Photo: A full slate of articles will highlight Special Town Meeting this October

Special Town Meetings, which mostly occur in mid- to late autumn, are called so a vote can be taken on some article that needs a little more time to flesh out than it had at the annual Town Meeting. The one feature that “Specials” have is the limited number of “mission-critical” articles, limiting it to a single night.

But that’s not the case this time around, as the Special Town Meeting that takes place in October could run for four consecutive nights, with town officials packing the “Special” with big-ticket articles to present to members.

“It’s not suppose to be anything anybody wants to add,” said Elizabeth Dionne, chair of the Select Board.

Included in the Special Town Meeting package are initiatives from the Bylaw Review Committee, finalizing Senior Tax Relief, a homerule petition granting a new set of liquior licenses, a possible Belmont Center Overlay District vote, not to exclude issues “floating around” such as additional state aid and setting the tax base, according to Town Administrator Patrice Garvin.

“That’s a hugh agenda,” said Dionne.

In an attempt to limit what is looking like a weeklong convention, the Board voted unanimously to open and close the special warrant at Monday’s meeting. By leaving it open could result in residents with specific issues to attempt to add contensious Citizens Petitions into the agenda.

Even as the Select Board was debating the growing agenda of the meeting, Planning Department Chris Ryan said the Planning Board would like to make “some tweaks” to both the commercial and residential zoning districts with an eye to allow owners to make “common sense” additions to their property and spur on new growth.

Ryan said the town’s Housing Trust would like to make inroads this fall on any possible loss of naturally occuring affordable housing at the recently sold Hill Estates.

While saying the town will put a placeholder in the warrant for the Housing Trust, “we only can do so much,” said Garvin.