Select Board confirms 11 warrant articles for town meeting; two citizen petitions added

The Brentwood Select Board confirmed a total of 11 warrant articles for the upcoming town meeting, including two petition articles submitted by residents on the town clerk’s petition forms.

Board members said the Budget Committee agreed with the board’s recommendations on all presented warrants and that one item — closing the library amphitheater — was not voted on by the Budget Committee because it was budget neutral.

Two petitioned warrant articles were submitted the day of the Select Board meeting and were transcribed into the warrant packet exactly as presented. One petition came via the Brentwood newsletter; the other would impose a local tax cap on the town budgeting process. Daphne (staff) confirmed both petitions had the minimum of 25 legal-voter signatures required to place a petition on the warrant. “The Select Board does not take a position on those petitions,” a board member said.

Board members discussed statutory authority referenced in the petitions; one member raised “32 5 dash b” as the cited authority, and staff said the board would consult legal counsel to determine whether passage would bind the Select Board to a mandated position or how the language should be implemented if voters approve it.

If no other changes are made, the board said it will present the warrant as the official warrant at town meeting. The Select Board asked staff to run the petition language by town counsel (Mitchell and Laura Spector Morgan were named as counsel to consult) to ensure wording and legal implications are clear before final posting.

The Select Board did not take a formal position on the petitioned articles at the meeting.