MILFORD — The annual town meeting is almost here.
This year, Town Meeting members will vote on 31 articles, including one that will allow Milford Public Schools to take the next step in making improvements or additions to Milford High School. These steps were established by the Massachusetts School Building Authority and require city approval.
Town Meeting members will also vote on allowing town officials to form a 15-member School Construction Committee to come up with preliminary plans for the construction, renovation and improvement of Milford High School. The committee, if approved, will consist of elected officials and school officials, including Milford High School Principal Joshua Otlin and a member of the Select Board. The board will also appoint some officials to supervise the project.
Earlier: Milford is winning key votes in his goal to rehabilitate — or replace — his public high school
Town Meeting members will also vote on whether to authorize this committee to use funding to complete a feasibility study to look at additions or renovations to the Milford High School building.
Milford Public Schools was invited to the MSBA process late last year.
Other topics include brewpub zoning changes and infrastructure changes such as chemical contamination treatment at the Godfrey Brook Treatment Plant and whether to approve funding to replace the Central Street Bridge over the Charles River.
What will be voted on at the meeting?
Representatives of the municipal council vote on motions that are presented in the hall. Motions are set out in the meeting order, which advises representatives of the subject matter to be considered at the meeting.
Who votes at the city council meeting?
Milford uses a representative town meeting, where a group of up to ten people in each of the city’s eight districts vote on behalf of all residents of the members’ respective district.
Representatives become voting members in two ways:
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By running for office and being elected as a representative of the municipal council during the annual municipal elections.
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By collecting paperwork and signatures from at least 30 registered voters in the candidate’s district before the annual city council meeting. Papers must be turned in at least 28 days before a scheduled town meeting. After signatures are verified, a notice is sent to city council representatives in the candidate’s district, informing them that an election will take place before the scheduled city council meeting. If the candidate is elected by fellow City Council representatives in their district, they will be sworn in by the City Clerk before the City Council begins.
How are issues voted on?
Most warrant articles are decided by voice vote.
A voice vote can be questioned by at least seven members by standing up after the moderator announces the result of the vote. Each district is then polled by standing vote. Other methods may include a roll call vote, which requires a majority, or a secret ballot, which requires two-thirds.
When is the city council meeting?
This year’s Annual Town Meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 20 at 7:00 PM at the Upper Town Hall, 52 Main St. (Route 16).
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Milford discusses 31 warrant articles May 20 at annual Town Meeting
