Weston Select Board signals delay of town election and town meeting to early June

WESTON — March 24, 2020 — Weston signals delay of town election to May 30 and town meeting to June 2. The Select Board voted 3-0 to put residents on notice that the May 8 election and May 11 town meeting will not happen, after Town Counsel Lauren Goldberg walked members through Chapter 45 of the Acts of 2020, which authorizes postponement through June 30 and expands absentee voting. Town Manager Leon Gaumond reported 15 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 66 residents under daily monitoring. The board also voted 3-0 to formally close all public playgrounds through at least April 6 and to designate Chair Chris Houston as the emergency decision-maker authorized to act with the town manager. Finance Committee Chair Lisa told the board the committee wants to pull Articles 6, 20, 21 and 22 from the consent agenda and is reconsidering the FY21 budget's 5.3 percent increase, including the proposed sustainability coordinator. Houston pushed back: he wants FinCom on record committing to accelerate contributions "when things pick back up," warning against a pattern of cutting "when things are good" and "even more" when things are bad.