Selectmen Holding First Precinct Meeting on Next Year’s Budget Tonight

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The Belmont Board of Selectmen is holding the first of two informational precinct meetings tonight, Thursday, March 12 at 7 p.m. at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St. to discuss next year’s budget options.

The meeting, in conjunction with the Financial Task Force, is for residents and Town Meeting Members to discuss the fiscal 2016 budget, the Task Force’s final report and the Proposition 2 1/2 override ballot question.

Budget documents and the Financial Task Force Report are available in the Projects, Reports, and Presentations section of the Town website .

The second meeting will by held on Monday, March 30 at 7 p.m. at the Beech Street Center.

Anyone with questions about the precinct meetings should contact the Office of the Board of Selectmen/Town Administrator at 617-993-2610 or e-mail selectmen@belmont-ma.gov

 

Selectman Candidates’ Question of the Week: Where Do You Stand on the ‘McMansion’ Moratorium?

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Every Wednesday leading up the Town Election on Tuesday, April 7, the Belmontonian will be asking a “Question of the Week” to the candidates running for a seat on the Board of Selectmen: incumbent Andy Rojas and Glenn Road resident Jim Williams.

This weekly feature will allow the candidates seeking a three-year term on the board to answer topical questions concerning Belmont and help demonstrate their ability to lead the town.

This week’s question: The construction of oversized and out-of-scale residential homes – known as “McMansions” – has become a hot button issue in Belmont and in neighboring towns. The annual Town Meeting in May will be presented a demolition moratorium on new homes that exceed a maximum height and mass in Precinct 7’s Shaw Estates neighborhood. Do you support the petition or not?

Andy Rojas

The character of Belmont’s neighborhoods has been under assault for at least a decade. Teardowns of existing residences have yielded much denser replacements that max out building height and mass while reducing open space, light and air. Increased density of units on existing lots also contributes to increased physical congestion and character erosion.

Development controls such as the recent GR District By-Law and the proposed Precinct 7 Demolition Moratorium By-Law are necessary to retain the architectural character and social demographics of our neighborhoods.

  • I support these actions and would like to see them extended to most of Belmont’s residential areas.

I will initiate and carry out work with the Planning Board, Community Development Department and other appropriate town agencies so a comprehensive Subdivision Control By-Law can be developed. Such a by-law is needed to preserve the historically large lots in many Belmont residential neighborhoods, including Belmont Hill, that are threatened by:

  1. subdivision pressure, increased density and traffic; and
  2. changes to their general character and ‘feel’.

This form of increased density is just as pervasive and destructive to Belmont’s character and charm as out-of-scale building on smaller lots. Both threats must be addressed.

While it is critical to balance benefits to the entire community with the private property rights of owners, we must act now to preserve and protect what has historically made Belmont so desirable as a residential community. The rights of residents should include not having the scale, density, mass and overall character of the neighborhood they chose to live in dramatically change due to unrestrained re-development. We must protect and enhance the basic, underlying characteristics that have evolved into our ‘Town of Homes’.

Preserving Belmont’s character requires effective and targeted use of zoning by-laws and overlay districts as well as approval of projects reflecting community context and values. Our Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals are often residents’ last line of defense against overbuilding. I pledge to appoint board members who will prioritize respect for the town’s character as well as residents’ rights.

Significant professional building and site experience, work as a landscape architect plus many years of Planning Board service qualified me to plan community-sensitive projects and draft bylaws including, but not limited to, the Oakley Village Overlay District; I actively supported the Demolition Delay By-Law. Understanding the past helps me plan Belmont’s future.

I am committed to intelligent residential development and re-development that expands Belmont’s tax base, serves residents and retains our physical, cultural and social character. Belmont can achieve this by utilizing my extensive experience and expertise.

I respectfully request your vote for Selectman on Tuesday, April 7, 2015. Thank you.

Jim Williams

I support the proposed moratorium on over sized teardown replacements for a number of reasons.

First, this is an example of Belmont residents stepping forward to take action, through a democratic process, regarding something that directly affects their neighborhood and quality of life. It does not prevent landowners from selling or renovating their properties, nor does it prevent the teardown and replacement of similarly-sized dwellings. Instead, it provides for a period to re-evaluate this town-wide trend toward the demolition of modest homes in favor of large so-called McMansions.

Jim Williams

Jim Williams.

These large, over-sized dwellings, can have adverse impacts on a neighborhood, and it is in response to this concern that the residents have moved this article forward. During this one-year moratorium period, I hope we can, as a town, consider planning tools that both allow for responsible re-development and also protect the character of our neighborhoods.

Large, over-sized dwellings that fill small lots up to the zoning limits of height, set-back and lot coverage are often much greater in elevation and overall mass than their neighbors. They increase impervious surface and therefore contribute to increased storm-water runoff. In many cases, they replace more modest affordable dwellings thus reducing the diversity of housing stock, particularly for young families, first-time home buyers, and families on fixed incomes such as seniors. The size of these houses can, without extreme energy-saving measures, disproportionately increase the energy demand on the town and its infrastructure and thus drive up energy costs for the town. In several instances, this trend has resulted in the demolition of historic houses and the loss of irreplaceable reminders of Belmont’s history.

Ultimately, Town Meeting will decide the fate of the proposed moratorium. But, in the interim, I wholeheartedly support this article as an example of the neighborhood’s right to shape it’s own future, and more importantly, the message it sends to Town Government regarding the need to re-evaluate and direct future development in a responsible manner town-wide.

Be Like Boris: Belmont Pet License Deadline is March 15

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Photo: Boris, the Amazing Russian Circus Cat (Retired), is licensed for 2015. Is your pet “legal?”

The clock is ticking on making your pet “legal”, at least in the eyes of the town of Belmont.

The deadline for residents to obtain their annual dog and cat licenses is officially Sunday, March 15. But if you want to get the license in person, the final day you can get your tags at the Belmont Town Clerk’s Office will be Friday, March 13.  

After Sunday, the cost for renewing licenses for neutered or spayed pets will double.

It is simpler then ever to renew pet license for dogs and cats: it can be done online here or by printing the Pet License Form and mailing or bringing in the form and payment to the Clerk’s office at:

Town Clerk’s Office

Town Hall 

455 Concord Ave.

Belmont. MA 02478

New Pets

If your pet has never been licensed before in Belmont, you must supply a Certificate of Rabies Vaccination and a Spay/Neuter certificate from your pet’s veterinarian as well as the Pet License Form and mail to the Town Clerk’s office with payment or come to the Town Clerk’s office and license your pet in person.

2015 Fees

Until March 15: Renewals and new pets

  • Neutered/Spayed: $12 per pet; $9 if owner is 60 years of age or older
  • Unaltered: $37 per pet; $34 if owner is 60 years of age or older
March 16 to Dec. 31: Renewals
(New pets use above pricing regardless of date)
  • Neutered/Spayed: $24 per pet; $18 if owner is 60 years of age or older
  • Unaltered: $49 per pet; $43 if owner is 60 years of age or older

Failure to license pets will result in a $50 non-criminal violation. Failure to vaccinate pets will result in a $100 non-criminal violation per Massachusetts General Laws Ch. 140.

As Town Clarifies Permit, Belmont Uplands Opponents Speak Out

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Photo: The entry to the Belmont Uplands site in October. 

As the town clarifies what the building permit issued this past Friday, March 6 to A.P. Cambridge Partners II – the developer of the proposed $70 million, 299-unit apartment complex at Belmont Uplands – will allow the development team to do, opponents to the long-delayed project have begun to speak out on the effect of the project will have on Belmont and surrounding communities.

“The issuance of a building permit to executives from Prudential Real Estate Insurance and developer Brian O’Neill appears to confirm that neither the town of Belmont nor the [Commonwealth] of Massachusetts consider it their duty to protect the public and the earth from pollution and flooding … ,” said Anne-Marie Lambert of Chilton Street, who has been a strong critic of the proposed complex being built amidst the Silver Maple Forest in the Alewife Reservation.

After two decades of plans, proposals (that included a commercial research and development building in the early 2000s), lawsuits and delays, Belmont’s Director of Community Development Glenn Clancy as town engineer issued the first of three permits allowing the Philadelphia-based O’Neill Properties Group to construct a five-building complex situated on 15 acres on the Cambridge line on Acorn Park Drive.

“The permit is the approval for foundations for each of the five buildings,” said Clancy Monday, March 9.

Clancy said the development team has acquired the necessary paperwork to being utility work at the site that is a stone’s throw from Route 2 and Arlington.

The actual building permit to do the remaining work that includes the framing and actual building is pending final sign-off from the Fire Prevention Office, said Clancy.

“A final building permit to do all work on the foundation is the only outstanding approval I am aware of,” he told the Belmontonian.

The town has been handcuffed in imposing local zoning bylaws on the proposed development as O’Neill is building the complex under the state’s Chapter 40B law.

Enacted in 1969, the law allows a developer to bypass local restrictions if the municipality’s housing stock is less than 10 percent is deemed affordable for moderate-income residents and when the builder sets aside a specific percentage – at Belmont Uplands it will be 60 units – for buyers with income less than the 80 percent of the median in the region.

For those who have kept a constant battle to prevent the construction of the development, the permit comes after six months of increasing evidence – the clearing of the site of trees and vegetation beginning in October and a recent request to allow the placement of construction parking – O’Neill Properties was preparing to begin actual building.

For Idith Haber of Oliver Road who is president of the Coalition to Preserve the Belmont Uplands, the town’s issuing O’Neill a building permit continues the lack of support groups that have been attempting to thwart the project, which included the Board of Selectmen withdrawing a lawsuit backed by the town’s Conservation Commission.

“The Coalition believes that issuing the building permit similarly inappropriate,” said Haber.

Both Haber and Lambert have long contended the site can not sustain a major development as it will impact local neighborhoods – in Belmont around Little Pond – with increased flooding and to the public health due to the potential of higher-than-expected stormwater activity.

“[It] appears to confirm that neither … Belmont nor the (Commonwealth) of Massachusetts consider it their duty to protect the public and the earth from pollution and flooding which will result from the undisputed 150,000 gallons of storm water runoff this project will generate,” Lambert said.

In 2014, Lambert presented data showing the amount of storm water at the site used by O’Neill to win approval by the state to move forward with the permitting process underestimates the storm water levels by a large percentage since the developer uses data published in 1961 instead of rainfall statistics from 2011 due to the impact of global warming.

With this new data, O’Neill would be in violation of the town’s Storm Water Bylaw passed by Town Meeting last year.

“It is shameful that [the developer] claims to have sensitivity to environmental issues yet invests in a project which blatantly ignores current climate change reality,” stated Lambert, adding that “ensuring enforcement of Belmont’s stormwater bylaw regulations throughout the town is also critical.”

While the town has issued the permit, there remains pending litigation filed to enforce Belmont’s stormwater bylaw and the Massachusetts Clean Water Act. Clancy said the court did “not explicitly” say the town could not issue the go-ahead.

“The applicant proceeds at their own risk,” he said.

Despite the town’s action, Haber has received words of encouragement to continue the fight.

“We continue to receive a lot of moral and financial support from Belmont, Cambridge, and Arlington residents,” Haber said.

Six Citizen Petition Articles Approved for This Year’s Annual Town Meeting

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Six citizens’ petitions ranging from a restriction on how tall a new house can be built, a slew of financial transparency articles and holding a non-binding referendum on solar power pricing will be before the annual Belmont Town Meeting in May.

The petitions were approved by Town Clerk Ellen Cushman before the closing of the Town Meeting Warrant on Monday, March 2, having secured at least 10 signatures from eligible voters.

One article has been in the news since January, as the Belmont Citizens for Responsible Zoning is seeking a one-year freeze on the construction of so-called “McMansions” in the neighborhood adjacent to the Grove Street Playground in the Shaw Estates neighborhood.

Four articles deal with financial reporting and why important opinions before Town Meeting are made. Jim Williams, a candidate for Board of Selectmen, said the “overriding purpose” of the language is to improve “the transparency around articles in the Warrant and thereby … improve the quality of Town Meeting decision making.”

The four articles will:
  • Require the Town Administrator to issue to Town Meeting Members a quarterly Free Cash account report including the amounts received and disbursed since the last report and the sources and uses of the funds received and disbursed. 
  • Require the Board of Selectmen, the Warrant Committee and the Capital Budget Committee – when they issue opinions on Town Meeting articles – to reveal the rationale for their recommendations in writing at the least one day in advance of the article being taken up.
  • The Town Administrator will now maintain a 30-year “steady state” projection model of the town’s budget.
  • The creation of a formal Risk Management Function in the Town Administrator’s office reporting on both the long- and short-term risks and opportunities identified to exist in the operations of the town’s governmental, school and enterprise activities. 

Finally, a group of solar power advocates is seeking Town Meeting approval to place a non-binding referendum before voters to gauge the community’s support for either the newly-created buy back pricing program approved by the Light Board or one which provides a greater payback to households using solar energy. 

Selectman Candidates’ Question of the Week: ‘What’s Your First Act if the Override is Approved, Rejected?’

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Photo: Jim Williams

Every Wednesday leading up the Town Election on Tuesday, April 7, the Belmontonian will be asking a “Question of the Week” to the candidates running for a seat on the Board of Selectmen: incumbent Andy Rojas and Glenn Road resident Jim Williams.

This weekly feature will allow the candidates seeking a three-year term on the board to answer topical questions concerning Belmont and help demonstrate their ability to lead the town.

This week’s question: The $4.5 million Proposition 2 1/2 override before Belmont voters on April 7: What would your first act be as a selectman if voters approve the override; and, if they reject it? Be specific.

The position of the answers will alternate each week with Williams having the top spot this week.

Jim Williams

Now that the current Board of Selectman chaired by Andy Rojas put a $4.5 million override on the ballot, it’s very important for the long-term financial stability of the town, its citizens and its creditors that this override is approved as proposed on April 7. Approval will prevent $1.7 million of unnecessary cuts to the school budget and, equally as important  $1.1 million unnecessary cuts to other Town services  in fiscal 2016.

However, even with approval, Belmont’s  financial crisis will continue for the next thirteen years and beyond unless we do something about the $113 million pension fund amortization schedule thru 2027 and the $200 million OPEB (Other Post Employment Benefits) obligation projected for 2022.

I have a clear plan for addressing  both obligations. The two key drivers of the plan are 1) refinancing the pension obligation with a bond issue and 2) funding the unfunded OPEB  obligation by making a $2.5 million annual contribution to the fund. We can pay off the  pension obligation by issuing a 20 year, $60 million, <3% municipal bond in 2016. The bond would be paid off  by $4 million annual payments thru 2035 which would be funded by a debt exclusion. The OPEB fund contribution should be funded by override because the operating and capital budgets cannot accommodate such a recurring contribution and the growth of OPEB obligations were not anticipated by Proposition 2 1/2. The door-to-door cost of the pension strategy is $80 million compared to the cost of the current strategy which is $113 million. This approach will save us $33 million, fix the cost of the pension funding for the next 20 years, and  return the $113 million in scheduled pension amortization payments  to the operating and capital budgets thru 2027.

My plan is not only the most responsible way of getting over these huge financial obstacles, but it is also essential to the future financial well being of the town. Also, moving forward from 2016, if we can control our expenses to <3%  annual increase per year, the town’s budget would remain in surplus through 2031 which will allow us to replenish our reserves for the inevitable unforeseen need.

So, when  the proposed $4.5 million override is approved, my first act would be two fold: begin to work on refinancing the pension fund amortization and  funding the OPEB obligations in 2016 which will return the $113 million in scheduled pension amortization payments to the operating and capital budgets thru 2027.

If the voters don’t approve the override, my first act would be to seek alternative funding to avoid the school cuts for, at the least, 2016. Then, I would do the same things outlined above for the pension and the OPEB funds.

Again, my plan is essential to the future financial well being of the town and should have been adopted in 2012 when it was clear that the pension fund amortization would put the town’s budget  in deficit.

Andy Rojas

Regardless of the override outcome, as Selectman, I will use the in-depth experience and knowledge obtained both in my first term and from extensive town service to faithfully implement the will of the voters.

Approval

If the override is approved, I will follow Financial Task Force (FTF) recommendations closely. The FTF worked for over a year to develop its carefully thought out, unanimous blueprint.

Immediate FY 2016 actions will include fully funding seven new school positions (approximately $500,000), stabilizing the school department budget (approximately $1.7 million shortfall) and implementing approximately $620,000 in capital budget items. These consist of $300,000 for the pavement management plan, $200,000 for annual sidewalk repair and $120K for debt service payments. I will direct the Public Works and Community Development Departments to undertake road and sidewalk repairs and replacements.

The override completely funds Belmont schools for the coming fiscal year. Increased enrollment, new unfunded mandates for special education, English language learners (ELL) and out of district (OOD) student placements will be accommodated effectively.

The remaining override funds will be placed in a stabilization fund designated for unforeseen budget fluctuations and, per FTF recommendations, for preparation for FY 2017 and FY 2018 budget needs.

Additionally, I will work to enact the other important FTF structural and non-structural budget reform recommendations (among other reforms) so another override will not be needed any time soon.

Andy, Allison & Smudge Rojas - IMG_0827

Andy Rojas, his wife, Allison Miele Rojas, and Smudge.

Rejection

If the override is rejected, I will work carefully with the School Superintendent, Town Administrator, Warrant Committee and my Board of Selectmen (BoS) colleagues to make necessary town and school cuts.

  • Schools would require targeted, prioritized reductions to remove approximately $1.7 million in expenses from the FY2016 budget.
  • The town, with a very lean current operating budget, is not directly affected by the override. However, it would not receive the override’s approximately $620K for road and sidewalk capital budget improvements.

This will necessarily be very challenging. It’s why Belmont needs an experienced Selectman who already understands in-depth, the relationships between budget items and department needs and who can work within the available revenue budget without compromising town services or the Level 1 ranking of our schools.

If additional revenue sources are identified during FY 2016, I will work with the School Superintendent, the Town Administrator and my BoS colleagues to allocate the funds to the highest priority needs. I am already up-to-speed on the budget, the appropriation process, town and school operations and requirements and, as the current BoS Chair and a Warrant Committee member, will be able to make the requisite difficult decisions based on experience.

Conclusion

Both scenarios depend on effective communications between the BoS, School Department, Town Administrator, Warrant Committee and related town departments. I have worked closely with all these groups and have a proven track record of effective communication and engagement that has resulted in forward-looking financial management of town resources. Continuing this broad engagement will give Belmont the best outcomes in the future.

I respectfully request your vote for Selectman on Tuesday, April 7, 2015. Thank you.

Start Up: Group Seeking ‘Yes’ on Override Holds Initial Gathering

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Photo: Residents who came to the Belmont Hill School to discuss passing the Prop. 2 1/2 override in April.

The snowfall that arrived Sunday afternoon, March 1, made driving difficult, particularly attempting to putter up the Prospect Street’s steep incline.

But the weather and the climb did not deter approximately 120 residents who braved the conditions to drive to the Belmont Hill School’s Jordan Athletic Center to listen to the leaders of a newly-formed community group.

Its message: Pass the override.

Yes for Belmont is seeking to marshal support for the passage of a $4.5 million Proposition 2 1/2 override – recommended by the Financial Task Force and placed on the April 7 Town Election ballot by the Board of Selectmen – in an effort to forestall potentially deep cuts in next year’s budget including laying off 22 full-time positions in the school district.
Not a rally nor a policy debate, the half-hour meeting had the feel of a “meet and greet” where supporters could get a chance to get to know the Yes for Belmont leadership team and ask questions about .

Sign-up sheets and forms on what residents are willing to do (holding signs, being part of an outreach team) where on tables for attendees while orange yard signs – that can be found on snow drifts around Belmont – were ready to be taken home.

For Sara Masucci, a seasoned political campaigner and co-chair of Yes for Belmont, the need for an operational override – which permits the town to exceed the 2 1/2 percent annual limit on the increase in taxes a municipality is permitted – is real; deteriorating roads, exploding enrollment in schools with additional costs for special education and English learners has overwhelmed current efforts to pay for it.

“We’re all here because this is a very big deal and we are deeply concerned and we want to make sure that we do what we need to do to make the quality of this town stay at the level that it should be,” said Masucci.

Yet the plan is not to push too hard, be too passionate when discussing the need for additional tax revenue as those residents less supportive of the override “to claim that we are being ‘too emotional’, that we are overblowing the issue, that we are creating a panic,” said Masucci.

Masucci said there are several avenues for residents to take to support the effort; personal networking with friends and colleagues, writing letters of support to media outlets and getting out the vote.

“That’s when will be counting on you, the people, to get out there and make those connections and make that final push to make sure that person you know who supports us but doesn’t really vote gets out there on Tuesday,” Masucci said.

Lars Kellogg-Stedman came to the meeting because of his concern for the future of education in Belmont.

“I have two kids at the Burbank [Elementary] and they’ve really been enjoying their time here and seeing the depth of cuts that are possible if the funding doesn’t come through makes me sad for them because they will be missing a lot of opportunities,” he said.

“I’m going to be writing letters and standing on street corners with signs while talking with all the parents that I know,” he said.

“This is important to our family,” Kellogg-Stedman said.

Selectmen, Task Force Hosting Pair of Precinct Meetings on Budget, Override

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The Belmont Board of Selectmen in conjunction with the Financial Task Force will host a pair of informational precinct meetings for Town Meeting Members and interested residents on the fiscal 2016 budget, the Financial Task Force report and the Proposition 2 1/2 override ballot question.

The sessions will be held at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St., on the following dates and times:

  • Thursday, March 12 at 7 p.m.
  • Monday, March 30 at 7 p.m.

Budget documents and the Financial Task Force Report are available in the Projects, Reports, and Presentations section of the Town website .

Anyone with questions about the precinct meetings should contact the Office of the Board of Selectmen/Town Administrator at 617-993-2610 or e-mail selectmen@belmont-ma.gov

Belmont Will Be Under Yet Another Snow Emergency Parking Ban at 10 PM Sunday

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One last time? Please?

The Belmont Police Department is issuing a Snow Emergency Parking Ban in effect from 10 p.m. Sunday, March 1, through 7 a.m., on Monday, March 2.

Despite the arrival of six inches of additional snow – the totals for Boston and surrounding towns will reach nearly 100 inches by the end of Monday – trash and recycling collection will be operating on its normal weekday schedule.

Please visit the Town website; www.belmont-ma.gov/snow and social media accounts for further updates.  If you have any further questions please call 617-993-2698

What to Know About Voting in the Belmont Town Election

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The annual town election is fast coming upon residents, only five weeks on Tuesday, March 3. Here are some of the basic facts for Belmontians to know on voting on April 7 from Ellen Cushman, the Belmont Town Clerk.

Who can vote in Town Elections?

Any Belmont resident who is 18 years or older and a citizen of the United States can register to vote.  In order to be eligible to vote in the upcoming Annual Town Election the voter registration must be received or postmarked by the twentieth day preceding the election, Wednesday, March 18.  The Town Clerk’s office will be open until 8 p.m.to receive voter registrations on March 18.

Were you Registered To Vote in Another Town?

If you were a registered to vote in another town or state, you’ll need to register as a voter in Belmont in order to vote here.

Voter Changes to Party, Name or Address in Belmont

The deadline for registered Belmont voters who need to make changes to party affiliation, name or address within Belmont is also March 18.

Voter Registration Documents available at the Town Clerk’s office in Town Hall, 455 Concord Avenue or online at the Town Clerk’s web pages.

The following Voter Registration Forms can be found here.

• Change of Belmont Address forms for registered Belmont voters

• Change of Party Affiliation forms for registered Belmont voters

• Absentee Ballot Application

Forms for individuals who qualify to receive an absentee ballot due to absence from Belmont on Election Day or physical disability preventing the voter from going to the polling place or religious belief. In lieu of using this form, a voter may simply submit a request for a ballot in writing but the request must include the voter’s signature.

Applications for absentee voting must be received by the Town Clerk’s office by Noon Monday, April 6, 2015; voted absentee ballots must be received by 8 p.m., the close of polls Tuesday, April 7. Check the Town Clerk website for dates of in-office absentee voting or phone 617-993-2600.