The week in government

Here are the posted open, public Southborough committee and board meetings for this week* along with my selected highlights from the agendas. (It’s a busy week!)

These days, some meetings are over zoom, some in-person, and others are hybrids that allow both participation through both options.**

As always, be aware that changes to the meeting schedule (and agendas) are known to happen throughout the week. (Scroll down for details on meetings that popped up after last Monday’s post.) For an updated list of meetings, visit the Town website.

Monday, November 14, 2022

• Southborough School Committee Operational Budget Subcommittee Meeting, 7:00 pm via webinar (agenda) Agenda Highlights: FY24 Budget Discussion
• Capital Planning Committee Meeting, 7:30 pm (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Updates on Neary Building Committee and SHOPC – South Union Subcommittee; Review of 10-year capital plan submissions by Police Dept and DPW; Review of FY24 Proposed Capital and Debt Schedule

Tuesday, November 15, 2022

• Board of Health Meeting, 9:30 am @ Town House Hearing Room and zoom (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Tobacco Regs and Permits; Approve moving surplus funds to ARPA; Community Compact Best Practice Grant Award; Food Inspection Report; Request for Variance to reduce septic setback for 5 Atwood Street; Update on Ken’s Sound Wall; FY24 Budget Update; Warrant Articles; Emergency Management Preparedness Discussion; Opioid Settlement Money
• Select Board Meeting, 6:30 pm @ Town House Hearing Room and zoom (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Consider Hazard Pay for Police and Fire under ARPA; Drainage easement for Lot 2B Meadow Lane; Update on Public Works Planning Board; Q1 Financial Report: Joint Meeting with Advisory on FY24 Budget; Hiring processes update
  • Advisory Committee Meeting, 7:00 pm @ Town House Hearing Room and zoom (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Joint meeting with Select Board and Finance Team to discuss FY24 Budget
• Southborough Cultural Arts Council Meeting, 7:00 pm (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Discuss objectives; Review and vote on grant applications
• Southborough Youth Commission Meeting, 7:00 pm (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Strategic plan progress report; FY24 Budget and MTC meeting; Personnel Board Salary Study; Onboarding new members checklist; Outreach training- Prevention Programs; Increasing attendance at workshops
• Northborough Southborough Regional School Committee Joint Open Meeting of the Policy Development Subcommittees Meeting, 7:00 pm via webinar (agenda) Agenda Highlights: 2nd review of Wellness Policy; 1st Review of policies (and recommendation to rescind other policies) related to drugs, alcohol, and tobacco
• Trails Committee Meeting, 7:30 pm (agenda) Agenda Highlights: DCR MOA Trails Agreement Status Update; Next steps for Choate and MassTrails grants; . Connecting Park Central to existing trails; Diversity, equity and inclusion statement; Trail Maintenance

Wednesday, November 16, 2022

• N/S Regional School Committee Meeting, 6:30 pm @ Algonquin Regional High School Library (Classroom D110i), 79 Bartlett Street, Northborough (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Fine & Performing Arts Dept Presentation; Class Size Ratios and Standardized Assessment Results; Approve draft capital plan and FY24 Budget Priorities; Updates on Athletic Complex Project and New England Energy Market; Vacancy Update
• Zoning Board Meeting, 7:00 pm (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Minutes and proposed meeting schedule
• Select Board Meeting, 7:00 pm @ Town House Hearing Room and zoom (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Forum to inform public about Regional Dispatch Center initiative and receive comments
• Economic Development Committee Meeting, 7:30 pm @ Senior Center Rooms A & B, 9 Cordaville Rd (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Discussion with developer Peter Bemis on downtown, new zoning, and future plans; Commonwealth Search for Lease Space

Thursday, November 17, 2022

• Conservation Commission Meeting, 7:00 pm (agenda and materials) Agenda Highlights: Public Hearings on 65C School St wetland areas, 1 Witherbee Ln landscape and building improvements; 353-355 Turnpike Rd septic replacement, 8 Brigham St new home, 10 Metcalf Ln sports court, and 200 Turnpike Rd warehouse and salt shed; Potential Violation – 31 Presidential Dr; Update on Breakneck Hill Dump

Friday, November 18, 2022

• Board of Registrars of Voters Meeting, 5:00 pm @ Town House (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Review and vote any Uniformed and Overseas, Federal Write-in Absentee or provisional ballots; Delegate Authority to the Town Clerk to research and vote any provisional ballots for the 2023 Annual Town Election

Looking Back:

Below are meetings from last week that were posted after I ran last week’s list:

Thursday, November 10, 2022

• Community Preservation Committee Meeting, 7:00 pm (agenda, video) Agenda Highlights: Update on Algonquin Athletic Complex project; Project Close-Out Form and closing out project for Civil War Flagg and Historic Documents Restoration; Review CPA Requirements and Strategic Plans for Community Housing Funds; Budget review

*I don’t include closed Executive Sessions unless the agenda indicates the possibility of some action in an open public session at the opening or closing of the meeting.

**Details on watching meetings remotely:

• Southborough School Committee meetings are generally broadcast live by Southborough Access Media here and on Verizon-37 and Charter-192. (Video replays are also usually made available through their YouTube channel within a day or two.)
• Regional School Committee meetings (or Combined meetings based at Algonquin) are broadcast by Northborough Cable Access here and on Verizon-29 and Charter-194. The meetings are also eventually rebroadcast and available through NCAT’s VOD player and YouTube channel (though that can take several days).
• If I don’t specify a location for Town committees and boards, they will be held on zoom (details here). Zoom/hybrid meetins are also streamed live and saved for replay via the Town’s YouTube Channel for Remote Meetings. (Though, occasionally there are glitches.) If in-person meetings don’t also advertise a zoom option, assume that it won’t be captured on video