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.

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

These days, most (but not all) meetings, can be participated in, watched live, and replayed from home.)**

Monday, December 18, 2023

• Capital Improvement and Planning Committee Meeting, 7:30 pm @ zoom only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Updates on Neary Building & Community Center Exploration committees; Review Capital Plans/Requests for Southborough schools and Algonquin, MIS Review of Phone System, and Town Clerk Record Retention; Vote on all dept FY25 Capital Requests

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

• Board of Health Meeting, 12:00 pm @ zoom only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Tobacco Education; 98 Southville Rd; Health Dept and Town Employee Wellness; Disposal of Sharps; Collins Center Contract Extension; Opioid Settlement Fund Article
• Planning Board Meeting, 1:00 pm @ zoom only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Working session on MBTA Communities districts
• Board of Assessors Meeting, 4:15 pm @ Town House Hearing Room (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Review & Sign tax commitments, abatements, and letters; Deputy Assessor job description; Discuss adopting local option Veteran’s exemption clause for Gold Star parents/guardians; Tax exemptions
• Municipal Technology Committee Meeting, 6:30 pm @ zoom only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Town website feedback and user journey analysis; Auto-failover to Secondary ISP; Staffing & Managed services; Updates from Fire Dept, Assessors office, and DPW; Town Survey Status
• Regional School Operational Budget Subcommittee Meeting, 6:30 pm @ zoom only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Discuss FY25 Preliminary Budget & Assessments
• Select Board Meeting, 6:30 pm @ Town House Hearing Room and zoom  (agenda and packet) Agenda Highlights: Dispatch – Update on researching regionalized center & Police & Fire chiefs’ recommendation for maintaining current model; Auto sales license for RZND Motors; Breakneck Hill farm dump remediation tasks; New Building Dept fee schedule; Process for recruiting Fire Chief; Planning Board request for Special Counsel; South Union School Committee Charge; Potential Articles for Town Meeting (Public Works Planning Board changes and Super-majority requirement for spending money on private properties; 2023 Dept accomplishments
• Historical Commission Meeting, 7:00 pm @ zoom only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Vote on Historic House Signs program 

Wednesday, December 20, 2023

• Southborough School Committee Meeting, 7:30 am @ zoom only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Discuss Recommended Budget for FY25
• Board of Commissioners of Trust Funds Meeting, 8:00 am @ Town House Hearing Room (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Update on approval and disbursement of an applicant’s assistance request
• Southborough Housing Opportunity Partnership Committee (SHOPC) Meeting, 8:30 am @ zoom only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Vote on packet being sent out to prospective building groups for an Affordable project on Atwood Road
• Economic Development Committee Meeting, 6:30 pm @ zoom only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Status of 21 Boston Rd and 250 Turnpike Rd; Outcome of discussion with Planning Board; Report from Westborough; Meeting re: EMC; EDC Consultant; Status of Rte 9 Wastewater Feasibility grant; Discuss recruiting members, reprioritization of Master Plan Implementation goals, grant opportunities, remaining budget status
• Northborough-Southborough Regional School Committee Meeting, 6:30 pm @ Algonquin Regional High School Library, 79 Bartlett St, Northborough (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Introductions of Director of Multilingual Learner and Equity and Career Exploration and Innovation Leader; English Department Presentation; FY25 Preliminary Budget Presentation; Class Size Ratios and Standardized Assessment Results; Update on Athletic Complex Project and vote on Inter-Municipal Agreement; Capital Plan Warrant Article
• Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting, 7:00 pm @ Public Safety Facility, Training Room, 32 Cordaville Rd and zoom (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Hearing on 250 Turnpike Rd Special Permit to allow second commercial use on front lot

Looking Back:

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

Thursday, December 14, 2023

• Open Space Preservation Commission Meeting, 6:30 pm (agenda) Agenda Highlights: 118/120 Turnpike Road 40b Review; MBTA Communities Open Space Parcels; Updates on St. Marks Road Park, St. Marks School Parking Lot, and South Union School Update; Master Plan and OSRP Review; Invasive Species Grant Application; Workshops & Training Opportunities; Invasive Program and Native Plants; Chestnut Hill Farm Management Plan; Planning and Work at Pollination Gardens; Planning Board Open Space Review

*I don’t list meetings that are only 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:

• Town Committee/Board Meetings:
  • If in-person meetings don’t also advertise a zoom option, assume that it won’t be broadcast or captured on video.
  • To remotely participate in meetings that allow zoom, click here.
  • To live stream (or view later) remote or hybrid meetings (even those covered by Southborough Access Media) over the internet, use the Town’s YouTube Channel for Remote Meetings. (The meetings covered by SAM can also be streamed on their website here, and eventually on SAM’s YouTube Channel.)
  • Cable Access — Southborough Access Media broadcasts the regular evening meetings for the Select Board, Planning Board, and Zoning Board of Appeals that take place in the Town House Hearing Room. (Those meetings will still allow zoom participation.) View SAM’s live and replayed broadcasts via their Government cable access channel (Verizon-38 and Charter-194).
• School Committee Meetings:
  • Subcommittee meetings and some special meetings are only available to attend/view live (in person or by “webinar”) with no later rebroadcast.
  • Regular Regional School Committee meetings (or Combined meetings based at Algonquin) are live broadcast by Northborough Cable Access here and on Southborough’s Education Channel (Verizon-29 and Charter-194). The meetings are also eventually rebroadcast and available through NCAT’s VideoOnDemand player and YouTube channel (though that can take several days).