Hamilton Select Board Approves Licenses, Appoints New Development Corporation Member 3-2

HAMILTON -- December 20, 2021, Hamilton Select Board closes 2021 with a contested 3-2 vote to fill a Hamilton Development Corporation seat. The board appointed Scott, last name not captured on audio, to the HDC over concerns raised by two members about transparency in past projects, including the Longmeadow affordable housing development and the Patton estate; HDC Chair Rick said the HDC had voted unanimously to recommend the appointment. The board approved a full slate of annual license renewals, liquor, entertainment, common victualer, and Class II, and tabled a burial plot request from a non-resident pending a staff report on cemetery capacity. Town Manager Joe briefed the board on a proposed shared assessing arrangement with Wenham estimated at roughly $214,000 annually for Hamilton, up from a current budget of approximately $200,000, with a formal vote expected as part of the FY23 budget process in early February. The Finance and Advisory Committee separately approved a $20,000 transfer to fund an ADA self-evaluation of all town facilities, a prerequisite for state disability grants.