Town meeting adopts MBTA zoning, rejects mail-warrant change
Tewksbury Special Town Meeting adopted MBTA Communities Act zoning but rejected a plan to stop mailing printed warrants.
Town Meeting · Meeting of October 6, 2026
Tewksbury Special Town Meeting adopted MBTA Communities Act zoning but rejected a plan to stop mailing printed warrants. Voters approved two multifamily overlay districts, at Clark Road and Ames Pond, 133-33, after officials said the town had lost roughly $1.72 million in state grants since falling out of compliance in December 2024. Town Counsel Kevin Feely told voters the Supreme Judicial Court had twice upheld the state's authority and left no legal path to delay further.
A separate bylaw change replacing mailed warrant booklets with a postcard and QR code failed 152-17 after residents, including Joe Gill, argued "citizens deserve to see their government in print." Voters also approved $1,007,900 in FY2027 department budgets, $5,636,040 for the Shawsheen Valley Technical assessment, and $89,036.09 to pay overdue prior-year bills, while sending a $125,000 wage-plan appropriation to a secret ballot after residents questioned pay-step disparities among town employees.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 3,741 words
Source: the Town Meeting meeting of October 6, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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