WENDELL — Lawmakers in Boston can expect to get a petition from Wendell asking for an act of the Legislature permitting the town to allow non-citizens to vote on Wendell affairs, as well as serve on town boards and committees.

Residents at Annual Town Meeting on Tuesday opted overwhelmingly to pass a warrant article asking the state to grant those rights to Wendell’s permanent residents who are not United States citizens. Those residents must be 16 years old or older, as the town voted in 2017 to lower the voting age to 16 for local elections and Town Meetings.

Dan Keller, who had been a Selectboard member for 20 years before opting not to run for reelection last month, put forward the article, which was well-received by voters on Tuesday. Keller previously said he knows several non-citizens who are active in town affairs, however they are prohibited from voting.

Several residents spoke in favor of the proposal on Tuesday. Florence Blackbird, however, said she felt people should not be granted the rights accompanied by citizenship if they don’t make the effort to become citizens.

“If they want all these privileges, then take the time to become a citizen,” she read from a prepared statement. Blackbird appeared to be one of two people in Town Hall to vote against the article.

Resident Renee Lazaras countered Blackbird’s argument by saying someone’s lack of citizenship is often not a lack of desire but rather a lack of means. She said gaining citizenship “takes an unbelievable amount of time and money.” Meanwhile, Doug Tanner stood up to say he understands the argument about having citizenship, but stressed that this article pertains only to town matters.

Earlier in the meeting, residents gave a nod to a $3.6 million fiscal year 2024 budget. Fifty-five of the town’s 735 registered voters showed up at Town Hall and adopted amended budget figures after modest discussions about certain line items.

Voters adopted an amended library budget after Phyllis Lawrence, who co-chairs the library trustees’ art exhibition committee, requested an adjustment to the payroll line item. She asked for $52,595.10 for library employees. In response, Finance Committee members, who were seated at the front of the room, suggested rounding up to $52,596 for simplicity. This amendment brought to the library budget to $67,396.

Citizen’s petition

The warrant’s only citizen’s petition was submitted by Nina Keller, the former Selectboard member’s wife. The article asked voters if they would agree to adopt a resolution declaring an offer “to share the Town Common with related original Native tribes.” Following a lengthy discussion, voters opted to take no action on the article.

The resolution would have been largely symbolic, as anyone is permitted to use the common, including large events as long as the Selectboard grants permission. The proposed resolution stated that details would be ironed out by a working committee comprised of three to five Wendell residents — appointed by the Selectboard — that would organize meetings with Indigenous representatives, who then could become committee partners.

Nina Keller explained on Tuesday that she attended a Native American gathering in Turners Falls last year and guests were encouraged to “just do something” to help right the wrongs inflicted upon Indigenous people. She said she received guidance from historian David Brule, leader of the Nolumbeka Project.

“This sort of represents a sign of respect for Native values of being not owners, but caretakers of the Earth,” she said of the resolution.

However, some attendees were hung up on the article’s language. Resident Kathy Becker felt the wording seemed merely symbolic and not genuine.

“And I hate symbolic gestures, if they’re meaningless,” she said, adding that the issue of Indigenous relations is too important for an article that seemed to be written casually. Resident Chris Wings agreed, saying “it feels too unclear.”

Selectboard member Gillian Budine chimed in to say it is already difficult to get people to join town committees without adding another one. Nina Keller said it was meant to be a simple, uncontroversial article and she didn’t understand why it generated such debate.

Moderator Katie Nolan accepted a motion to take no action on the article and it passed overwhelmingly.

Remembering predecessors

Nolan started Tuesday’s Annual Town Meeting by reading a list of Wendell residents who died within the past year and requesting a moment of silence in their memory.

Town Clerk Anna Wetherby then took to the podium to pay special homage to her two most recent predecessors, Gretchen Smith and Anna “Anny” Hartjens, both of whom died in the past 12 months. Wetherby got choked up talking about how Smith’s excellent note-taking makes her job easier.

“It’s like she’s in the office with me, holding my hand as I learn this job,” she said.

Smith stepped down on Nov. 28, 2020, due to health problems.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.

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