Will the Town of Wareham get into the golf course business? We may never know!

Town Meeting voters Tuesday were expected to discuss whether the town should purchase the bank-owned Bay Pointe Country Club in Onset for $1.4 million.

The petitioned article was proposed by Gary Cananzy, who planned to amend the proposal to instead form a committee to study the matter and report back to Town Meeting in the spring.

But Town Meeting adjourned just after 10 p.m. on Tuesday with no discussion or vote on the matter after a quorum count revealed that the meeting was one voter shy of the 150 residents needed to weigh in on a financial matter in excess of $5,000.

Though the article likely would not have involved any spending on the town's part on Tuesday, Town Moderator Claire Smith said "it has the capacity to impact a further appropriation" and thus decided not to allow discussion or a vote on the article.

Town attorney Jason Talerman confirmed Smith's assessment, noting that it was "the moderator's call."

Residents ultimately voted to adjourn the meeting.

Digital Credit Union, the owner of the property, currently has an investor interested in purchasing it for $1.7 million. The bank recently asked the Board of Selectmen to give up its right of first refusal to purchase the property, but the Selectmen delayed a decision until Town Meeting voters could weigh in the matter.

The Selectmen planned to vote on the matter at its meeting immediately following the conclusion of Town Meeting.

Earlier that evening, Town Meeting voted to further study a proposal to designate the Board of Selectmen as the hearing officer, rather than the town administrator, during any future public hearings involving the firing of a town employee.

Voters expressed concern with the legality of the proposal, which was presented by citizen Mike Flaherty, who said he thought the change was necessary after Andrews presided over a hearing regarding the termination of accountant Elizabeth Zaleski. Zaleski later settled with the town and was reinstated to her position, though she agreed to immediately resign.

No group or committee was designated to complete a study on the matter.

In other Town Meeting business:

• Voters chose to further study a Community Preservation Committee request to transfer $50,000 generated by tax dollars and earmarked for preservation to an account for "open space." An approval would have given the committee funding to draw from for costs incurred if the town were to receive a gift of land or if a situation arose that necessitated a quick response to a conservation opportunity. Historically, such expenditures would first need to be approved by Town Meeting.
• Voters approved collective bargaining agreements with the Municipal Maintenance Department & Town Custodians and with the MLPEC Wareham Dispatchers Union.