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Municipal votes · April–June 2023 Board

Belmont Select Board

How the Belmont Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 3 Select Board members elected townwide for three-year terms. Elizabeth Dionne joined the board after the April 4, 2023 town election, succeeding Adam Dash. On April 7, 2023 the board voted that Mark Paolillo remain Chair and appointed Roy Epstein Vice Chair, each through June 30, 2023 (3-0); in spring 2023 the board moved its annual change of officers to July 1, the start of the fiscal year. Covers 17 meetings, April 7 to June 26, 2023.

A monthly email on what it voted on, starting in November.

What does the Select Board do? It is the town’s executive board. It prepares the Town Meeting warrant (the list of articles voters decide), appoints members of many town boards, hires the town’s top staff, signs warrants to pay town bills, and grants licenses and permits.

Town Meeting, not the Select Board, votes the town budget and town bylaws.

Sources: Massachusetts Select Board Handbook (MMA) · Mass. Division of Local Services: the town budget
Election Day · Tuesday, Nov 3

Your Belmont ballot: 13 quizzes, about a minute each.

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Board years

Coming up

From the agendas Belmont posts on its official site. Agendas can change; the posted agenda is the official one.

What Town Meeting decided

In Belmont, Town Meeting — not the Select Board — votes the town budget, bylaws and zoning. Here is what it did with each article, in the Town Clerk’s own words. Town Meeting members are elected by precinct; counts are from the town’s electronic voting.

Special Town Meeting · October 20, 2025 16 votes: 13 passed, 1 failed, 2 no action

Sessions: October 20 and October 22, 2025

Source: Town of Belmont 2025 Annual Town Report, Appendix A: Special Town Meeting, October 20, 2025 - motions and votes (PDF pp. 396-402).

Special Town Meeting · July 23, 2025 3 votes: 3 passed

Sessions: July 23, 2025 (held by remote access)

Source: Town of Belmont 2025 Annual Town Report, Appendix A: Special Town Meeting, July 23, 2025 - motions and votes (PDF p. 378).

Special Town Meeting · May 21, 2025 4 votes: 2 passed, 1 indefinitely postponed, 1 no action

Source: Town of Belmont 2025 Annual Town Report, Appendix A: Special Town Meeting, May 21, 2025 - motions and votes (PDF pp. 352-353).

Annual Town Meeting · May 5, 2025 43 votes: 39 passed, 3 indefinitely postponed, 1 no action

Sessions: May 5, 7, 12, 19 and 21, 2025 (session dates as stated in the record)

Source: Town of Belmont 2025 Annual Town Report, Appendix A: Annual Town Meeting, May 2025 - motions and votes (PDF pp. 257-269).

Special Town Meeting · March 3, 2025 3 votes: 1 passed, 1 passed as amended, 1 no action

Sessions: March 3, 2025 (held by remote access)

Source: Town of Belmont 2025 Annual Town Report, Appendix A: Special Town Meeting, March 3, 2025 - motions and votes (PDF pp. 196-198).

Special Town Meeting · November 18, 2024 11 votes: 9 passed, 1 passed as amended, 1 indefinitely postponed

Sessions: Opened November 18, 2024; session dates after the first are not listed in the record

Source: Town of Belmont 2024 Annual Town Report, Appendix A: Special Town Meeting, November 18, 2024 - motions and votes (PDF pp. 334-388).

Special Town Meeting · June 26, 2024 2 votes: 1 passed, 1 no action

Sessions: June 26, 2024 (held by remote access)

Source: Town of Belmont 2024 Annual Town Report, Appendix A: Special Town Meeting, June 26, 2024 - motions and votes, attested by the Town Clerk (PDF pp. 275-276).

Special Town Meeting · June 5, 2024 3 votes: 2 passed, 1 no action

Source: Town of Belmont 2024 Annual Town Report, Appendix A: Special Town Meeting, June 5, 2024 - motions and votes (PDF p. 267).

Annual Town Meeting · April 29, 2024 48 votes: 44 passed, 2 passed as amended, 2 no action

Sessions: Opened April 29, 2024 (Segment A) with a later budget segment (Segment B); session dates are not listed in the record

Source: Town of Belmont 2024 Annual Town Report, Appendix A: Annual Town Meeting, April 29, 2024 - motions and votes (PDF pp. 249-262).

Special Town Meeting · January 22, 2024 2 votes: 2 passed

Sessions: January 22, 2024 (held by remote access)

Source: Town of Belmont 2024 Annual Town Report, Appendix A: Special Town Meeting, January 22, 2024 - motions and votes, attested by the Town Clerk (PDF p. 230).

Not here yet: Belmont's 2026 meetings (March 4 Special, May 4 Annual and May 18 Special Town Meetings) are not here because the Town Clerk has posted only electronic roll-call tallies for them, which do not say whether each motion passed; the November 16, 2026 Special Town Meeting has not happened yet.

Titles are short descriptions of each article from the official record; the quoted words are the Town Clerk’s. A vote at Town Meeting is not the final word on everything: some articles also need a ballot vote (such as a tax override) or the Attorney General’s approval (bylaws).

Members

Elizabeth DionneMember · At-large · at 17 of 17 meetings

"At X of Y meetings" counts the members the minutes list as present at the start of each meeting in this record. Members who step out are listed on each meeting page.

Meetings

About missing minutes

Loaded: Belmont Select Board minutes from January 8, 2018 through September 21, 2026: 400 meetings and 3,612 votes. The town’s Agenda Center holds the board’s minutes back to 2012; MassVoter has loaded 2018 on. The board was the Board of Selectmen; the minutes switch to the name Select Board in the fall of 2019 (first on September 16, 2019), with both names used until the end of that year. Minutes from 2022 on are typed documents with searchable text; the 2018 to 2021 minutes are copier scans, and 219 of them had little or no text, so MassVoter read them with text recognition and checked where names or counts were unclear. Joint meetings with the School Committee, Warrant Committee, Board of Assessors and other boards are loaded when the Select Board voted as a board; only the Select Board’s votes are shown, and joint meetings where it took no vote of its own are left out. Not here: executive-session minutes; cancelled meetings and meetings without a quorum; site visits; meetings with an agenda but no posted minutes, among them May 11, June 3 and June 8, 2026; dates where the file posted belongs to another meeting or board (several 2018 Belmont High School Building Committee files, the April 30, 2018 evening slot, and repeated 2024 postings, each loaded once under its own date); and meetings after September 21, 2026 other than that one: the July 13, July 20, August 10, August 12 (with the Board of Assessors), August 31, September 9, September 28 and October 5, 2026 minutes are not posted yet. Belmont’s minutes usually say a motion “was seconded and passed unanimously” or “unanimously by roll call vote,” with an attendance list at the top (present, remote, absent); split votes give a count and name the member voting no or abstaining (“passed 2-1 with Ms. Berberian voting in opposition”). On a three-member board, a named no or abstention with the others voting yes names every vote. A count equal to the members present, or unanimous wording, is shown as every member present voting yes. Where the count and the names in the minutes disagree, or a split count names no one, we show the count only (17 votes), and where the minutes give no count or names (mostly 2018’s “The BOS voted in favor”) we show the result only (68 votes). Members who recused themselves or were out of the room are not shown in that vote; members who arrived late or left early are shown only in the votes they were there for. A motion with no recorded outcome is not counted as a vote. We will ask the town to confirm any noted vote.

Monday, June 26, 2023 · Regular meeting12 recorded votes, 12 with disagreementAll 3 members presentThursday, June 22, 2023 · Regular meeting3 recorded votes, 0 with disagreementAll 3 members presentThursday, June 15, 2023 · Regular meeting2 recorded votes, 2 with disagreementAll 3 members presentWednesday, June 7, 2023 · Regular meeting7 recorded votes, 7 with disagreementAll 3 members presentMonday, June 5, 2023 · Regular meeting12 recorded votes, 12 with disagreementAll 3 members present

Votes where members disagreed

Most board votes are unanimous. These are the ones where at least one member voted no or abstained, newest first.

Jun 26Approve the request from the Belmont Youth Activities and…Motion: A Motion was made to approve the request from the Belmont…Passed Unanimous, 3 present · see note

June 26, 2023: Approve the request from the Belmont Youth Activities and D.A.R.E., Inc. to use the rear portion of the Claflin Street Municipal Parking Lot for a Touch-A-Truck event on Saturday, October…

ApprovePassed · Unanimous, 3 present

A Motion was made to approve the request from the Belmont Youth Activities and D.A.R.E., Inc. to use the rear portion of the Claflin Street Municipal Parking Lot for a Touch-A-Truck event on Saturday, October 7 from 11:00 am - 2:00 pm. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously by 3-0 vote.

The minutes do not say who made this motion.

From the minutes

“A Motion was made to approve the request from the Belmont Youth Activities and D.A.R.E., Inc. to use the rear portion of the Claflin Street Municipal Parking Lot for a Touch-A-Truck event on Saturday, October 7 from 11:00 am - 2:00 pm. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously by 3-0 vote..”

Read it in the official minutes, page 3 (PDF)

Jun 26Approve the contract to repair the Town Hall slate…Motion: A Motion was made to approve the contract to repair the…Passed Unanimous, 3 present · see note

June 26, 2023: Approve the contract to repair the Town Hall slate roof to Almar, LLC in the amount of $147,250.00 plus 10% contingency and authorize Patrice Garvin, Town Administrator, to sign on…

ApprovePassed · Unanimous, 3 present

A Motion was made to approve the contract to repair the Town Hall slate roof to Almar, LLC in the amount of $147,250.00 plus 10% contingency and authorize Patrice Garvin, Town Administrator, to sign on behalf of the Select Board. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously by 3-0 vote.

The minutes do not say who made this motion.

From the minutes

“A Motion was made to approve the contract to repair the Town Hall slate roof to Almar, LLC in the amount of $147,250.00 plus 10% contingency and authorize Patrice Garvin, Town Administrator, to sign on behalf of the Select Board. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously by 3-0 vote..”

Read it in the official minutes, page 3 (PDF)

Jun 26Approve the contract for phone system replacement to Sangoma…Motion: A Motion was made to approve the contract for phone system…Passed Unanimous, 3 present · see note

June 26, 2023: Approve the contract for phone system replacement to Sangoma Technologies Corp, Ontario, Canada, in the amount of $23,077.42 per month for 60 months

ApprovePassed · Unanimous, 3 present

A Motion was made to approve the contract for phone system replacement to Sangoma Technologies Corp, Ontario, Canada, in the amount of $23,077.42 per month for 60 months. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously by 3-0 vote.

The minutes do not say who made this motion.

From the minutes

“A Motion was made to approve the contract for phone system replacement to Sangoma Technologies Corp, Ontario, Canada, in the amount of $23,077.42 per month for 60 months. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously by 3-0 vote..”

Read it in the official minutes, page 3 (PDF)

Jun 26Accept $118,000 in donations to the Belmont Rink and…Motion: A Motion was made to accept $118,000 in donations to the…Passed Unanimous, 3 present · see note

June 26, 2023: Accept $118,000 in donations to the Belmont Rink and Sports Facility

ApprovePassed · Unanimous, 3 present

A Motion was made to accept $118,000 in donations to the Belmont Rink and Sports Facility. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously by 3-0 vote.

The minutes do not say who made this motion.

From the minutes

“A Motion was made to accept $118,000 in donations to the Belmont Rink and Sports Facility. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously by 3-0 vote..”

Read it in the official minutes, page 3 (PDF)

Jun 26Grant an Agricultural Wine permit to the Aaronap Cellars,…Motion: A Motion was made to grant an Agricultural Wine permit to…Passed Unanimous, 3 present · see note

June 26, 2023: Grant an Agricultural Wine permit to the Aaronap Cellars, LLC for the Housing Bear Brewing, LLC, to sell wine at the Belmont Farmers Market for a period of once a…

ApprovePassed · Unanimous, 3 present

A Motion was made to grant an Agricultural Wine permit to the Aaronap Cellars, LLC for the Housing Bear Brewing, LLC, to sell wine at the Belmont Farmers Market for a period of once a month (lune 29, July 27, August 24, September 21 and October 19 for the remainder of the Belmont Farmers Market 2023 season. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously

The minutes do not say who made this motion.

From the minutes

“A Motion was made to grant an Agricultural Wine permit to the Aaronap Cellars, LLC for the Housing Bear Brewing, LLC, to sell wine at the Belmont Farmers Market for a period of once a month (lune 29, July 27, August 24, September 21 and October 19 for the remainder of the Belmont Farmers Market 2023 season. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.”

Read it in the official minutes, page 3 (PDF)

Jun 26The parking configuration in front of the Post Office…Motion: A Motion was made that the parking configuration in front of…Passed 2–1 · No: Dionne

June 26, 2023: The parking configuration in front of the Post Office be restored so that the parking is along the curb, with the exact limits of that area to be determined by…

ApprovePassed · 2–1

A Motion was made that the parking configuration in front of the Post Office be restored so that the parking is along the curb, with the exact limits of that area to be determined by July 10, 2023. The motion was seconded and passed 2-1 with Ms. Dionne opposed.

Yes: Epstein, PaolilloNo: DionneThe minutes do not say who made this motion.

From the minutes

“A Motion was made that the parking configuration in front of the Post Office be restored so that the parking is along the curb, with the exact limits of that area to be determined by July 10, 2023. The motion was seconded and passed 2-1 with Ms. Dionne opposed..”

Read it in the official minutes, page 5 (PDF)

Jun 26Approve the new Common Victualler licenses to Dunkin Donuts,…Motion: Dunkin Donuts, 353 Trapelo Road, Belmont A Motion was made to…Passed Unanimous, 3 present · see note

June 26, 2023: Approve the new Common Victualler licenses to Dunkin Donuts, 52 Church Street and Dunkin Donuts, 353 Trapelo Road

ApprovePassed · Unanimous, 3 present

Dunkin Donuts, 353 Trapelo Road, Belmont A Motion was made to approve the new Common Victualler licenses to Dunkin Donuts, 52 Church Street and Dunkin Donuts, 353 Trapelo Road. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously by 3-0 vote.

The minutes do not say who made this motion.

From the minutes

“Dunkin Donuts, 353 Trapelo Road, Belmont A Motion was made to approve the new Common Victualler licenses to Dunkin Donuts, 52 Church Street and Dunkin Donuts, 353 Trapelo Road. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously by 3-0 vote..”

Read it in the official minutes, page 6 (PDF)

Jun 26Approve the renewal of the Antique/Second Hand Good license…Motion: Discussion and possible vote to approve renewal Antique/Secondhand Goods license to…Passed Unanimous, 3 present · see note

June 26, 2023: Approve the renewal of the Antique/Second Hand Good license to Belmont Consignment Furniture, 697 Belmont Street

ApprovePassed · Unanimous, 3 present

Discussion and possible vote to approve renewal Antique/Secondhand Goods license to Belmont Consignment Furniture, 697 Belmont St. A Motion was made to approve the renewal of the Antique/Second Hand Good license to Belmont Consignment Furniture, 697 Belmont Street. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously by 3- 0 vote.

The minutes do not say who made this motion.

From the minutes

“Discussion and possible vote to approve renewal Antique/Secondhand Goods license to Belmont Consignment Furniture, 697 Belmont St. A Motion was made to approve the renewal of the Antique/Second Hand Good license to Belmont Consignment Furniture, 697 Belmont Street. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously by 3- 0 vote..”

Read it in the official minutes, page 6 (PDF)

Jun 26Appoint Elliot Daniels from Associate Member to Full Member…Motion: A Motion was made to appoint Elliot Daniels from Associate Member…Passed Unanimous, 3 present · see note

June 26, 2023: Appoint Elliot Daniels from Associate Member to Full Member of the Zoning Board of Appeals, term to expire 6/23/2026

AppointPassed · Unanimous, 3 present

A Motion was made to appoint Elliot Daniels from Associate Member to Full Member of the Zoning Board of Appeals, term to expire 6/23/2026. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously by 3- 0 vote.

The minutes do not say who made this motion.

From the minutes

“A Motion was made to appoint Elliot Daniels from Associate Member to Full Member of the Zoning Board of Appeals, term to expire 6/23/2026. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously by 3- 0 vote..”

Read it in the official minutes, page 6 (PDF)

Jun 26Appoint David Stiff from Associate Member to Full Member…Motion: A Motion was made to appoint David Stiff from Associate Member…Passed Unanimous, 3 present · see note

June 26, 2023: Appoint David Stiff from Associate Member to Full Member of the Zoning Board of Appeals, term to expire 6/23/2025

AppointPassed · Unanimous, 3 present

A Motion was made to appoint David Stiff from Associate Member to Full Member of the Zoning Board of Appeals, term to expire 6/23/2025. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously by 3-0 vote.

The minutes do not say who made this motion.

From the minutes

“A Motion was made to appoint David Stiff from Associate Member to Full Member of the Zoning Board of Appeals, term to expire 6/23/2025. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously by 3-0 vote..”

Read it in the official minutes, page 6 (PDF)

From the Belmont Select Board’s official minutes, posted in the town’s Agenda Center (Select Board). We check every vote against the Select Board members present and quote the exact wording. MassVoter never grades or scores officials. Photos (the town’s website has no Select Board photos): The Belmontonian — Matthew Taylor and Carol Berberian (April 2026); Yates for Belmont campaign website — Taylor Yates. Cropped by MassVoter. Former members show initials.

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