Middleboro Selectmen reduce quorum to guarantee town meeting success

MIDDLEBORO – Annual Town Meeting in Middleboro is finally taking place on Thursday, June 25, beginning at 7 p.m., at the Nichols Middle School Auditorium.

Town officials delayed Town Meeting for several months due to the state’s Emergency Executive Order pertaining to the pandemic. Despite discussions, Town Meeting will be in person and not done remotely.

Because of worries over getting sufficient numbers to attend, as well as providing resources to abide by social distancing and sanitation guidelines inside a building, the Board of Selectmen held a special meeting on Tuesday, June 16, to discuss and officially reduce the required quorum to 30.

Quorum reduction was recently approved by the state as a means to help municipalities pass essential measures which require a public vote, such as approval of the town and school district operating budgets, sanction repairs to town buildings, pass or amend bylaws, further advance financing of capital projects, and other acts that can’t be delayed.

“It’s a safeguard so that we have enough people to conduct business,” said Diane Stewart, outgoing board chair.

The law passed by the state allows municipalities to reduce their quorum by as much as 90%, meaning the town can reduce the needed attendance from 150 to as few as 15. This rule only applies for this particular period and doesn’t carry over into future town meetings.

“This certainly doesn’t mean the town shouldn’t come out to vote. It just means the town can continue and get its business done,” said Lauren Goldberg, attorney for KP Law, acting as consultant to the town in matters related to state’s current state of emergency.

Goldberg pointed out that while other towns have been reducing their quorums, attendance numbers have been larger than anticipated. “It’s great many people from the community are coming out. This is just an insurance mechanism,” she said.

No board member or elected official involved with Town Meeting wished to reduce the quorum to its absolute lowest.

Town Moderator Rob Desrosiers stated the Nichols School Auditorium can accommodate between 100-120 attendees when following social distancing guidelines of a minimum of 6 feet of distance between voters. If more space is required, speakers, a video screen and walkie-talkies can be implemented in the gymnasium for overflow numbers.

“I’m certain we’ll get 30. I don’t want to go any lower,” said Desrosiers.

Thirty, or 20% of regular quorum, was the recommended number and the Select Board voted unanimously to set this amount in place for Town Meeting.

Some 33 articles will be voted on at Annual Town Meeting. The board voted to table the Article for updating the town’s floodplain maps as FEMA recently postponed updating its national Flood Insurance Program until next year.

Everyone is advised to wear a mask to Town Meeting.