Annual Town Meeting 2025 concluded Monday night, 14 April 2025, after six ATM sessions and one earlier Special Town Meeting (STM) session. We voted on numerous Articles, generally without much controversy but in some cases after vigorous debate.
Overall I thought TM did an excellent job assessing the issues and making considered decisions. I was particularly impressed by the skill, good humor, and authority demonstrated by our Moderator Deborah Brown throughout our lengthy sessions.
That said, I was struck by several Articles’ surprisingly high cost relative to their prospective benefits and on these, I voted No (they passed anyway).
Articles of note:
— Articles 2 (Special Town Meeting), & 34 – Pause new multifamily developments in MBTA zoning districts, and other related zoning adjustments… I voted Yes, and all passed.
— Article 10a – Design trail from Cotton Farm to Community Center – I voted No due to high initial design cost and high potential but still unknown future cost – Passed
— Article 10h – New athletic fields at Harrington — I voted Yes after we were informed at the last minute that we would use natural grass for field surfaces – Passed
— Article 12k – Design new parking lot at Lincoln Park – I voted No due to very high design cost ($375K) and extremely high expected construction cost (~$4M) – Passed
— Article 26 – Local voting rights for lawful permanent residents – Voted Yes — Passed
— Article 27 – Allow 16 year olds local voted rights – Voted No — Failed.
— Article 23 – Issue RFP & select responsive developer for affordable housing (AH) project on town land at 116 Vine – I voted No based on my assessment that this project would be financially nonviable without substantial financial contributions from the town beyond donating town land, a cost that would not be justified by the project’s small AH benefit (expected ~6 units). There are other better opportunities for town investments to expand affordable housing, an important goal that I support. (Click here for more about 116 Vine) – Passed
Here’s the link to see how TM members voted on all Articles over our 6 sessions… Scroll down to Electronic Votes Per Session and click on the session of interest: https://lexingtonma.gov/2294/2025-Annual-Town-Meeting-Legal-Postings-
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