No actions can be taken at Monday night's special town meeting

WHAT WILL HAPPEN AT MONDAY'S SPECIAL TOWN MEETING?

IN SHORT, NOTHING CAN HAPPEN

Even in the unlikely circumstance that a quorum of 175 voters attends, nothing can happen except to vote to adjourn. While the meeting must be held, there is nothing else that can be done.

A special town meeting called by petition will be held on Monday night - there is no provision for canceling a town meeting - but there can be no action taken on either of the two articles that constitute the entirety of the warrant.

Article 1, which would have funded the building of a new library on the portion of the Reedy Meadow Golf Course property, is not properly before the meeting. The Finance Committee would have had to vote to recommend that the article be put before the voters again. Earlier this month, it voted not to recommend not to do so.

Article 2, which would have transferred the land in question to the Board of Library Trustees for that purpose, is also not properly before the meeting. The Planning Board originally voted to recommend that the article move forward, but on Thursday night it reconsidered and rescinded that vote based on the actions taken by the Finance Committee on Article 1.

These boards have the power to stop action on warrant articles under the town charter, because identical warrant articles were not passed by the fall town meeting. Any spending article resubmitted within one year of defeat must have the Finance Committee's vote to bring it forward again. Any land use article resubmitted within two years of defeat must have the Planning Board's vote to bring it forward again.

Special town meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the Lynnfield Middle School on Monday, March 18 as required. A small crew of Town officials will be there to explain to voters these circumstances.