stand to be eligible to vote.

FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 8-0-0

FINANCE COMMITTEE DISCUSSION:    The Finance Committee unanimously recommends this
motion. It will formalize the voting process for this Special Town Meeting (STM). This motion would split
the manner in which the articles are voted by Town Meeting voters into two categories:

Articles 1, 2, 3, and 7, would follow the process of voting by card, with certain close or
contested votes being further counted through the use of tellers (individuals that are appointed
by the moderator to, upon request, make and return the vote count in accordance with the
Canton General Bylaws) as allowed by Article 4 of the Canton General Bylaws. This has been a
common voting procedure used regularly in past recent Town Meetings, especially when a clear
show of votes has been needed by the moderator that required more than the less exact voice
vote for one reason or another.

Articles 4, 5, 6, and 8, would be voted on using paper ballots in a manner in accordance with
applicable laws. There has been public concern expressed regarding the want to vote on these
items anonymously and this will allow Town Meeting voters to vote their conscience in secret
while retaining their anonymity. By requesting these paper ballots be used in advance of the
Town Meeting through their recommendations, the Finance Committee hopes to avoid a floor
request to use this form of ballot that would, per the Canton General Bylaws (Article 4, Section
17), create a 36 weekday-hour delay in the consideration of the article in question from the
time of the floor request. This will help expedite the course of the Special Town Meeting.

This motion clarifies what form of voting allowed by the Canton General Bylaws the Town Meeting will use
to decide the pending articles while ensuring voters feel comfortable during the proceedings.

APPROVED.               DISAPPROVED.

MOTION 3

MOVED:      That the following individuals be granted all of the rights and privileges of
participation in this Special Town Meeting, except the right to vote, under any article of this
warrant which affects matters within their jurisdiction:

Steve Choiniere, Supervisor of Facilities and Grounds

Paul R. DeRensis, Town Counsel, Brooks & DeRensis

Paul Feeney, State Senator

Derek Folan, Superintendent of Schools

Paul Gallagher, Lieutenant, Canton Police Department

Louis Jutras, Information Systems Manager

Leonard Kesten, Attorney, Brody Hardoon Perkins & Kesten, LLP
Arafat Knight, Veterans’ Agent

Karen Lawlor, Administrative Assistant, Canton Planning Board
Alfons Koka, Town Engineer

Brian Lynch, Director of Facilities and Grounds/Maintenance
Stephen Lynch, Representative in Congress

M. Regen Milani, Conservation Commission Agent

Tyler Radicioni, Parks & Recreation Director

Helena Rafferty, Police Chief

Barbara Reardon, Board of Health Director

E. Wendell Robery, Fire Chief

William Scollins, Finance Director

SPECIAL TOWN MEETING — NOVEMBER 20, 2023

Patricia Sherrill, Deputy Police Chief

Taylor Torres, Town Planner

Michael Trotta, Superintendent of Public Works

Diane Tynan, Director of the Department of Elder & Human Services

FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 8-0-0

FINANCE COMMITTEE DISCUSSION:    The Finance Committee unanimously recommends this
motion. As non-residents are not otherwise legally allowed to speak at a Town Meeting, this motion will
allow the listed non-residents of Canton to legally speak and have other non-voting privileges on matters
before this Special Town Meeting as needed. This motion formalizes Town Meeting procedures that have
been followed at past Town Meetings.

APPROVED.               DISAPPROVED.

ARTICLE 2

ADOPT THE RULES TO GOVERN SPECIAL TOWN MEETING
Article 2 Tosee if the town will vote to adopt certain procedures to govern the conduct of the 2023
Special Town Meeting, or to take any other action related thereto.

MOTION 1

MOVED: That this 2023 Special Town Meeting shall meet on Saturday mornings in the Morse
Auditorium on the grounds of the Canton High School, 900 Washington Street, until the business of this
Special Town Meeting has been concluded, each such session to begin at 10:00 o'clock A.M. and to
adjourn at 2 o'clock P.M., or as near that hour as may be feasible, according to the nature of the
business pending at the said hour.

Kathleen Howley and 306 others

FINANCE COMMITTEE MOTION

MOVED:      That the language in the warrant article referenced above under the text
“Motion 1” be adopted as printed in the warrant.

FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 0-7-0

FINANCE COMMITTEE DISCUSSION:     The Finance Committee unanimously opposes Article 2, which
would schedule subsequent meetings of the fall 2023 Special Town Meeting (STM) on Saturdays following
the initial Monday, November 20, meeting if additional dates are required to complete the business of the
STM.

Saturdays are a day of religious importance to many residents of our community and therefore scheduling
a meeting on a Saturday is to be avoided. Additionally, the next Saturday falls on a long weekend that is
likely to have a negative impact on attendance.

The Finance Committee would also like to complete the STM as soon as possible as the Department of
Revenue will not establish the tax rate while a Town Meeting is in progress. If this process is delayed, it
will have negative financial consequences for the town. The Finance Committee respects the importance
of having ample time to discuss and deliberate on the articles presented. Article 1 of the Special Town
Meeting Warrant provides an alternate schedule for any necessary future meetings of this STM.

APPROVED.               DISAPPROVED.

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SPECIAL TOWN MEETING — NOVEMBER 20, 2023

ARTICLE 3

ELECT A MODERATOR
Article 3 To elect a Moderator to preside at this Town Meeting to serve until the commencement of the
Annual Town Meeting in 2024; or to take any other action related thereto.

Kathleen Howley and 306 others

FINANCE COMMITTEE MOTION

MOVED:           That the subject matter of Article 3 be indefinitely postponed.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 7-0-0

FINANCE COMMITTEE DISCUSSION:    The Finance Committee voted 7-0-0 to postpone this article
indefinitely.

According to the Town of Canton By-Laws, Article IV, Section 1A - Moderator: “The Moderator chosen to
preside over the Annual Town Meeting for the transaction of municipal business shall continue in that
office until the next Annual Town Meeting. If a moderator so chosen is absent a Temporary Moderator
shall be chosen to preside.”

A Moderator was elected to preside over our 2023 Town Meeting in May 2023. Therefore, that same

Moderator will preside over this Special Town Meeting on November 20, 2023, and any subsequent Special
Town Meetings, until the date of the next Annual Town Meeting in May of 2024.

APPROVED              DISAPPROVED.

SPECIAL TOWN MEETING — NOVEMBER 20, 2023

ARTICLE 4

ACCOUNTABILITY OF SELECT BOARD AND POLICE DEPARTMENT

Article 4 To have the five Select Board members and the senior management of the Canton Police
Department, including the chief of police and senior leadership, respond to concerns from registered
Canton voters; or to take any other action related thereto.

Kathleen Howley and 306 others

FINANCE COMMITTEE MOTION

MOVED:      That the Town of Canton establish a Community Forum for the purpose of
responding to this Article 4, to be organized and managed by a nine (9) member Committee as
follows: the Committee members be invited to serve and be appointed by the Moderator and be
comprised of two (2) members from the Select Board, two (2) members from the Canton Police
Department, two (2) members from the petitioners of this article and three community
residents of the Town of Canton, with the forum to be completed no later than June 30, 2024,
or a later date as necessary, as agreed to by the Committee and approved by the Moderator,
and that the Committee members work in collaboration with the Town’s Chief Procurement
Officer, who would manage the procurement process in compliance with the State’s
procurement laws to hire an independent Facilitator, with the request to the Select Board that
such facilitator to be secured with funding to be made available by the Select Board from the
Select Board's existing Executive Office Budget.

FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 8-0-0

FINANCE COMMITTEE DISCUSSION:    The Finance Committee recommends and _ unanimously
supports the establishment of a Community Forum for the purpose of facilitating the responses of the
Select Board and the Sr. Management of the Canton Police Department to the registered voters of the
Town of Canton regarding concerns of accountability.

This Community Forum will include a committee comprised of nine members appointed by the Town
Moderator, no later than 12/31/23, consisting of:

Two members from the Select Board

Two members from the Canton Police Department
Two members from the petitioners of this Article
Three Community residents of the Town of Canton

In addition to the above, a professional independent Facilitator will be secured and will work with the
Community Forum to guide and manage the group discussions and the communication back to the Canton
residents. The Town’s Chief Procurement Officer (also the Town’s Finance Director) would manage the
process of securing the professional independent Facilitator in compliance with the State’s procurement
laws.

It is expected that the Community Forum will occur by 6/30/24, or a later date as necessary, as agreed to
by the Committee and approved by the Moderator.

Funding for this initiative is anticipated to come from the Select Board’s Executive Office Budget.

APPROVED                         DISAPPROVED.

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SPECIAL TOWN MEETING — NOVEMBER 20, 2023

ARTICLE 5

WHETHER THE TOWN WILL PROCEED WITH VOTES OF NO CONFIDENCE

Article 5 To see if the Town wishes to proceed, having heard from its leaders, with votes of no
confidence in 1) its Select Board and 2) Canton Police Department Leadership that will leave those
members and those employees in office while expressing our dissatisfaction with their performance
that so far has failed to meet our standard of good and ethical governance; or to take any other action
related thereto.

Motion 1.

That the Citizens of Canton, here assembled at town meeting, vote NO CONFIDENCE in the leadership
of the Select Board: Thomas W. Theodore, Chair, John J. Connolly, Vice Chair, Michael C. Loughran,
Clerk, Christopher M. Albert, and John R. McCourt.

Motion 2. That the Citizens of Canton, here assembled at town meeting, vote NO CONFIDENCE in the

leadership of its Police Department including but not limited to Chief of Police, Helena Rafferty.
Kathleen Howley and 306 others

FINANCE COMMITTEE MOTION
MOVED:        That the subject matter of Article 5 be deferred to the voters of Special Town
Meeting.

FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 7-0-0

FINANCE COMMITTEE DISCUSSION:     Given the nature of the article the Finance Committee was in
unanimous agreement that it should be deferred to the voters at the Special Town Meeting.

APPROVED.                         DISAPPROVED.

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SPECIAL TOWN MEETING — NOVEMBER 20, 2023

ARTICLE 6

INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATIONS INTO ITS SELECT BOARD AND POLICE DEPARTMENT
Article 6 To see if the Town wishes to authorize an independent investigation into and audit of its
government including the Select Board and Police Department; or to take any other action related
thereto.

Motion 1: The Select Board is hereby authorized and compelled to request an independent
investigation into and audit of our town government including the Canton Select Board, the Police
Department, and any other department as need may arise. Said investigation must be requested in
writing to the State Attorney General and the State Auditor no later than 30 days following the close
of town meeting. If the Select Board fails to transmit a letter requesting an investigation, the Town
Clerk is instructed to transmit a copy of the warrant, minutes, and a certified copy of the results of
this Special Town Meeting; or to take any other action related thereto.

Motion 2: If the Select Board and the Town Clerk fail to transmit said request to the State Attorney
General and the State Auditor, the citizen sponsors of this Special Town Meeting may employ a
constable or a Justice of the Peace to transmit a copy of the warrant, minutes, and a certified copy of
the results of this Special Town Meeting.

Motion 3: If the State Attorney General and the State Auditor are unable to undertake the
aforementioned investigation and audit, that the sum of Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($200,000)
be transferred from Free Cash (Undesignated Fund Balance) for the purpose of funding the
investigation and audit of the town government including the Select Board, the Police Department, and
any other department as need may arise by a person or firm recommended by the State Attorney
General or State Audtor, or another independent person or firm to be chosen by an independent group
of citizens as appointed by the Special Town Meeting under conditions decided by voters. Under no
circumstances can any members or family members of the Select Board or any employees or family
members of the police department or other town employees or family members choose or influence
the choice of the person or firm who will be hired to undertake the investigation.

Kathleen Howley and 306 others

FINANCE COMMITTEE MOTION

MOVED:     That the Town of Canton Chief Procurement Officer be authorized and
requested to proceed with an administrative, policy and procedure review of the Police
Department to determine compliance with these aspects of the Police Department, to be
conducted by an independent consulting firm, and that the procurement team for such
consultant be comprised of three (3) to five (5) members with relevant experience in
conjunction with such procurements, and selected by the Chief Procurement Officer; and
further that the sum Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($200,000) be hereby appropriated for
this purpose, with the source of funds being a transfer from Free Cash (Undesignated General
Fund Balance) in the amount of Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($200,000).

FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 8-0-0

FINANCE COMMITTEE DISCUSSION:   This is a resident sponsored article which is sponsored by
Kathleen Howley and 306 other Canton citizens. The article as written details 3 motions, the motions are
part of the Article and not actual motions. The motion that will be considered in Article 6 will be the
Finance Committee motion listed in this Article.

The Finance Committee unanimously voted 8-0-0 to recommend the Finance Committee motion to the
2023 Special Town Meeting. The Article as written was not compliant with procurement law, so
adjustments were made for compliance. The Finance Committee motion includes an independent audit of
the Police Department which includes an administrative review of policies and procedures. The formation
of a committee to oversee the procurement was recommended to preserve the integrity of the
independent Auditor selection process. The Finance Committee recommended that MGL Chapter 30B,
Section 6 be used as the procurement process. This procurement process will select a more qualified
Auditor over the lowest bid. All bids will be sealed, and the newly formed committee appointed by the

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SPECIAL TOWN MEETING — NOVEMBER 20, 2023

Chief Procurement Officer will review the bids to finalize the selection process. $200,000 was the amount
suggested by the Article sponsor to be appropriated from the general fund for the purpose of conducting
the audit.

A member of the Select Board detailed how the Town Administrator has begun the search process for a
national audit firm to conduct the audit of the police department. The Select Board member offered to
table their proposal to allow town meeting voters to consider Article 6. There are reasonable concerns and
perceived conflicts of interest with the Select Board and the Town Administrator choosing the auditor, so
this is why an independent committee was recommended for the procurement process. _ If this Article is
opposed at Special Town Meeting, the Select Board and Town Administrator will most likely oversee and
proceed with their proposed audit of the police department.

The Finance Committee struggled to find a way to audit the Select Board that was proposed in the
resident sponsored article, so no action was taken on an audit of the Select Board at this time. This does
not mean the Select Board audit is precluded, as a motion could be proposed by a Canton resident on
town meeting floor. The Finance Committee deliberated in length about considering a potential motion for
government modernization, but it was deemed that was out of the scope of the resident sponsored article.
A government modernization Article may be presented at Annual Town Meeting in the Spring.

Canton residents and members of the Finance Committee expressed that conducting the vote with voter
cards will create fear or threats amongst residents for voting their positions. The Finance Committee
suggested the vote be conducted via paper ballot. The Town By-Law referring to the use of paper ballots
gives this authority to the Town Moderator. The Finance Committee suggested the Town Moderator
contact the Town Clerk to see if paper ballots can be prepared in advance of the Special Town Meeting for
Articles 4, 5, 6 and 8.

APPROVED.               DISAPPROVED.

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SPECIAL TOWN MEETING — NOVEMBER 20, 2023

ARTICLE 7

MOVE ANNUAL MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS TO NOVEMBER

Article 7 To see if the Town will direct the Select Board to file, within ninety (90) days of a favorable
vote by Special Town Meeting, a petition with the General Court for special legislation allowing Canton to
hold annual municipal elections on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, or to take any
action related thereto.

Elizabeth-Jo Rohr and 148 others

FINANCE COMMITTEE MOTION

MOVED:        That the Select Board be hereby authorized and requested to act to file within
ninety (90) days of a favorable vote by Special Town Meeting, a petition with the General Court
for special legislation allowing Canton to hold annual municipal elections on the first Tuesday
after the first Monday in November with the first annual municipal election to start in a non-
presidential election year.

FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 7-0-0

FINANCE COMMITTEE DISCUSSION:    The proponents of this article seek to enhance civic
engagement and participation in the local voting/election process. Participation for voting in local
elections is very low and moving the vote to November, when historically the state and federal voting
occurs, may address this problem. Conducting a local election simultaneously with state election
mandates two separate ballots and two separate check-in procedures at the polls. Our town clerk shared
that there are no towns in the Commonwealth that have dual elections in the even numbered years,
however some have dual elections in odd numbered years. Voting in November in the odd numbered
years would have no change in complexity or resources for our community. The even years are where the
complexity exists, dual elections would require separate ballots for state and local elections and if it is a
presidential election it would be more involved. Concerns that there are insufficient poll workers available,
that elections are highly scrutinized and there is the potential for error with a multi ballot year, the lack of
discernable cost savings, confusion for people casting votes (in person and mail in) with the multi ballot
and that local candidates would have to work harder for their voices to be heard over state and federal
campaigns were discussed.

The Finance Committee has tremendous respect for our town clerk and her staff. Recognizing the work
involved in administering dual elections, the Finance Committee recommends that should this article pass,
it does not commence in a presidential election year and that resources are available from operating
reserves for additional funding needed by the town clerk for the anticipated additional staff. Despite the
discussed difficulties of moving local voting to November, the Finance Committee felt that the cost
differential was de minimus and the potential of more interest in local elections outweighs the concerns.
The Finance Committee voted unanimously to support this article.

APPROVED.                         DISAPPROVED.

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SPECIAL TOWN MEETING — NOVEMBER 20, 2023

ARTICLE 8

TERM LIMITS FOR SELECT BOARD MEMBERS

Article 8 To see if the Town will direct the Select Board to file, within ninety (90) days of a favorable vote
by Special Town Meeting, a petition with the General Court for special legislation allowing Canton to
impose a lifetime limit of 15 years for a person to serve on the Select Board for the Town of Canton,
permitting any person who may be impacted by this limit to serve out his or her term, or to take any
action related thereto.

Kathleen Howley and 117 others

FINANCE COMMITTEE MOTION

MOVED:        That the subject matter of Article 8 be deferred to the voters of Special Town
Meeting.

FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 8-0-0

FINANCE COMMITTEE DISCUSSION:     The Finance Committee was in unanimous agreement that
this article should be deferred to the voters at the Special Town Meeting. There were 3 areas of concern
that were discussed by the Finance Committee:

The Committee discussed whether the imposition of term limits should be limited to the Select Board, or if
it should include all elected officials. With time running short to prepare for the Special Town Meeting, the
Finance Committee felt we did not have sufficient time to do our due diligence on the other elected
positions to see if it made sense to include them in this article. Therefore, we agreed to keep this article
solely concentrated on the Select Board.

The second issue that was discussed was whether the current Select Board members should be
grandfathered in, and not have to adhere to the term limits described in the Article if it were to pass at
Special Town Meeting. The committee was split on this condition, and it was noted that the reason the
petitioners submitted this article was to indeed set term limits for the current Select Board members.

And lastly, the Finance Committee felt that this article was targeting one particular member of the Select
Board. It may not be in the Town’s best interest to institute term limits solely for the purpose of removing
one Select Board member.

For all of these reasons, the Finance Committee is deferring this article to the voters at Special Town
Meeting.

APPROVED.                  DISAPPROVED.

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SPECIAL TOWN MEETING — NOVEMBER 20, 2023

PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
PERMIT NO. 20
CANTON, MA

FINANCE COMMITTEE
TOWN HALL

801 WASHINGTON STREET
CANTON, MA 02021

CAR-RT SORT
RESIDENT
CANTON, MA 02021

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