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Center Town District Steering Committee dissolves after forwarding draft bylaw to Town Manager
Summary
The Center Town District Steering Committee voted unanimously May 8, 2025, to dissolve after it forwarded a draft Center Town District bylaw to the Town Manager; members also approved prior meeting minutes and adjourned the remote session. Deputy Town Manager Rebecca Lisi said dissolution permits members to participate in future discussions without violating Open Meeting Law.
The Center Town District Steering Committee voted to dissolve on May 8, 2025, after the group concluded it had completed the task of forwarding a draft Center Town District bylaw to the Town Manager. Committee member Steven Graham moved to dissolve the committee; Committee member Nicole Polite seconded, and the motion passed by a unanimous roll call vote of the members present (Polite, Graham, Gumpert and Ferros).
Before the dissolution vote the committee approved minutes from its Jan. 29 and Feb. 19, 2025 meetings as a package. The motion to approve the two sets of minutes was made by Committee member Steven Graham and seconded by Nicole Polite; it passed by unanimous roll call of the members present.
Deputy Town Manager Rebecca Lisi clarified that dissolving the Steering Committee, which was formed in March 2024, will allow former committee members to take part in future discussions about the Center Town District without running afoul of Massachusetts Open Meeting Law. The transcript notes the legal reference to Massachusetts General Laws, chapter 30A, Section 20(e), which requires anyone making an audio or video recording of the meeting to notify the chair at the start of the meeting.
Vice‑chair Jason Gumpert and Chair Carolyn Ferros were recorded as present. Clerk Dawn Stark and ex‑officio Town Council member Ralph Page were noted as absent in the roll call; Robert Tirrell was listed as an ex‑officio Planning Board member in the meeting roll call but was not recorded as a voter in the roll call outcomes documented in the minutes. The meeting began at 10:30 a.m. and adjourned at 10:44 a.m.
The committee’s minutes and the draft Center Town District bylaw were forwarded to the Town Manager; the transcript does not specify additional next steps or any formal schedule for further hearings or town‑level review. The meeting included standard administrative notices about ADA accommodations and the recording rules under state law.
