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. 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, February 10, 2025

• Personnel Board Meeting, 8:30 am @ zoom only (agenda and packet) Agenda Highlights: Discuss salary structure; Draft changes to Salary Admin Plan; Review salary study Article for Town Meeting; Discuss composition of 3- or 5-member board
• Council on Aging Meeting, 10:00 am @ Cordaville Hall (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Discuss proposed new dept structure between COA and Youth & Family Services; Vote on proposed changes to policies & procedures; Program update
• Neary Building Committee Finance Subcommittee Meeting, 1:00 pm @ zoom only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Discuss project finances and the Town’s updated 5 yr budget projection (Rescheduled from last Friday)
  • Select Board Meeting, 1:00 pm @ NBC Finance Subcommittee Meeting (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Joint Meeting with NBC Finance Subcommittee
• Regional School Committee Audit Subcommittee Meeting, 6:00 pm @ zoom only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Review of FY24 and OPEB audits
• Planning Board Meeting, 6:30 pm @ Town House Hearing Room and zoom (agenda with packet) Agenda Highlights: Public Hearings on zoning Articles for Accessory Dwelling Units Bylaw, and amending parking requirements, 250 Turnpike Rd (Contractor’s Yard Bldg), 2 East Main St (Mixed Use Building), and 26 Meadow Ln (Reservoir Meadows); Site plan for 361 Turnpike Rd (Valvoline Instant Oil Change); As Builts for St. Mark’s School Parking Lot on Marlboro Rd; Discuss 250 Turnpike Rd 40B comments to ZBA
• Neary School Building Committee Meeting, 7:00 pm @ zoom only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Community Feedback and outreach plan; Updates on design and finances

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

• MetroWest RECC District Meeting, 9:30 am @ Westborough Fire Dept (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Updates on Facility design, inspection, timeline, and costs; Architectural contract change order and addenda; Updates on Grant amendment and application, Exec Director position, District structure, Communications, & Lease
• MetroWest RECC Operations Meeting, (9:30 am – but after adjournment of Governance Board meeting) @ Westborough Fire Dept (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Updates on Facilities, Equipment, and Policy/Procedures
• Board of Health Meeting, 10:00 am @ zoom only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Youth and Family Services Strategic Plan; Greater Boroughs Funding Options; Town Meeting
• Recreation Commission Meeting, 12:00 pm @ zoom only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Vote to appoint representative to CPC
• Board of Assessors Meeting, 4:15 pm @ DPW Meeting Room (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Sign excise tax commitments and abatements; act on Principal Assessor’s request for release of overlay funds 
• Southborough Housing Authority Meeting, 5:30 pm @ Town House Hearing Room (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Conversation with Southborough Select Board
• Community Preservation Committee Meeting, 6:00 pm @ Public Safety Building and zoom (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Application Reviews and Town Meeting Articles timeline
• Youth Commission Meeting, 7:00 pm @ zoom only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Updates on budget, commission vacancy, and Friends of Youth Commission fundraisers; Outreach opportunities
• Select Board Meeting, 7:30 pm @ zoom only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Joint meeting with Neary Building Committee Finance Subcommittee

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

• Select Board Meeting, 8:30 am @ zoom only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Appoint DPW Highway Supervisor
• Board of Affordable Housing Trust Meeting, 10:00 am @ zoom only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Discussion of pending CPC Application; Housing Production Plan and July 2025 Expiration
• Neary School Council Meeting, 3:15 pm @ Neary School Conference Room (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Updates on school Improvement plan and budget; School Culture
• Southborough Schoool Committee Meeting, 6:30 pm @ Trottier Middle School Library (agenda and packet) Agenda Highlights: Multilingual Learner Presentation; SYFS Community Needs Assessment; Food Service Management Company RFP Timeline; Extended Day program rates; Updates on Action Plan Progress, Neary Building Committee, and Transportation; Trottier Roof Repair; Vote on Recommended FY26 budget
• Stewardship Committee, 6:30 pm @ Public Safety Building Training Room (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Little Library Proposal; Farm Dump Review; Management Plan

Thursday, February 13, 2025

• Conservation Commission Meeting, 7:00 pm @ zoom only (agenda and packet) Agenda Highlights: Public Hearings on 48 Main St (addition), 12 Wood St (septic replacement), 26 Meadow Lane (flexible development), and 120 Turnpike Rd (60 unit apartment building); Request for Certificate of Compliance for Crystal Pond Road & Coslin Drive; Discuss Potential Amendment or update for 200 Turnpike Road; 98 Southville Road (2005 violation & Enforcement Order); Updates on Chestnut Hill Farm and Breakneck Hill Farm Dump (Citizen’s Petition); Peer Reviewing Engineering Services

*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.