ROCKPORT — Annual Town Meeting 2020 in Rockport took an historic deviation from tradition Aug. 18 when all municipal business was conducted in the voting booth at the town office, instead of voting from the floor at the Opera House.

Despite the disruption of normal convention — voting at the polls and from the floor in June — approximately 550 voters went to the polls to cast their ballots, and ended up voting for two board members — Michelle Hannan and incumbent Mark Kelley — and approving two citizen petition warrant articles that arose in opposition to plans for a proposed hotel in Rockport Village. 

Read Rockport’s Aug. 18 Town Meeting presents significant warrant: Select Board race, petitions, zoning changes for the complete petition referendum questions.

Voters also approved a a $6.4 million municipal budget,  which represented a $321,442, or 5.2% increase, over last year, and they approved a nonbinding referendum calling for a ban on consumer fireworks. (337 to 222)

Town Manager Bill Post, in his budget summary for the town, attributed the budget increase to: “In general, non-union employees are being provided a 3% wage increase to be consistent with previous years. Included in this year’s budget was funding for a comprehensive wage study. That has not been completed as I am reviewing and revising all job descriptions before undertaking the wage study.”

The 33-article town meeting warrant included two citizen-petitioned articles, land use ordinance amendments and business articles. All the articles on the warrant passed.

Petitions to place two questions on the ballot circulated earlier this year, and their inclusion resulted in Article 3 and 4 on the warrant.

The articles call for, respectively, new parking rules that call for traffic studies and limits on hotel rooms in the downtown zoning district.

Article 3 passed at a vote of 332 to 250.

Article 4 passed at 328 to 271.

Article 5: Shall an Ordinance entitled, “Ordinance amending the Town of Rockport Land Use Ordinance at Section 1302 to revise the requirements for a site review pre-application, and to allow the Planning Board to require the applicant to perform additional studies be enacted?” passed 292 to 231.

Article 6: Shall an Ordinance entitled, “Ordinance amending the Town of Rockport Land Use Ordinance, making minor corrections and clarifications throughout,” be enacted? Town of Rockport Land Use Ordinance All applicable references to a Special Exception shall be changed to the term Conditional Use. All applicable references stating that the Board of Appeals shall issue a Special Exception shall be changed to the Planning Board shall issue a Conditional Use,” passed 300 to 266.

Article 7: Shall an Ordinance entitled, “Ordinance amending the Town of Rockport Floodplain Management Ordinance at Section P 2.b. (3) to revise the requirements for a breakaway wall,” be enacted, passed 441 to 119.

Article 8: Shall an Ordinance entitled, “Ordinance amending the Town of Rockport Land Use Ordinance at Section 800 to revise the following : Requirements for Parking, Traffic Circulation, Access and Street Design standards in subsection 803.1 to exclude off street parking requirements in the Downtown District 913 be enacted?” passed 366 to 187.

Article 9: Shall an Ordinance entitled, “Ordinance amending the Town of Rockport Land Use Ordinance, making minor corrections and clarifications throughout,” be enacted? passed 299 to 249.

Article 10: Shall an Ordinance entitled “Ordinance amending the Town of Rockport Floodplain Management Ordinance at Section P 2.b. (3) to revise the requirements for a breakaway wall,” be enacted passed 424 to 98.

Article 11. Shall an Ordinance entitled, “Ordinance amending the Town of Rockport Land Use Ordinance at Section 800 to revise the following : Requirements for Parking, Traffic Circulation, Access and Street Design standards to revise the following sub-sections 803.1, 803.2 , 803.3, and 803.4 ” be enacted?” passed 442 to 97.

The remaining articles on the warrant pertaining to the budget and regular municipal business all were likewise approved.

Click here for the sample ballot

Click here for the warrant

(Click here for the full proposed changes to each section in the Land Use Ordinance)

See more town meeting info here