Hamilton Select Board Backs Conservation Bylaw, Approves $83,250 in Pandemic Stipends

HAMILTON -- September 7, 2022, Hamilton Select Board unanimously recommends revised conservation bylaw and approves $83,250 in pandemic stipends. The board voted 5-0 at its September 7 meeting to recommend favorable action on a Phase 1 revision of the town's conservation bylaw, which Conservation Commission Chair Lauren Lynch said is designed to align the written bylaw with practices the commission has followed for 15 years. Board members debated the scope of the changes, with member Caroline Bults cautioning that framing the revision as non-substantive "is a misrepresentation" given how different the new document looks from the prior bylaw. The board separately voted unanimously to approve $83,250 in pandemic stipends for municipal employees from the town's $2.4 million ARPA allocation, with amounts ranging from $250 for part-time general staff to $1,250 for full-time public safety and public health workers. On the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District's proposed stabilization fund warrant article, the board voted 4-1 to defer a recommendation, directing member Tom Myers and Town Manager Joe Domelowicz to consult with school administration before town meeting over concerns that the fund's open-ended structure could allow the district to divert excess-and-deficiency money without clear oversight.