Red Light Camera News Raynham voters turn down traffic camera proposal at Annual Town Meeting
Raynham voters turn down traffic camera proposal at Annual Town Meeting
By Marc Larocque
Taunton Gazette Staff Writer
Posted May 17, 2011 @ 12:01 AM
Last update May 17, 2011 @ 12:09 AM
RAYNHAM — Raynham residents narrowly voted against an initiative to bring in red light cameras to the community, in one of the most controversial decisions during Monday night’s Annual Town Meeting.
After about 23 minutes of discussion, the town moderator counted the votes by hand after an oral vote on the article was inconclusive. With about 200 residents in attendance, 104 voted against the town filing a petition to the state for legislation that would allow Raynham to place cameras and catch violators at traffic control signals.
There were 95 residents who voted for the measure to have a private company install a system that would catch motorists running red lights and would allow Raynham to issue them tickets.
Other items:
• A proposed $9 million debt exclusion to pay for the final expansion of the town sewer network to the southern part of Raynham was overwhelmingly passed. There was one or two nay votes.
The proposal will now go to a ballot vote during the special town election in June.
• A motion was entered to dismiss an article created by citizen petition to rezone an area across the street from Market Basket on Broadway from residential to business. However, voters declined to dismiss the article, and instead just voted unanimously against it.
• An article to create a bylaw stipulating a $300 fine for the public consumption of marijuana was passed. Only a couple of voters voiced dissent.
In November 2008, Massachusetts residents voted in a statewide ballot initiative to decriminalize possession of an ounce or less of marijuana and to instead make it punishable by a $100 fine. The resulting state law on marijuana left room for communities to adopt their own bylaw and create a fine for public consumption of the green, leafy substance.
• An article to establish a stabilization fund by the Bridgewater-Raynham Regional School District was withdrawn and it was dismissed unanimously before voting. Bridgewater-Raynham School Committee member Susan Prewandowski said it was realized that “there are some concerns with the article as submitted,” that more consideration was needed and that there would be a possible resubmission at the fall Town Meeting.
• A budget line for the school department was also amended. Residents voted unanimously to amend the line for total appropriations for the Bridgewater-Raynham School District from $14,601,590 to $14,412,114.
• Raynham voters also decided to amend the Raynham bylaws for a new section that allows the town’s building commissioner and police officers to issue fines for “junk” that can be seen in any yard or vacant lot from public ways and publicly used areas. There was no debate and only a few who voted against the bylaw.
Contact Marc Larocque at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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