Hatfield Select Board sets reduced quorum for November special town meeting

HATFIELD -- November 4, 2020, Hatfield Select Board cuts special town meeting quorum to 10, protecting a $2 million grant. The three-member board voted unanimously at its November 4 meeting to reduce the quorum for the November 21 outdoor special town meeting from the standard 75 residents to 10, invoking a state COVID-19 emergency provision that permits a floor of eight. Chair Luke Longstreeth said the move was necessary to protect roughly $2 million in state funding tied to the meeting's lead article, which authorizes easement acquisitions for the Route 5 and 10 water and sewer project. Resident Larry Roseman urged the board in public comment not to go as low as eight, warning that the Select Board and Finance Committee members alone could then constitute a quorum. The board settled on 10 as a compromise, with Longstreeth noting that the pavilion site can accommodate up to 100 people outdoors under current low-risk community guidelines. The board also unanimously appointed Paul Picard as a Hatfield police officer and approved a $15,750 FEMA hazard mitigation planning grant contract.