Dear Reading Votes,

On November 14, Town Meeting passed Article 17, the less disruptive “paper compliance” proposal to comply with the state’s MBTA Communities law. The vote on article 17 was 129 Yes, 32 no. Before this, the vote on the more expansive Article 16 failed, with 76 yes and 85 no. A simple majority was required to pass either article.

Article 16 would have rezoned both sides of south Main St. down Summer Ave. as well as the commercial zone at the Franklin/Main intersection by HomeGoods.

Several town meeting members voted no on both options, with many speaking up during the meeting and expressing disagreement with the state’s imposition of this law.  

However, it appears that the prevailing sentiment in selecting Article 17 was to do the least possible to get the state off our backs while still technically complying.

With this vote, the town has taken steps to comply with the MBTA Communities law by passing zoning it believes satisfies the requirements by the deadline of December 31, 2024. Other Massachusetts communities have also opted for more of a paper compliance option, including Winchester.  

Because more than seven days have passed since the town meeting vote, the vote cannot be set aside.

The next steps involve both the state and the Mass Executive Office of Housing and Living Communities (EOHLC) formally accepting the town’s proposal. The town will be notified when that happens.

Your Advocacy Made a Difference

The Town Meeting vote to select the less intrusive option would not have been possible without all of you. Thank you for following the issue through all its twists & turns and pushing for the development of a minimally compliant option—which was not on the table until residents advocated for it—and then continuing to push until that option was presented for a vote at Town Meeting.

This took grit and persistence. As recently as this summer, Community Development Director Andrew MacNichol, the town employee responsible for the development of proposals, referred to requests for minimal compliance and paper compliance requirements as “exclusionary” and “in service of insidious goals.” MacNichol is not a Reading resident.

As the vote showed, pursuing the least intrusive option was not just the Reading Votes perspective, it was also supported by a majority of Reading’s town meeting members.

Another important lesson from the town meeting vote, however, is that the more intrusive option failed by just nine votes – which shows how important it is to fill Town Meeting slots in all precincts with common-sense representatives.

2024 in Review…and Looking Ahead

As a tumultuous year winds down, we want to thank the Reading Votes community.

Besides influencing the MBTA Communities outcome, other key accomplishments include:

• Helping Melissa Murphy, an accomplished and responsible representative, get elected to the Select Board. As a tiebreaker on key votes, her advocacy has been extremely important.
• Shining a light on bias against common-sense candidates by the Reading Post—since then, the shenanigans have died down!
• Advocating for a more sensible trash and recycling plan. Although we were not successful in allowing residents to keep their trash barrels, the Town did agree to remove the RFID chips—which enable tracking and monitoring of individual trash loads—from the trash container proposal.

Pat yourselves on the back and enjoy the holidays, but get ready for a busy 2025.

We can continue to make gains by supporting Melissa Murphy’s re-election in the local election on April 8, 2025. As well, we must increase representation in Town Meeting.

Town Meeting is the most effective way to make a difference in Reading, and it’s not a massive time commitment.  Town Meeting typically meets for 3 to 4 nights over a two-week period, twice a year. Rarely (every 3-4 years), there is an extra, special town meeting, which typically only takes a night or two. Eight nights a year allows you to be part of the body that controls Reading’s laws, zoning, and budget.

Please reach out if you are interested in running. Nominations only require 10 signatures and must be submitted by February 18.  Nomination papers are available now at the Town Clerk’s office. There are also still vacancies on several town boards, committees, and commissions. This is another important way to become involved and influence the direction of the town.

Interested in getting involved with Town Meeting, committees, or anything else? Please reply to this message and we’ll be in touch.

Until next time,

Reading Votes