The Select Board will be meeting tonight in their first meeting since the April election. The first item of business, other than public comment will be a vote to re-organize the board. Typically this happens in the first meeting after the election but with Reading’s first recount since 2004 scheduled for this Saturday, the board will have 2 options; Proceed as usual or delay the vote until their May 9th meeting.
Next, with the anticipated parking kiosks roll out in June, the board will be discussing and potentially voting on recommendations of parking violation fees and changes. The police department has analyzed the parking violations and fines for Reading and our surrounding communities. The police department recommends the following changes in order to update the fee structure and be consistent with surrounding communities:
- Group A Violations: Increase from $20 to $25 (No Parking Zones, Overtime Parking, Wrong Direction, Blocking Private Road/Driveway, etc.)
- Group B Violations: Increase from $50 to $100 (Ten Feet from Hydrant, Fire Lane)
- Group C violations: Increase from $100 to $300 (Illegal Parking in Handicap Spaces)
Lastly, there is a discussion on the purchase of real property for municipal use, including a potential executive session under Purpose 6 to consider the value of 17 Harnden Street, the former Walgreens building as a potential senior/community center. In a previous packet, it’s listed as a total projected project cost of $28.43m – $34.8m.
- 7:00 Overview of Meeting
- 7:05 Public Comment
- 7:10 Select Board Vote to Reorganize
- 7:30 SB Liaison & Town Manager Reports
- 7:45 Select Board Appointment of Temporary Board of Registrars Member, in accordance with M.G.L. c. 51, s.20
- 8:00 Discussion and Potential Vote on recommendations of parking violation fees and potential changes
- 8:30 Discuss Revisions to Section 1.2.5 of Reading’s Select Board Policy
- 8:45 Discuss the purchase of real property for municipal use, including a potential executive session under Purpose 6 to consider the value of 17 Harnden Street
- 9:15 Discuss Future Agendas
- 9:30 Approve Meeting Minutes
The meeting will take place in the Select Board meeting room at Town Hall at 7pm. The public can attend in person or watch via several options: via a broadcast on RCTV’s YouTube channel at this link or on the RCTV Government Channel (Xfinity ch 22, Verizon ch 33). The Zoom link for this meeting is: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82138792845
