2024 Article 19

What does it do

On behalf of Brookline, calls for various parties to decrease violence (which parties and how strenuously it calls on them to decrease violence depends on the amendments.)

What do I think

I too object to violence, but I don't feel Town Meeting is obligated to speak for Brookline.

This seems engineered to upset everyone before they go home. I don't see what this accomplishes that an open letter to your representatives in Congress or the White House wouldn't.

How will I vote and why

Unless I see a convincing theory of impact, I'm inclined to abstain from a vote on this measure.

2024 Article 18

What it does

The Article imagines an endowment funded by siphoning off a little money now and somehow more in the future. Its advocates explain a lengthy model of interest accruals to show how a little upfront savings in the present and moderate savings in the near future would provide Brookline with a lot of money in the distant future.

What I think

I feel like we're being sold something we don't need, and that the surplus funds essentially already serve this purpose.

If you think we have a windfall and shouldn't spend it, make that argument.

If you think the surplus funds should be invested differently, make that argument.

If you think the surplus fund should be limited or spent differently, make that argument.

Reserve instruments like this Social Wealth Fund to address looming future concerns like the program it cites in Berlin, which is focused on an expected set of future climate impacts.

How I'll vote and why

I'm a no on this one. Funding instruments like this complicate the state of the town's finances, exposing it to additional risk and costs, and making discussions of budgets and revenues harder to track.

2024 Article 14

 What it does

It allows people to install heat pumps and car chargers near property lines. It's currently doable with a permit, and the Article's supporters point out that every application for these permits has been approved. This Article hopes to deliver cost and time savings by allowing such installation without a permit.

What I think

This sounds good initially. Heat pumps and car chargers are important. As the explanation highlights, we need many of them installed in the next 16 years to meet Brookline's climate goals.

Placement of outdoor units of air exchange heat pumps near property lines could negatively impact neighboring outdoor spaces, but the noise control bylaw would likely prevent that(1). Omitting them from Article 14 would sacrifice some of its beneficial effect of assisting owners in dense areas electrifying their heating.

How I'll vote and why

I support this article and will vote for it in its present state. 

Notes:

1: A landscaper suggested moving our AC condenser to the property line to blow hot air and noise into a public space, and this would permit that with the outdoor unit of an air exchange heat pump. I think installations like that would still be prevented by the noise control bylaw.

2024 Article 17

What it does

    Let retired police officers use their training to direct traffic at construction sites. It would give Brookline PD more flexibility as they seek to staff every site with a voluntary detail.

What I think

    Massachusetts is out of step with other states by requiring police officers to flag construction sites. This is structured to affect availability but not the cost of flagging and maintains a strange relationship between flagging and policework that seems like it's a political favor for the police force that's serving everyone badly in this regard. Can we amend it to make a positive difference by allowing civilians to train for and fill these jobs?

How I'll vote and why

    This is a small, incremental improvement, but it is an improvement. I'm concerned it might weaken the coalition to properly reform flagging as I see it, but I weigh that against the work that it takes to get this far and the notion that if this won't pass, we shouldn't expect a larger change to be able to pass either. In two-party politics, marginal improvements that come at the expense of a coalition's unity can be a real problem, but with the structure of Brookline's government, there's a chance to make the incremental change and see what happens. 

2024 Articles 1

    So this is confusing. There are two Article 1s because there are two Town Meeting warrants: May 28, 2024 ANNUAL TOWN MEETING and May 28, 2024 SPECIAL TOWN MEETING. Here, you get a sense of my process after I wrote up an opinion of Article 1 for Brookline Pax, and then saw a different Article 1 altogether in the warrant. If/When I do this again, I should probably come up with a plan to separate similarly numbered articles.

The "SPECIAL" Article 1

is easier to take seriously:

Special Town Meeting Article Explanations

What it does

    Permit the Town of Brookline to have a geothermal system under the Pierce School Playground's baseball field and to commence construction of the system.

What I think

    Heat pumps are like magic. With 1 watt of electricity, they can bring 3 watts into a house, cutting emissions and costs, even when the electricity they use is generated with fossil fuels. Elimination of a furnace or boiler improves the indoor air quality of spaces, which has shown benefits to health and learning. By using electricity to heat a space, heat pumps also avoid a commitment to the consumption of fossil fuels over the lifetime of a new system. With improvements in cold weather performance, heat pumps are cost-competitive with conventional furnaces/boilers.

    Using the ground as a thermal reservoir allows for better performance, presumably paying for itself. Furthermore, an underground system should be quieter and make better use of the limited space in Brookline once constructed. Installing a state-of-the-art HVAC system in the new Pierce School is worth the temporary loss of use of a field. I'd be excited to do this in my yard if feasible.

How I'll vote

    I'll vote yes, the plan's already made, the money's already allocated, and the plan seems like a good one. Let me know if you have questions about systems like these, how they save money, their environmental impact, or the specifics of this project.

The "ANNUAL" Article 1 

is a rhyming couplet that's almost shorter than its explanation:

To see if the Town will establish that the number of Measurers of Wood and Bark be two, 
to be appointed by the Select Board, or act on anything relative thereto.

The appointment by the "Select *Board*" is itself a pun.

What it does

    This is a celebration of an old law and an old system of government, but maybe also a reminder not to take ourselves too seriously and that we can trust each other's good intentions.

What I think

    It took me a bit to see what this was for and respect the effort. I think of myself as busy and that I don't have time for this sort of thing, but it's better than the alternative of wasting time leaning into conflict.

How I'll vote

    I'm not sure it matters; I'll try to adhere to tradition and give space for this part of the process.

2024 Article 13

What does it do

    It provides a small increase to the area and amenities that may be provided to new Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). It simplifies the process of constructing and obtaining occupancy permits for ADUs. It applies an effective cap to ADU rent charged by a non-occupying owner for a period of 15 years, with threat of revoking occupancy permit. The cap is 30% of a median income in this area.

What do I think

    This might have a small positive impact on housing availability in Brookline. It removes some barriers to convincing the town you deserve an ADU and allows ADUs to be more practical without overturning structural impediments to rapid growth. This is limited in the amount of development that can happen on a given property and prevented from being monetized by investors seeking to do anything other than build houses that people want to buy and occupy. New construction might have weird incentives to prepare a space for one of these units to effectively extend the permitted construction by 40%. After 5 years, there are currently 3 ADUs in Brookline. If this passes and increases the prevalence of ADUs tenfold, there will be 30 more housing units in Brookline.

How will I vote and why

    I'm for dense, open, heterogeneous spaces where shared resources like transit, parks, and commercial spaces thrive. This Article anticipates aesthetic objections and cabins in its scope so as not to offend, which will limit its efficacy, but it still reflects an improvement to the ADU guidelines. I'll support this Article.

Why I'm writing this

    Two things happened to convince me to write about the articles and votes in Brookline Town Meeting. My neighbor wrote a blog that did exactly this when he served a decade ago. Reading it gave me a sense of what to expect, but I started to see why writing one of my own  made sense when the League of Women Voters asked, "What should your responsibility be to your precinct and how will you communicate and engage with your constituents?" I'm hoping that writing a blog like that gives me a space to be accountable and to shape my ideas. I hope to get through the articles that will be addressed in the next Town Meeting by the election. You'll be able to see how I do.

    This is also a good time to express my gratitude for the candidate questionnaires which give me a space to share my ideas and ideals with interested voters. These questionnaires are varied, and instructional. When there were nuanced issues or contested elections on the ballot, the guides produced by these organizations formed the basis for the choices I made.