MATTAPOISETT — In a conference call meeting on April 1, the Board of Selectmen voted to postpone Town Meeting until further notice due to coronavirus concerns, but keep the Annual Town Election as scheduled and follow the lead of what the state is doing about their special elections.

The board will reconvene in the week of May 11 to decide on a date for Town Meeting, if they decide at all.

In regards to Town Meeting, Chairman Paul Silva said that he is “not sure that any date that has been put forth can be held in concrete.”

Until Town Meeting passes the 2021 fiscal year budget, new state laws allow the town to operate on one-twelfth of its 2020 fiscal year budget on a month-to-month basis.

Town Clerk Cathy Heuberger felt that elections should be kept as scheduled because the May 19 election is seven weeks away. She thought that she could find ways to keep the elections safe using methods such as mail-in ballots. She and the Selectmen also agreed that watching how the state handles elections could serve as a good guide. 

The board agreed with Heuberger’s opinions and passed a motion to take no action for the town election and evaluate at a later date with the town clerk, keeping the timeline of the state’s May 19 special election in mind as a guideline for how the town should act.

Due to new measures passed by the state, the board can postpone town elections the day before they happen, if necessary.

While Heuberger understood that some board members may err on the side of caution, she said that “I just feel like I can make it happen.” 

Former town administrator Micheal Gagne gave updates about the town’s response to the virus and said that it secured a $5,000 state grant to educate the public about the virus. 

The town plans to use the money to put up signs in areas of high activity, like Ned’s Point and Shipyard Park, to remind residents of ways to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Gagne made a point to remind residents that dogs should be leashed and kept six feet away from other people and dogs to practice safe social distancing, and to remind children to practice safe distancing when hanging out together.

Before the meeting’s end, Gagne also mentioned that if a business or person cannot pay a fee or tax to the town that they should call the town’s treasury office to discuss their issue.

“We want to make every accommodation we can,” said Gagne.