Falmouth voters approve bylaw to destroy surplus police assault weapons

FALMOUTH — Voters appropriated around $13 million to town needs, created a new bylaw regarding surplus police assault weapons and rejected a petition to reverse the plastic water bottle ban at town meeting on Monday night.

There were 190 voters at the meeting held at the Lawrence School Auditorium. Here are some of the major issues town meeting voted on:

Falmouth police surplus assault weapon bylaw approved

Voters approved a new bylaw to the Code of Falmouth that mandates surplus police assault weapons be destroyed rather than sold to gun dealers.

In the past, it was a common procedure for the Falmouth Police Department to sell its surplus weapons back to gun dealers as part of deals to purchase new weapons. In May, the Falmouth Police Department finalized a deal with Hyannis gun store Powderhorn Outfitters to sell Powderhorn over 20 AR-15 semi-automatic weapons to receive credit toward a new purchase.

This spurred a petition drive by Falmouth residents to stop the gun deal. The petition was submitted to the Select Board with more than 300 signatures but it failed to sway town officials. As a result, a citizen's petition was filed by Nan Logan, to create a bylaw regulating surplus police weapons.

On Monday, Logan, who was joined by the Rev. Deborah Warner, said assault weapons should be destroyed rather than put on the open market. They said assault weapons sold back to gun stores could appear in other states, assault weapons are illegal in Massachusetts, and used for criminal violence.

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Destroying the surplus weapons is a small answer to rising gun violence across the country, Logan said.

A woman, who appeared to be relatively young, said in support of the new bylaw that her generation lives at a time when school and mass shootings are considered normal. She said she did not want her children to experience the same thing.

Another voter, who spoke against the bylaw, said that nobody in Falmouth was ever killed with an assault weapon and that the police department loses money if they can’t sell surplus weapons.

However, another voter countered this, saying just because no one died in Falmouth because of an assault weapon doesn’t mean more weapons should be put on the street.

The voice vote was resoundingly in favor of the bylaw.

Falmouth voters approve more than $13 million for town needs

Articles 4, 5 and 7 provided the bulk of the more than $13 million that voters appropriated to meet town needs. Articles 4 and 5 passed by a majority, while 7 passed unanimously.

Article 4 raised nearly $8 million for a list of capital improvements, mostly from free cash. Some of the major items on the list are roadway improvements, a new fire engine and an ambulance for the Hatchville fire station, and the reconstruction of tennis courts at the high school.

Article 5 funded about $2 million for non-capital improvements, mostly from free cash. Some of the improvements on the list included funding to combat coastal erosion and building a new turf field in the town.

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There was some debate about the turf field, as opponents of that line item said evidence showed turf was harmful to the environment as well as children's health.

However, proponents said the type of turf that would be used is safe, not “crumb rubber” which is responsible for most of the health and environmental concerns. Additionally, proponents said grass fields are nearly impossible to maintain, and turf fields provided children with a more reliable opportunity to stay active.

Article 7 appropriated about $1.5 million for school department wages.

Falmouth Fire Department removed from Civil Service

Article 6, which asked that the fire department be removed from civil service, passed unanimously.

Town Manager Peter Johnson-Staub said towns that removed their department from civil service or had never been a part of it have had more success with hiring new employees.

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According to the article, civil service exams cause delays and add difficulty to the hiring process. This adds to the fire department’s struggles to fill vacant positions. Removal from civil service gives a town more control over hiring, promotion and discipline.

One member of the public asked how firefighters would be evaluated without civil service, to which Johnson-Staub said that other towns have firms that they contract with to conduct evaluation tests for potential employees.

Falmouth plastic bottle ban remains in place

The sale of plastic water bottles was banned in the town in September 2020. The petitioner to remove that ban, Robert Volosevich said Monday that the ban hurts small businesses and that customers and tourists have been complaining about not being able to buy water bottles at local stores.

He also said that people just end up traveling to other nearby towns to buy plastic water bottles.

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Opponents of reversing the ban reiterated what has been said in many Cape towns in recent years. Plastic is killing the environment, the oceans, and banning single-use plastic water bottles is a step in the right direction.

The reversal was voted down by a majority vote.

Contact Asad Jung at ajung@capecodonline.com. Follow him on Twitter: @asadjungcct.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Falmouth Town Meeting approves surplus police assault weapons bylaw