By Carol Britton Meyer

What started out as a special town meeting called by the select board in response to a citizen’s petition related to a potential additional package store license for the town has evolved into a warrant that will include at least nine agenda items – some of them controversial – and possibly more.

Soon after the first citizen’s petition was submitted to the Town Clerk, a second one was submitted asking voters to amend the town’s zoning bylaw and overturn the ban on recreational marijuana sales resulting from a related 2018 town meeting vote. (See related story.) While those two articles are sure to be of interest to voters, so will the warrant article asking for town meeting approval of additional funding of as much as $1 million for the Fort Revere Tower rehabilitation project, because the bids came in much higher than the earlier $2.2 million borrowing approved at the May 2022 annual town meeting.

The special town meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 31, due to the state requirement to call for a special town meeting within a particular timeframe if requested through a citizen’s petition, even though summer is not considered the best time.

“I think this meeting will go longer than one night,” Town Moderator George Boylen told the select board Wednesday. The dates to which the special town meeting may need to be continued have not yet been decided, but Wednesday, Sept. 6, and Thursday, Sept. 7, if a third night is needed are under consideration – working around summer vacation and Labor Day weekend and depending on the availability of Town Clerk’s Office staff and space at Hull High School, where the meeting will be held.

“It’s like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole,” Town Counsel James Lampke said, referring to the inconvenient timing of the meeting and the tight timeframe to prepare.

Chair Greg Grey noted that even though the special town meeting timing isn’t ideal and the Select Board could defer proposed articles other than citizen’s petitions – which must appear on the warrant – until the next town meeting, it might be wise to deal with them now because they would eventually need to be addressed and some are time-sensitive.

Other warrant articles relate to consideration of a revised accessory dwelling unit proposal geared toward aging in place and occupancy by family members; consolidating related warrant articles under a single vote in order to streamline the town meeting process – proposed by Boylen; changes proposed by Climate Adaptation & Conservation Director Chris Krahforst, with more details to come; and an appropriation to pay for highway department equipment in addition to three articles related to the recreational marijuana proposal.

All articles involving zoning bylaws have been referred to the Planning Board for its consideration at public meetings.

Citizen’s petitions for the Aug. 31 special town meeting will be accepted until Monday, Aug. 14, at 3 p.m., according to Town Clerk Lori West. A