Foxborough Town Meeting Passes Gillette Stadium Area Parking Bylaw

Three articles on the annual Foxborough Town Meeting warrant drew most of the attention Monday night. Town meeting was able to finish all of the articles in one night.

Articles to eliminate unlicensced parking in the Gillette Stadium area passed, while an article to have towns pay the base salary difference between military pay and their town worker pay and one for a Stretch Energy Code bylaw both failed.

Residents in the area of Gillette Stadium will face a $100 fine if they park cars on their property without a license during events at Gillette Stadium with a crowd of more than 15,000 in attendance. The article passed by a 73-50 margin.

Foxborough Police Chief Edward O'Leary said the bylaw was necessary because of safety concerns in the areas surrounding the stadium.

"You can't have a commercial parking lot in a residential area," he said, calling it a public safety issue.

Article 23 would have provided town employees with the difference in pay between their town base salary and their base Armed Forces pay. Both Foxborough Veterans Agent Michael Johns and town manager Kevin Paicos, who is in the Army National Guard, spoke in favor of the article, but it was defeated by a 70-65 vote.

The advisory board had a difficult time voting on their recommendation on the article, even making a point to discuss it again before town meeting started. By a 6-5 vote, the board decided not to recommend it be approved.

Article 22 woulth have put a Stretch Energy Conservation Code into effect in residental and town buidings in an effort for effective use of energy. It required a cost to home owners and businesses, but the advisory said that amount would be made up in energy savings and rebates. The articles failed, 102-24.

Town meeting members also voted to approve a new payment plan for non-union personnel, which is based on merit increases.

Voters also approved the budget for town of $58,274,085 with little discussion.

Contracts with the fire, police, highway and Boyden Library personnel was negotiated all weekend long, but more time is needed to look them over, so no action was taken on their articles.

(Check back on Foxborough Patch for more coverage of the annual town meeting.)