Good Morning, Burlington, and Happy Monday!

This is the last week to apply for the opportunity to purchase the town-owned affordable housing unit at 119 S. Bedford Street. Restrictions apply, so be sure to read the entire application and accompanying information and turn in a completed application along with complete information for anyone in the household 18 years of age or older. The Drawing is on April 10. Good luck!

What Role does the Select Board Play in Our Town?

The first question we ask at every candidate interview is: What is this Board and how are you well-suited to fill it? One reason for this question is to get a sense for what the candidate feels are the most important aspects of the role, but the primary reason we pose this question is much simpler:

Most people have no idea what the responsibilities and authority of each Board and Commission actually are.

Just as we shared with you what the Town Moderator and Town Meeting do, we’re sharing with you today the responsibilities of a Select Board (still called Board of Selectmen in some towns).

Like Town Meeting is Burlington’s legislative branch, the Select Board is the executive branch and serves a similar function to a mayor. Some primary responsibilities for the Select Board are to set the tax levy for the town, to hire and supervise the Town Administrator (who in turn supervises most town departments), and to proactively work to make the town better for residents (like when they commissioned a water study with Town Meeting approval and then worked with the DPW and Town Meeting to get PFAS filters installed at the Mill Pond water treatment plant.

Money and bylaws, though, are the purview of Town Meeting, and so while the Select Board can submit Warrant Articles to Town Meeting requesting bylaw changes or funding for a specific item, it has no control over the town’s budget and can’t make changes to the town’s bylaws.

Learn more about the Select Board in the Buzz profile below!

Today in Burlington

Municipal Meetings and Community Events

• 10:30 - Baby Storytime - Babies up to 18 months are welcome to engage all the senses and learn! (Burlington Public Library)
• 12:00 PM - Disability Access Commission - DAC Chair nominations and more. (Grand View Farm)
• 7:00 PM - Teen Advisory Group - Jenna is here to assist you with a variety of topics, including planning future teen events, talking about what games or books  the library might purchase and more. Community service hours are available for attending. (Grades 6-12, Burlington Public Library)

Sports and Activities

Competition season opened this past weekend for Burlington High School’s robotics, team, the DevilBotz. The team debuted their 2024 robot, Inferno, this weekend at the North Shore FIRST Robotics event in Reading.

The robot proved to be capable and reliable, earning the DevilBotz a seventh-place finish out of 36 teams that competed.

From Rick O’Donnell, Game Strategy Manager:

[The DevilBotz] were captains of the 5th seeded alliance, which means they were able to draft two teams to ally with in the playoffs. They defeated the fourth seeded alliance before falling to the top seed. This year's competition has featured many high speed collisions that have kept the team busy repairing the robot. Overall it was a great showing for the DevilBotz and they hope to build on their success next weekend, when they will compete in Revere at the Greater Boston FIRST Robotics event

Regional competitions will continue through the first week of April, and the top 90 out of 225 total team swill advance to the district championships. Wish the DevilBotz a strong showing nest weekend in Revere! Learn more about the DevilBotz, their charge for this season, and what they accomplish in the Buzz Robotics Team Profile.

That’s all for today, neighbor! Have a great start to the week, and we’ll see you tomorrow!

Nicci

Share this Buzz with someone who has always wondered what the Select Board does.