Town of Lexington News - October 21, 2022

Government and Politics

October 26, 2022

Early Voting for State Election Begins Saturday, Oct. 22; Additional Election and Voting Info Available

The Massachusetts State Election will take place on Tuesday, November 8. Voters will be asked to choose candidates for elected office, as well as to weigh in on four ballot questions.

Ways to Vote in the November Election

- Early vote by mail

- Early vote in-person

- Absentee ballot (must meet certain requirements)

- In-person voting on Election Day

Important Dates

Keep an eye on important dates coming up:

- Saturday, October 22 through Friday, November 4 - early voting in-person. Dates and times vary, so please check our website for details

- Saturday, October 29 - last day to register to vote or update party affiliation for this election. The Town Clerk's Office will be open 9am until 5pm on Oct. 29.

- Tuesday, November 1 - early vote by mail applications due by 5 PM

Voter Information & Links

- Check your Voter Registration Status

- Find out where you are registered to vote

- Register to Vote Online

Where to Find More Information

We've created a web page for the State Election with details including:

- Sample ballots

- Information on all four ballot questions

- Changes to precinct polling locations for precincts 7 and 9

- Absentee voter information

- Early voting information (by mail and in-person)

- Details on polling location for Precinct 7 voters

Questions?

Have questions about voting/elections? Contact the Town Clerk's Office via email, or by calling 781-698-4550.

Lexington Ranks High in 'Best Small Cities to Live in America'

Lexington was recently ranked fourth in Wallethub's 2022 Best Small Cities to Live in America rankings!

According to their website, "...WalletHub compared more than 1,300 U.S. cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 based on 43 key indicators of livability. They range from housing costs to school-system quality to restaurants per capita."

Lexington ranked particularly high in the areas of Education & Health, as well as Safety.

See the full rankings for additional details.

Town Meeting Begins Tuesday, November 1 via Virtual Format

Special Town Meeting 2022-3 will begin on TUESDAY*, November 1 at 7:30 PM in a virtual format.

There are 14 articles that Town Meeting will consider, which includes appropriating tax dollars, establishing a housing trust, and more. You can view the full warrant, which is the document that lists out each Town Meeting article.

Our website has the details about the warrant articles, including presentation materials. You can view them on the 2022-3 Special Town Meeting webpage.

Comments or Questions about Town Meeting Articles

Members of the public can make comments about Town Meeting articles in advance of the meeting, and a member of Town staff will read them. Make a comment about a Town Meeting article

You can also ask questions about Town Meeting articles, which Town staff will answer and put into an FAQ web page. Ask a question about a Town Meeting article

What is Town Meeting?

Town Meeting is the legislative branch of Lexington's government. You can learn more about Town Meeting on our website.

*Note: The original Warrant stated that the Town Meeting began on Monday. This is incorrect. See the Town Clerk memo on the error.

Help Plan the Future of Lexington's Open Space & Recreation Areas

Lexington is updating its 2015 Open Space and Recreation Plan.

We invite you to join the planning process and share your thoughts.

Please take our survey by October 31.

Diaper Drive for Area Families October 16 - 29

The Metro-Boston Diaper Drive is organized by local moms Kerstin Sinkevicius and Kim Jalet. Since its inception, the Drive has collected over 200,000 diapers and wipes and helped thousands of families in need.

The Drive collects diaper donations for the Somerville WIC (Women, Infants and Children) Office, which covers area towns including Lexington.

How to Donate Diapers

- Drop them off at the Lexington Community Center

- Open Monday - Friday, 8 AM - 9 PM, and Saturday 9 AM - 5 PM (closed Sunday)

- Buy diapers online at the Target Gift Registry to be sent to the Somerville WIC Office (Kerstin & Kim's Baby Registry)

- Buy diapers online at the Amazon Gift Registry to be sent to the Somerville WIC Office (Kerstin Sinkevicius & Kim Jalet)

Find out more about the Metro-Boston Diaper Drive.

Elementary Students Choose Lexington's Next Dog Tag, Learn of Importance of Voting

The Town Clerk's Office made official-looking ballots for Lexington elementary students from grades 3-5 showing car, rosette and fire hydrant dog tags, and the students marked an X next to their choice. The winning shape would be used for all licensed dogs in Lexington in 2023.

The fire hydrant won by 12 votes.

The Town Clerk also provided discussion points on laws and voting, as well as some fascinating facts about how important it is to vote:

- Richard Nixon, not John F. Kennedy, would have become President of the U.S. in 1960 if one person from each voting place had voted differently.

- If just one U.S. Senator had voted differently, U.S. President Andrew Johnson would have been removed from office in 1867.

- Texas might not have become part of the United States in 1845 if one U.S. Senator had voted differently. The vote in the U.S. Senate was 27-25 to invite Texas to become a state. If it had been a tie, Texas would not have been asked to become part of the Union.

Visit our website to see what the ballot looked like.

Results of 2022 Town Wide Survey to be Presented at Upcoming Public Meetings

Findings from the Lexington 2022 Town Wide Survey will be presented by Drs. Marian Cohen & Ruth Remington, Directors of the Center for Social Research, on behalf of the Vision for Lexington Committee at three upcoming public meetings:

View the 2022 Town Wide Survey Report

- November 4, 9:30 AM - Lexington Community Center, 39 Marrett Rd.

- November 15, 7:30 PM - Hastings Elementary School (cafeteria), 7 Crosby Rd.*

The Survey is conducted once every five years and is used by Town Boards, Committees, Departments and Town Meeting to guide decision-making for the future of the Town. Learn what you, your friends and neighbors had to say about the state of Lexington today and visions for the future.

Please share these dates with friends, family, and neighbors!

*This is an updated location. It previously was to be held at Diamond Middle School

Paving Wraps up in Lexington Center

Final paving in Lexington Center, as part of the Center Streetscape Project, is complete. This is a major milestone for the project. Pavement marking installation is scheduled to begin middle of next week and is weather-dependent.

Tree plantings will continue and should be complete early next week. There will be some other minor details that crews will be working on as well.

We thank the community for their patience while we make these improvements for a safer and more vibrant Lexington Center!

Learn more about the Center Streetscape Project.

Give Your Feedback on Proposed Conservation Regulations at Parker Meadow by Oct. 31

The Conservation Commission is considering updating their Conservation Land Use Regulations to include new regulations on the UA trail segments at the newly-constructed UA trail at Parker Meadow.

- All dogs must be leashed

- All bikes must yield to other users

Before adopting these proposed changes to the Conservation Land Use Regulations, the Conservation Commission would like to ask for the public’s feedback regarding these changes.

Please fill out this online form by October 31.

The newly-constructed trail is the first UA loop trail located on Lexington’s Conservation Land. UA trails aim to provide access to all trail users and often provide access for people with varying physical, mental, visual, and/ or auditory abilities. With the purpose of a UA trail in mind

COVID-19 Data; Test Kits Available at Town Buildings

The Lexington Office of Public Health will update weekly COVID-19 case numbers each Friday. The data represented on the dashboard DOES NOT include at-home test results. The data only represents results of PCR and antigen tests verified through the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

View Lexington’s case numbers

View the State’s COVID-19 dashboard

Test Kits Available

Free at-home rapid COVID-19 test kits are available at Town buildings across Lexington.

You can pick up a test at the following locations:

- Town Office Building (Health Office) - 1625 Massachusetts Avenue

- Fire Department - 45 Bedford Street

- Police Department - 173 Bedford Street

- Community Center - 39 Marrett Road

- Visitors Center - 1875 Massachusetts Avenue

- Public Services Building - 201 Bedford Street

Test kits are available during regular business hours (Police Dept. open 24/7) while supplies last.