Middlesex Town Meeting Solutions Committee
Meeting Minutes
January 9, 2006
Present: Susan Clark, Sandy Levine, Dave Shepard, Barb Whitchurch, Greg Whitchurch

1. Zoning Proposal Information Session
The TMSC will be hosting an information session about the proposed zoning regulations on January 18, 2006, at the Town Hall. It will be organized by breaking the town into five neighborhoods with a table for each. A member of the Planning Commission will be at each table to answer questions from town residents. Members of the Town Meeting Solutions Committee (TMSC) can act as greeters and direct people to their neighborhood. Ideas for publicizing the session included The World, possibly the Times Argus and WDEV. Barb offered to check with WDEV and Greg with The World. Susan has provided a notice to go into the weekly Friday Notes that go home with students at Rumney School.

TMSC members agreed to call at least three Middlesex residents to notify them of the informational session and encourage them to come. TMSC members will also call the members of the Planning Commission to ask them to make some phone calls. Dave agreed to call Commission members Paula Crossett and Steve Martin and Barb and Greg offered to call Lowell Smith and Greg Faber.

The TMSC has not position on zoning (for or against). This committees work is focused purely on making sure all voters are informed on the issues.

A second informational session will be offered on February 8th.

2. Town Web Site
Dave noted that the 2004 zoning proposal that was defeated by voters in November, 2004 remains on the web site. Greg said he would remove it. Dave also mentioned that the Conservation Commission would like to put more material on the website and asked if Greg thought the organizational structure proposed for a Conservation Commission page was doable. Greg responded that the structure looked acceptable to him and that the Commission could send him content.

3. Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes
Minutes from Town Meeting Solution’s Committee (TMSC) meeting of December 12, 2005, were reviewed. Greg made a motion to approve the minutes with a second by Barb. Minutes were approved.

4. Middlesex Town Budget Information for Town Meeting
Susan reported she met with John Riley about the charts he has prepared detailing the town budget. The information includes a spreadsheet with information on the cost of individual articles as compared to a specific property value (e.g. cost to an owner of a $100,000 home). Once the Select Board has prepared the budget to be voted on at Town Meeting they will send the information to John Riley so that he can add it to his charts and tables. The budget presentation will need to include a disclaimer that there are some unknowns in the budget that can’t be precisely presented at the time of Town Meeting.

5. Childcare for Town Meeting
Susan and Kelly Ault will meet with Ann Gilbert of Community Connections on January 20, 2006, to plan the details of childcare to be offered for Town Meeting. The plan will include one paid staff person with the rest to be volunteers. A suggested donation will be requested. Any money beyond the cost of providing the childcare will go to Community Connections.

6. Town Meeting Invocation
Susan has contacted U32 for a list of Middlesex students who are new voters this year. The plan is to ask one of these new voters to read a town meeting invocation that was written by the town of Danville and used at their town meeting.

7. Town Meeting Preparation
TMSC will again organize a cleaning of Town Hall for February 23 at 7:00 p.m.

Dave agreed to be the contact for anyone who may wish to request transportation to Town Meeting.

8. Middlesex History Book
It is not certain yet if this book will be available for sale by Town Meeting but residents could at least order a copy at Town Meeting. It may also be possible to have a slide show running during the day of images from the book.

The next meeting of the TMSC will be on February 13, 2006 at the Town Hall at 7:00 p.m.

Minutes recorded by Dave Shepard