Town Meeting Warrant Accepted by Selectmen

Demolition bylaw, Town Clerk's pay articles could result in lively debate.

It will be financially-heavy Town Meeting after the Belmont Board of Selectmen voted to accept the Warrant for the annual Town Meeting last night, Wednesday, April 4. Articles on the coming year's budget and funds for a series of items will likely be put aside until the May segment of Town Meeting when financial articles are traditionally debated, according to Elizabeth Allison, chairwoman of the Warrant Committee which reviewed the 19 articles that will be brought before Belmont's legislative body. But it won't simply be parliamentary procedures on the first night of Town Meeting, set for 7 p.m. on Monday, April 23 at Belmont High School as the town will debate a new demolition delay bylaw. And the reps just might revisit the temporary …

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No Surprises in Town Budget in First 6 Months

Revenues right on schedule with expenditures running slight behind budget.

For the first half of the fiscal year, the Belmont budget is chugging along just fine, according to the town’s chief number cruncher. Town Accountant Chitra Subramanian presented the second quarter results to the Warrant Committee Wednesday night, Feb. 15, and said that, at least so far, there are “no surprises” in either revenue projections or expenditures for the first six months of the fiscal 2012 year. In fact, total receipts – which include tax revenue, all sorts of fees and state aid – came in at $40.9 million or 49 percent of what was budgeted while total operating expenditures – all the checks written out by the town ­– was at $37.0 million or 43 percent of the $85.8 million set aside at last year’s Town Meeting. In fact, the area …

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Town Clerk's Open 'til 8 p.m. for 'Super Tuesday' Registration

Tonight is the deadline for voters to register, change party affiliation to vote March 6.

The Belmont Town Clerk's office will be open tonight, Feb. 15, until 8 p.m. for residents to register or change their party affiliation so they will be able to vote in the Massachusetts Presidential Primary on "Super Tuesday," March 6. Two types of registered voters may vote in a primary, according to Ellen Cushman, Belmont Town Clerk: 1. Enrolled voters of one of the three political parties recognized by the state for the primary: the Democrat, the Republican and the Green/Rainbow parties. These voters will only be able to take a primary ballot for their specific party, or 2. Unaffiliated, or independent, voters categorized as “Unenrolled Voters.” These voters may choose a preferred ballot from the three parties when they arrive at the …

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Town Election, 2012

Town Election Line Up Set ... Almost

Certification of nomination papers ongoing, but it appears there will be contested races.

The race to April 2 is underway. When Town Clerk Ellen Cushman closed the doors to the Town Clerk's Office at 5:01 p.m. Monday, Feb. 13, the final total of candidates for town wide and Town Meeting was all but set. The only task before the office staff is verifying the signatures on the papers submitted by potential candidates. And unless a candidate has trouble with the names on their nomination sheets, the ballot for town election has become clear. If all nomination papers are certified, voters will have races for Board of Selectmen, School Committee and Board of Assessor's when they arrive at town polling stations on Monday, April 2. In addition, half of the town's eight precincts will have competitive races to fill the seats on Town …

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