Select Board Monday, 2/13/23: Discussion of Petition Articles

On Monday, 2/13/23, the Select Board will hear from Petitioners who have requested Articles to be added to the April 10 Town Meeting Warrant. Each presentation is limited to 5 minutes and there will be no public discussion.

At another Select Board meeting on 2/27/23, the Board will make their recommendations for each article after inviting public discussion. Select Board recommendations are to Support, Not Support, or to Indefinitely Postpone.

See our post of 1/27/23 to read the Enterprise article, β€œFalmouth Town Meeting to Vote on Mayflower Wind”. Representatives from the FHMNA Board of Directors will be present to express our thoughts.

Below is the Agenda and ARTICLE 15, as well as ARTICLE 17 regarding dogs on Falmouth beaches (see our post from the Enterprise, β€œTown to Tighten Leash Law Enforcement”.)

These discussions are scheduled to begin at about 8 p.m., but we recommend watching early because, as they state on all their agendas, β€œAt the discretion of the Chair, agenda items may be taken out of order.”

The Warrant with Select Board recommendations will be published on the Town website on Friday, March 17, 2023.

The ARTICLES below the Agenda are copied from the 2/3/23 Falmouth Enterprise, page 10.

TO WATCH ON FCTV: Watch locally on Channel 15 or DVR for later viewing.

TO STREAM LIVE ON FCTV: Click here on Monday night. https://fctv.org/watch/government-stream/

TO WATCH LATER on YouTube, go to YouTube.com and search for β€œFalmouth Select Board February 13, 2023”. You then would be able to scroll to the beginning of ARTICLE discussions.

SELECT BOARD AGENDA MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2023
6:30 p.m. OPEN SESSION
7:00 p.m. BUSINESS

5. Presentation of Petition Articles for April 2023 Town Meeting (5 minutes each)

a. Present Petition Article #15 – Rosemary Carey – off shore wind

b. Present Petition Article #16 – Patricia P. Johnson – leaf blower ban PETITIONER RETRACTS, ASKS FOR INDEFINITE POSTPONEMENT

c. Present Petition Article #17 – Patricia P. Johnson – fines for leaf blower infringements PETITIONER RETRACTS, ASKS FOR INDEFINITE POSTPONEMENT

d. Present Petition Article #18 – Philip Alexander Gessen – plastic reduction

e. Present Petition Article #19 – Sandra Faiman-Silva – changing State flag and seal

ARTICLE 15: To see if Town Meeting will vote in favor of allowing offshore wind developers the right of entry to conduct soil investigations and studies to assess the feasibility of horizontal directional drilling in Town-owned parcels. This right of entry to conduct physical investigation agreements will grand offshore wind developers only temporary access to conduct said investigations and studies. Any offshore wind electric cable landing on or siting of facilities on any other Town-owned property must be approved by the Select Board of other Town bodies with jurisdiction over such matters.

The Agreement will allow the Town to better assess the feasibility of an interconnection with offshore renewable energy projects that would facilitate the decarbonization of the Massachusetts electric grid and assist the Commonwealth in achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 consistent with state climate law and the Climate Emergency declared by the Town of Falmouth in 2020.

On petition of Alessandro Bocconcelli, Linda Bowers, Rosemary Carey, Eleanor Ling, David Mark Welch, Scott Mueller, Matthew Patrick.

ARTICLE 17: To see if the Town will vote to amend Chapter 1, General Provisions, Article 1, Section 1-2C of the Code of Falmouth regarding noncriminal disposition as follows:

a) Amend Chapter 150, Noise, so as to read:

Chapter/Part/Article Section: Ch. 150, Section 6 Leaf Blowers
Subject Enforcing Official: Police
Fine: $50

Or do or take any other action on the matter. On petition of Patricia P. Johnson and others.