Billerica Select Board adopts public meeting recording policy in 3-2 vote

BILLERICA -- November 7, 2022, Billerica Select Board votes 3-2 to adopt an aspirational public meeting recording policy, with debate centering on the board's authority over independently elected bodies. Member Paul Burroughs brought the policy to its third reading; Town Counsel Mark Rich, participating remotely, confirmed the policy "may be adopted" because it does not mandate recording but instead directs boards to "endeavor" to record their meetings, while noting the Select Board has no enforcement mechanism over separately elected bodies such as the School Committee. Members Kim Conway and the chair voted no, with Conway arguing that extending the policy beyond the Select Board's direct appointees "sets a bad precedent." The board also unanimously approved pledge-of-license and pledge-of-inventory requests for Jemco Spirits Inc. and 509 Waterfront Inc. at 509 Middlesex Turnpike, securing a construction loan exceeding $1 million for a new outdoor restaurant patio. Town Manager John Curran reported that Billerica's aggregate energy program has locked in a rate of $0.09 per kilowatt hour against National Grid's new standard rate of $0.338, saving the average enrolled household roughly $1,190 over six months, with an estimated 3,000 eligible accounts still not enrolled.