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, March 24, 2025

• Wastewater Study Committee Meeting, 3:00 pm @ zoom only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Discuss DIF Financing with Mass Development
• Planning Board Meeting, 6:30 pm @ Town House and zoom (agenda and packet) Agenda Highlights: Public Hearings on revising zoning bylaws for ADUs and shared parking, 48 Main St (addition), 250 Turnpike Rd (Contractor’s Yard bldg), 2 E Main St (multi family building), 200 Turnpike Rd (contractor’s facility), 26 Meadow Ln (flexible development); 153 Cordaville wall sign; 361 Turnpike Rd Site Plan; 250 Turnpike Rd 40B status

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

[Editor’s Note: A Select Board Meeting was accidentally posted for this date in the Town’s meeting calendar (though without an agenda). I received clarification that it was an error. The board isn’t meeting this evening.]

• Affordable Housing Trust Meeting, 6:30 pm @ zoom only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Discuss CPC Article to transfer funds to AHT; Housing Production Plan; and July 2025 Expiration Discussion; AHT Southborough Website Description
• Southborough School Committee Meeting, 7:00 pm @ webinar only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Public Hearing on FY26 Budget
• Regional School Committee Meeting, 8:00 pm @ webinar only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Public Hearing on FY26 Budget

Wednesday, March 26, 2025

• Scholarship Advisory Committee Meeting, 6:00 pm @ Town House Hearing Room (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Awards criteria for Town , Carol Harris and Linda Hubley scholarships
• Historical Commission Meeting, 7:00 pm @ zoom only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: CPC article concerning fencing around the Town Common

Thursday, March 27, 2025

• Neary Building Committee Finance Subcommittee Meeting, 1:00 pm @ zoom only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Project finances, including new estimates and updated Town five year budget projection
• Conservation Commission Meeting, 7:00 pm @ zoom only (agenda and packet) Agenda Highlights: Public Hearings on 36 Sears Rd (pool and lawn area), 48 Main St (addition), 12 Wood St (septic system), 26 Meadow Ln (flexible development), 120 Turnpike Rd (60 unit 40B); Chestnut Hill Farm Updates; Farm Dump restoration plan

Looking Back:

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

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

• Tricentennial Committee Meeting, 6:30 pm (agenda, video) Agenda Highlights: Reflections on Tricentennial celebratory events; Subcommittees status; Fundraising and promotion updates

Thursday, March 20, 2025

• Southborough School Committee Meeting, 7:00 am (agenda, video) Agenda Highlights: 2025-2026 School Calendar Discussion and Revote; Motion for MSBA Trottier repair project
• RECC District Executive Director Search Committeee Meeting, 10:00 am (agenda) Agenda Highlights: text
• Wastewater Study Committee Meeting, 6:30 pm (agenda, video) Agenda Highlights: text

*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-37 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 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 couple of days.)
  • 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).
• Other:
  • Southborough does participate in some regional collaboratives hosted in other towns. Those committees follow their own rules and may not offer a way to re-watch zoom meetings.