EDUCATION
The members of
the League of Women Voters - Acton Area support:
- The development
and adoption of stated goals and philosophy of education for
each school system. Recognizing that the ultimate responsibility
for formulating philosophy and goals rests with the School Committees,
we feel that the opinions of the professional staff, citizens,
and students should be taken into consideration. Goals should
be subject to periodic review in order to reflect changes in
educational approaches as well as changes in the community.
- K-12 curriculum
coordination. Curriculum standards and any proposed changes should
be well publicized.
- On-going evaluation
of programs. Procedures for evaluation should be built into every
program. We recommend post-graduate follow-up to assist in the
evaluation of the effectiveness of programs.
- The use of para-professionals,
aides, and volunteers throughout K-12. We recommend orientation
and training for such personnel.
- The uses of
a variety of educational approaches, courses, and program offerings
that reflect the individuality of children. We support flexibility,
diversity, and innovation.
- Increased cooperation
and communication between schools and community (citizen advisory
councils, individual school-parent or parent-teacher organizations,
encouragement of parental school visitation). A real effort should
be made to coordinate with other groups that offer activities
for children.
- Buildings, classrooms
and other facilities that are healthy, safe, and well maintained.
The criteria
for taking action on these positions should be that it:
- is a clearly
formulated plan,
- is financially
feasible,
- includes alternatives,
and
- is for the benefit
of children rather than for ease of administration.
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FAMILY
LIFE EDUCATION
The Acton members
of the League of Women Voters - Acton Area support a Family Life
Education program in the schools. Life Education should include,
but not be limited to, the following topics:
- Self esteem
and decision making
- Relationships
- Racism
- Health, including
nutrition and eating disorders
- Human sexuality,
including homosexuality
- Verbal, physical,
and sexual abuse, including rape and date rape
- Alcohol, tobacco,
and other drugs
- Sexually transmitted
diseases
- AIDS
- Abortion
- Responsibilities
of marriage
- Birth control
- Preparation
for parenthood and parenting skills
- Divorce
The program should
meet the following criteria:
- This program
should be available to every student.
- Program material
should be a part of the K-6 curriculum.
- Programs should
be required in grades 7-12.
- The program
contents should be designed by teaching staff and a trained,
system-wide health coordinator.
- The program
contents may be taught by teachers willing to participate and
trained in the subject matter.
- Professionals
and non-professional should be used, as necessary, to enrich
the program.
- The program
contents should be designed to anticipate the problems of students'
physical and emotional development.
- In general,
boys and girls should be taught together, rather than segregated
by sex, for Life Education courses.
- Schools should
make the program available to parents and encourage their participation
in related workshops.
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LOCAL
EDUCATION - FINANCING OF SCHOOLS
The Acton members
of the League of Women Voters - Acton Area support the following
areas:
Budget Procedures
School budget
hearings should be scheduled in such a way that citizens' expression
of budget priorities can be timely and effective.
Following a preliminary
budget hearing, the school department should organize their meeting
so that each department will be reviewed at a specific time and
the citizens in the town should be informed as to what budget
area will be discussed on which night.
When the final
budget hearing is held, the School Committee should present the
budget in such a manner as to make it easily understandable to
the average citizen. Graphs and pie charts would be helpful.
The budget should be presented in line item and program form.
Funding
The School Committee
and Administration should actively seek money from the State
and Federal Governments with the following reservations:
- There should
be a need among the students for the program.
- The long-range
financial impact to the town should be considered.
Raising monies
and seeking contributions from sources other than the Federal
and State Governments should be based on the following criteria:
- Demonstrated
need
- Effective method
or plan
- Financial impact
Salaries vs.
Instructional Materials
The balance between
expenditures in salaries and instructional materials and methods
should be considered by the School Committee when making budget
decisions.
Budget Flexibility
A contingency
line item should be included in the annual budget to cover unforeseen
expenditures. Discretion to use these funds should lie with the
School Committee.
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ROLE
OF THE COUNSELOR IN ACTON AND ACTON-BOXBOROUGH SCHOOLS
The Acton members
of the League of Women Voters - Acton Area support the following
as priorities of the Counseling Department:
- Broad-based
preventative and information programs for students, staff members,
and parents
- Personal counseling
- Education and
career counseling
In order to implement
and to increase the effectiveness of these services, the LWV
suggests that the Counseling Department:
- Increase communication
with students, staff members, and parents about programs and
resources available.
- Provide more
time for planning and program development by
- Using volunteers,
community resources, paraprofessionals, and advisors
- Increasing the
use of group counseling
- Increasing counselor
specialization
- Form an advisory
committee of counselors, students, recent graduates, School Committee
members, administrators, parents, and teachers.
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ALTERNATIVE
FUNDING AND SUPPLEMENTARY PROGRAMS
IN THE STOW SCHOOLS
The Stow members
of the League of Women Voters - Acton Area support:
- Fund raising
efforts for local public school programs including new resources
such as industry, foundations, and grants.
Support for these
efforts should be based on the following criteria:
- Program need/demand
- Program meets
curriculum objectives
- Program should
be established in a timely manner
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LOCAL
GOVERNMENT
The members of
the League of Women Voters - Acton Area support local government
that:
- is responsive
to the needs of the community
- provides knowledgeable
leadership
- is accountable
- is efficient
- is representative
- provides long-range
plans
Executive
Branch
The members of
the League of Women Voters - Acton Area support:
- Periodic review
of the executive branch form of local government.
- Administrative
measures to maintain the authority of the Selectmen.
- Selectmen's
use of expertise of town board members and individuals in the
community.
- Participation
in regional meetings and boards.
- Publication
of minutes taken at Selectmen's meetings.
- Open Selectmen's
meetings and work sessions, except for those prescribed by the Open
Meeting Law as executive sessions.
- Increased coordination
and communication among town boards.
- A procedure
for making prompt appointments to town boards that would include:
- immediate publication
of board vacancies
- interviews with
all applicants
- publication
of duties of board positions
- notice to all
applicants of final appointment
- public announcement
of appointments
Personnel
Management
The members of
the League of Women Voters - Acton Area support:
- A personnel
management policy that facilitates the attraction and selection
of the best possible candidates.
- The creation
of a positive environment for employees which would foster effective
and efficient government.
- A policy that
includes a central personnel file, job classification, pay scales,
salary review procedures, an affirmative action policy, standard
recruitment and selection procedures, and an adequate benefit
schedule.
Purchasing
Procedures
The members of
the League of Women Voters - Acton Area support:
- The adoption
of a central purchasing system with a uniform voucher system.
- Efforts to insure
cost effectiveness through the use of bidding, discounts, interdepartmental
purchases, state contracts, regional consortiums, and inter-community
purchasing.
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TOWN
MEETING PROCEEDINGS
The members of
the League of Women Voters - Acton Area support the Open Town
Meeting form of local government.
Town Meeting
Procedures
The League supports
Town Meeting procedures which:
- encourage citizen
participation
- facilitate informed
decision-making
- promote efficiency
- respect people's
time
- recognize the
need to be flexible
- protect the
individual's right to be heard
- insure a voting
system that is efficient and fair
The League recommends
the following:
Town Meeting
Warrant
The Town Meeting
Warrant should contain:
- understandable
summaries
- inclusion of
factual background on articles
- board recommendations
- identification
of appropriate contact person for each warrant article
- consent calendar
- Town Meeting
Guidelines and parliamentary procedures prominently placed
The Town Meeting
Warrant should be distributed as widely as possible, in a cost-effective
manner.
Town Meeting
Management
Each session
of Town Meeting should be scheduled according to the wishes of
the community.
Acton members
support the scheduling of Town Meeting to:
- be held consecutive
evenings
- be called to
order before 7:30 PM
- continue approximately
three hours each night
- not introduce
a new article after 10:30 PM each night
High-interest
warrant articles should be scheduled and publicized in advance
of the Town Meeting.
The members of
the League of Women Voters - Acton Area support expediting Town
Meeting debate with:
- pro and con
microphones
- initial presentation
limitation of 15 minutes unless prior approval by Moderator.
- floor debate
limitation of 3 minutes per speaker
- presentations
that are concise, clear, understandable
- audio-visual
materials that are appropriate and visible to the audience
- motions and
amendments for reconsideration submitted in writing and posted
The Moderator
As part of the
Moderator's responsibility, the Moderator should:
- state the expectation
of business to be discussed on each night of Town Meeting
- briefly review
the rules of Town Meeting each night, if appropriate
- appoint a Deputy
Moderator
- organize a pre-Town
Meeting preparation session for warrant article presenters
- provide ongoing
oversight to the Finance Committee
- identify a resource
person for special questions outside the debate/discussion
Periodic Evaluation
The members of
the League of Women Voters - Acton Area support periodic evaluation
of Open Town Meeting with consideration given to these criteria:
- attendance
- population
- representation
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TOWN
FINANCES
Town Accountant
The members of
the League of Women Voters - Acton Area support:
- Modernization
of town accounting procedures
- Central purchasing
for the town and schools using local, state, and regional contracts
Budget Preparation
Procedures
The members of
the League of Women Voters: Acton Area support:
- Joint fiscal
planning meetings of the Finance Committee, School Committee(s),
Selectmen, Town and School Administrations.
- Communication
among these groups during budgeting time.
- Methods of raising
revenues and budget preparation procedures which are:
- professional
- operationally
efficient
- economical
- effective
- accessible to
citizen's input and participation
Finance Committee
and Moderator
The members of
the League of Women Voters: Acton Area support:
- Submission of
standardized minutes to the Finance Committee from all major
town boards and committees to provide information regarding their
philosophies, goals and activities.
- The Finance
Committee voting upon and making public all policies and that
the members periodically review these policies.
- The orientation
of all newly appointed Finance Committee members by the Moderator.
- The requesting
of minutes from the Finance Committee by the Moderator so that
he is aware of attendance, policies, and philosophies of his
appointees.
State Aid
The members of
the League of Women Voters: Acton Area support:
- The Town making
every effort to obtain state aid with consideration given to
the long-range financial impact and limitations of that aid upon
the town.
- The Town Manager
and School Administration gaining familiarity with state formulas
used for the state aid.
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MENTAL HEALTH
SERVICES
The members of the League of
Women Voters - Acton Area support:
- A well-balanced mental health
care system is integral to the quality of life in our community.
Therefore, a mental health care system should be supported by
all facets of the community. A comprehensive program would have
flexible priorities to meet changing needs of the community and
would include crisis, chronic, and acute care, aftercare, preventative
and education programs, and support groups.
- Education in the schools and
the community as a means of promoting citizen understanding of
the problems surrounding mental illness.
- Greater attention from our state
and local agencies to the mental health needs of minors.
- The availability of mental health
care on a sliding scale or an ability-to-pay basis, when appropriate.
No one should be denied care if he or she is unable to pay for
it.
- Increased mental health care
benefits provided by health insurance policies.
- Increased efforts to facilitate
access to public mental health services through dissemination
of information about local mental health agencies and referral
services.
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YOUTH COUNSELOR
AND YOUTH OFFICER
Youth Officer
The Acton members of the League
of Women Voters - Acton Area support:
- The establishment of a permanent
position for a Youth Officer, within Acton's Police Force, in
order to provide continuity of services to youth, to coordinate
with the counseling services available in the area, and to provide
programs in the school system.
Basic criteria for this position
should include:
- personal commitment to problems
of youth
- specialized training and updating
relating to youth and crime prevention
- good interpersonal skills
The position should be non-rotating
and held on a long-term basis.
Youth Counseling
The Acton members of the League
of Women Voters - Acton Area support:
- Increased efforts to provide
information on areas of concern to youth, such as alcohol abuse,
drugs, and sexuality.
- The education of the public
concerning available counseling services.
The periodic review of the schools' Life Education Programs with
strong consideration for updating information on drugs, birth
control, alcohol, sexual abuse, etc.
- After school programs for youth,
supervised by appropriate personnel.
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ACTON PUBLIC
HEALTH NURSING SERVICE
The Acton members of the League
of Women Voters - Acton Area support:
- The three missions of the Acton
Public Health Nursing Service (APHNS) which are to provide preventative
health care, screening to detect disease and care of the acutely
and chronically ill at home.
- The maintenance of local decision
making regarding public health and nursing services in Acton.
- The current organizational structure
with consideration that the role of the administrator be separate
from that of the nursing supervisor when funding sources allow
and needs so indicate.
- The use of the following criteria
for evaluating Acton public health and nursing services:
- cost effectiveness
- qualified staff to meet the
health care needs of the public
- flexibility in order to respond
to changing health needs, fiscal conditions, demographic trends
and state and federal regulations
- continuity of care
- use of support staff and up-to-date
technological equipment
the level of community support
- establishment of the need for
the service(s)
- Flexible funding options for
the Acton Public Health Nursing Service; i.e., Enterprise Fund,
Revolving Fund, private fund raising, community groups, user
fees, grants, endowments, and local, state and federal tax support.
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ZONING AND
NATURAL RESOURCES
The members of the League of
Women Voters - Acton Area support the following actions:
Planning, Zoning, and Development
- Encourage long-range planning
to study growth and development. The League recognizes the need
for commercial growth, but supports a controlled plan for future
development.
- Encourage cluster zoning and
planned unit development, which potentially could meet the need
for new homes while still preserving open space.
- Meet the needs for low- and
moderate-cost housing.
- Require developers to provide
towns with impact statements at the developers' expense. Such
issues as impact on town services, traffic impact, financial
benefits, advantages and disadvantages to the town and impact
on air, water, and noise quality should all be addressed.
- Encourage commercial development
by introducing new kinds of desirable uses and tightening zoning
to control less desirable uses.
- Have a procedure for design
review, encouraging developers to submit aesthetically pleasing
building plans.
- Expedite the development process
by encouraging communication among permitting boards.
- Make a checklist available to
landowners and developers to identify which boards need to be
consulted in which order, what information each board needs,
and any other pertinent information.
- Have each town board and/or
department prepare a brief summary of its duties, responsibilities,
and limitations with respect to growth and development.
Flood Plain Zoning
- Provide protective zoning along
all waterways.
- Allow no filling or building
below an elevation above mean sea level as established by law
except by the express permission of the pertinent boards.
- Strictly enforce local Flood
Plain By-laws and measures to prohibit permanent building in
the Flood Plain.
The main reasons for supporting
this type of zoning are as follows:
- To prevent flooding
- To provide land surface water
storage (natural reservoirs)
- To lessen pollution problems
- For conservation purposes
- For control of water for better
use in agriculture and industry
- To provide water recreation
areas
- For aesthetic reasons (i.e.,
to provide green belts)
- To support the regional concept
of preserving wetlands
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ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION
The members of the League of
Women Voters - Acton Area support:
- A comprehensive environmental
protection plan at the local government level to deal with such
interrelated issues as water quality and quantity, air quality,
land use, and hazardous waste.
- Efforts to define environmental
concerns and to clarify who has policy-making, monitoring, and
enforcement responsibilities in these areas.
- Identification of the town board
or department with responsibility for overseeing environmental
quality.
- Emphasis within town government
on planning and anticipation of potential problems in the environmental
area.
- Use of a systematic approach
to the development of policies on environmental issues, employing
criteria such as those listed below.
- Regional cooperation on environmental
issues, including communication among towns and use of available
regional resources.
When evaluating policies or regulations
that impact environmental quality, the League will apply the
following criteria:
- The need for a policy should
be clearly established by the body preparing it.
- When new regulations are proposed,
they should meet a need not being met by existing regulations.
- Alternative approaches, including
those used by other towns, should be evaluated. Potential for
regional action should be evaluated.
- An effort should be made to
specify dollar amounts associated with the costs and benefits
of a proposed policy. Consideration of costs should include all
direct and indirect costs of implementing the policy, including
the cost of enforcement. Methods of funding should be examined,
and implementation of the policy should be accompanied by provision
for adequate funding.
- Regulations should be enforceable.
The responsibility for enforcement should be clearly defined.
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CONSERVATION
AND RECREATION PRINCIPLES, PLANNING, AND ACQUISITION
The members of the League of
Women Voters - Acton Area support:
- The principles of conservation
and recreation with the development of natural resources in the
public interest.
- A comprehensive plan for the
acquisition and preservation of open spaces and the flood plains;
for the development of green belts using the multiple land use
concept; and for the retention of the natural beauty of our towns.
- An emphasis on a balanced approach
to conservation and recreation through wider geographic distribution
of such lands; balance between land purchases and less costly
alternatives such as conservation restrictions; financial planning
that provides for both land purchases and land management; and
the acquisition of land for a variety of uses.
- Land acquisition for purposes
of conservation and/or recreation.
- The acquisition of parkland
to provide usable green space in highly developed areas.
- Communication and cooperation
between recreation and conservation commissions, also with other
town boards when necessary.
- Periodic updating of long-range
plans as pertaining to recreation and conservation as well as
participation at regional levels of planning
- Having the uses of conservation
and recreation lands, both active and passive, determined by
the characteristics of the land itself. Use may be regulated
by the appropriate authorities.
- Active seeking of federal and
state funding for land purchases for conservation and recreation.
We would support the use of local funding when feasible.
- The use of alternatives to land
purchase to preserve open lands. These would include the purchase
of development rights, wetlands, zoning, conservation restrictions,
accepting gifts of land, and any other land preservation techniques
developed in the future.
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RECREATION
ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMS
The members of the League of
Women Voters - Acton Area support:
- The establishment of activities
and programs designed to provide both active and passive recreation.
- Self-supporting and subsidized
programs as well as the use of any other sources of funding that
are available.
- A periodic review of existing
standards for recreational safety, supervision, and instruction.
- Use of school facilities for
recreation and community affairs
- The coordination of programs
with other groups offering similar programs. An effort should
be made to offer programs and activities that will meet uncovered
needs.
The League of Women Voters -
Acton Area will apply the following criteria when determining
support of future recreation proposals for facilities, programs,
or increases in staff:
- Is there a demonstrated need
or desire?
- Has a comprehensive plan been
submitted?
- Have alternative plans been
considered?
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WATER PROTECTION
The members of the League of
Women Voters - Acton Area support an aggressive and comprehensive
program designed to provide a supply of good quality water sufficient
to meet present and future needs through:
- Comprehensive identification
and protection of water resources.
Periodic assessment of future needs.
- Cooperation with neighboring
towns to assist with the protection of water supplies and to
locate and protect possible additional resources.
- A continuous campaign of education
and promotion of water conservation with incentives designed
to secure maximum cooperation of all water users.
- Education of the public regarding
toxic substances that have a potential for contaminating our
water supplies.
- A program of water testing of
public and private wells using the latest technology with regular
public reporting and interpretation of the results.
- A program for the identification
and regulation of potential sources of water contamination.
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WATER SUPPLY
MANAGEMENT
In addition to the items listed
under the Water Protection area position, the Acton and Littleton
members of the League of Women Voters - Acton Area support:
- Cooperation between town government
and the Water Supply District or Water Department by means of
regular communication and inter-board meetings.
- Increased citizen participation
in Water Supply District or Water Department meetings and elections.
- Accountability of Water Supply
District Commission or Water Department Commission as a governmental
body.
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GROWTH MANAGEMENT
AREA position, 2002
Local Study: "Growth Management
tools: land purchase, zoning, and deed restrictions." 2000-2002
GOAL: The towns represented by
the Acton Area League of Women Voters are experiencing significant
residential and business development. As a result of the local
study findings, League members agreed to make growth management
and preservation of open space a priority in public policy decisions
on land use in the member towns.
The members of the League of
Women Voters - Acton Area support the use of the following tools
in meeting this Goal:
o planning and zoning bylaws,
o cluster zoning,
o conservation commission bylaws
o conservation trusts,
o conservation restrictions,
o and land purchases.
Existing growth management tools
in these communities should be evaluated periodically to assess
their effectiveness and should be modified as needed or expanded
by adding new ones.
The members of the League of
Women Voters - Acton Area support the following methods of implementing
the growth management goal:
o Employment of professional
planners and consultants,
o Adherence to master plan,
o Clarification of definitions with regard to town's character
and development goals.
The League recommends that each
town prepare an inventory of unprotected lands to determine which
parcels should be preserved as Open Space for possible use by
the town for active or passive recreation. The methodology for
prioritizing the inventory list should use a locally developed
rating system using weighted criteria to assign a rank order
for each parcel. Land value assessment should be based on a variety
of land use scenarios such as regular subdivision, partial development,
and the value of land fully protected from development.
The members of the League of
Women Voters - Acton Area support the following methods of funding
the purchase of land to protect it from maximum development:
o Funding through a municipal
set-aside fund such as Stabilization Fund
o Community Preservation Act
o Local tax revenues (debt exclusion overrides)
o Conservation trusts
o Grants
o Private donations
o Other creative approaches
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TRANSPORTATION
The members of the League of
Women Voters: Acton Area support:
- A body of town government that
has continuing responsibility for immediate and long-range planning
of all forms of transportation. This body should ensure the communication
and coordination of the efforts of the boards, committees, and
departments that have an impact on transportation, including
the schools.
- Cooperative regional bodies
that have responsibility for long-range planning of transportation
for areas wider than individual towns.
- A safe transportation network,
which facilitates mobility within the community, links neighborhoods
and services within the town, and reduces isolation.
- A more efficient and greater
use of existing transportation.
- Increased ride sharing.
- Sidewalks/bikeways.
- Alternatives to the automobile.
- A program of public education
which will collect and disseminate information regarding transportation
options, promote pedestrian and vehicular safety, and investigate
alternatives to the automobile.
- An increase in the town's effort
to seek funding from all levels of government, as well as from
private sources and user fees, and to investigate all possible
uses of such funds.
The League of Women Voters: Acton
Area will apply the following criteria when determining support
for transportation positions:
- need/demand
- cost effectiveness
- energy conservation
- environmental impact
- regional impact
- safety
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TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT
In order to achieve the following
traffic-related goals, the members of the League of Women Voters:
Acton Area support:
- Preservation of open spaces,
scenic roads, historic buildings, and village centers
- Access to local services
- Mobility and lack of congestion
- Traffic control and safety
- Reduction in commercial sprawl
- Protection of environmental
resources
- Public/private cooperation in
solving transportation problems
The members of the League of
Women Voters: Acton Area support the adoption of the following
policies:
- Consolidate services to maximize
the number of errands per trip.
- Achieve a pattern of commercial
and industrial development compatible with the residential character
of the area and with the residential neighborhoods.
Identify and protect scenic, residential roads and historic areas,
and channel traffic onto main, through roads.
- Improve traffic flow on main,
through roads, and evaluate the use of signalization.
- Achieve a balance between development
and the traffic capacities of existing roadways.
- Participate in regional traffic
planning efforts.
- Require developers to include
demand management plans and pedestrian access.
- Develop Master Plans and be
proactive in reaching goals.
- Encourage public/private cooperation
in solving transportation problems.
In order to implement the above
policies, the members of the League of Women Voters: Acton Area
support the following traffic management solutions:
- Establish traffic and land-use
goals.
- Complete road and land use inventories;
prioritize road improvements that will channel through traffic
onto main roads; identify main roads; protect residential, scenic
roads and historic areas from increased traffic.
- Develop traffic and land use
policies.
- Develop criteria for all traffic
studies; include among the criteria town-wide and regional impact
and projected development.
- Limit commercial development
to commercially zoned areas.
- Include pedestrian links, such
as sidewalks and bridges, in design standards.
- Encourage the use of demand
management solutions, such as on-site services, ride-sharing,
shuttle services, and flexible work hours; establish design standards
that encourage these solutions.
- Provide a focal point and appropriate
staff resources to implement traffic policies.
- Participate in regional planning
groups.
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