Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/tag/town-council/page/14/)
The newly elected town officials will be sworn in during the 2020 Inauguration on Jan. 2, 2020 at the Mosesian Center for the Arts. The members of the Town Council, School Committee and Library Board of Trustees will be sworn in that night. The ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 2, according to the announcement sent out by the Town.
The Town Council recently honored Susan Falkoff after her last Council meeting. She served nearly 14 years. The Town Council bid farewell to a long-serving member, last week. Susan Falkoff leaves the Council after nearly 14 years of service, and the last stretch was a bonus. It was not that long ago that the Town Council was honoring Falkoff with a proclamation.
Watertown Town Manager Michael Driscoll. Watertown Town Manager Michael Driscoll will be getting a raise after the Town Council approved his pay hike following a recent job evaluation. Driscoll’s pay rises $9,500 to $205,000, and the increase is retroactive to the beginning of Fiscal Year 2019 (July 1, 2018). The increase is the first for the Town Manager since 2017. Salary Comparison
When determining the new salary, a review of other Watertown public employees was conducted, as well as the salaries of other communities with Town Managers, Sideris said.
A lot of money was raised and spent on the 2015 Watertown Election. The Town Council’s list of priorities for next year’s budget includes funding the school building projects, funding streets and sidewalks. Also, two new ones were added: funding a climate & energy master plan and hiring a consultant to help with the review of the Town Charter. The list of 15 priorities was approved by the Town Council at the Nov. 26 Council meeting.
Watertown Town Hall
Tuesday night, the Town Council will hear the annual Tax Classification hearing presentation from Town Assessor Earl Smith, which calls for increasing the break given to owner-occupied homes and condos in Watertown. According to the Assessor’s presentation the recommended tax rate for Fiscal Year 2020 will see bills go up between $169 and $281 for owner occupied properties which receive the residential exemption, and three-family homes would actually see their bills go down. Smith’s presentation includes a recommendation to increase the residential exemption, which is given to homes which are the primary residence of the owner. “The Board of Assessors recommends increasing the residential exemption to 24 percent for FY2020. The Board’s intention, at this time, is to further recommend an increase in FY2021 to 25 percent.
Watertown Town Hall
The winners of the big race in the 2019 Watertown Election, the Council At-Large seats, can now look forward to what they would like to do over their next two years on the Council. The four winners, Anthony Donato, Tony Palomba, Caroline Bays and John Gannon, each talked about issues they would like to make a priority. Tony Palomba got the second most votes in the election, and returns for a sixth term on the Council. He said that his level of community engagement and his work to help those most in need appealed to voters. Palomba said he would like to “Continue to move the needle on creating affordable housing in Watertown.”
A map of Watertown’s Districts: Peach is A, Red is B, Lime Green is C, Green is D.
The winning candidates in Watertown’s race for Town Councilor At-Large topped the voting in each precinct, but they split who won each of the town’s 12 precincts. See that and where other candidates fared best in the 2019 Town Election. Anthony Donato, who won got the highest vote total, with 2,657, won six precincts (Pcts. 1, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12). Tony Palomba, whose 2,556 was second highest, won in four precincts (Pcts.
John Gannon thanked his supporters after being elected to the Town Council Tuesday night. Here he and his campaign manager Kat Powers are shown at the gathering held at The Talk Restaurant. Watertown voters returned the three incumbent Councilors At-Large to the Town Council during Tuesday’s Town Election, and newcomer John Gannon took the fourth seat. The race was the lone contested one on the 2019 ballot. With results from all 12 precincts in, Anthony Donato had the most votes, with 2,657, narrowly ahead of Tony Palomba’s 2,556.