First Week ’25 Town Meeting: New Moderator Passes Day One Test; No ‘Nos’ On Second Day

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Photo: Town Moderator Mike Crowley leads 2025 Town Meeting on first night of annual gathering

It’s a notice that no one had on their Town Meeting BINGO© card.

“We’re having technical difficulties. Town Meeting will resume shortly.” 

That menacing message flashed on the big screen at the Belmont High School auditorium minutes after the start of the 2025 annual Town Meeting on Monday, May 5. Zoom dropped off, the sound system shut down to be replaced by an echo as electronic and internet gremlins played havoc with the town’s ambitious attempt at a hybrid meeting.

It was an inauspicious beginning for the first night of the annual gathering and for Mike Crowley‘s start as the Town’s Moderator. But Belmont Media’s Jeff Hansel and the town’s IT crowd chased the electronic elves off, and Crowley was finally able to have a successful—with a few hiccups, but nothing to remember—first night in charge of the Belmont Town Meeting.

“[The delay] was a good thing for me,” said Crowley on Wednesday. “I was able to relax at the podium for those extra minutes, and it helped,” he said. He added that he appreciated having the Town Clerk’s staff and a slew of experienced town employees and elected officials to help guide the way.

Before the night’s business got underway, the Select Board presented a proclamation to the former moderator, Mike Widmer, for his 40 years of “extraordinary” public service including 17 years as moderator, a town meeting member and his contributions to state – a quarter century leading the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation – and local finance. Widmer told the meeting that while he was proud of what he accomplished, “but nothing good in life really gets done alone,” acknowledging the cooperation of town employees and committee members.

“I love democracy,” he said, returning to a favorite theme as moderator. Noting that 288 residents ran for Town Meeting, and come out to the annual gathering “is a marvelous thing for this town and this country that were built on this democratic experiment. So don’t take it lightly the fact that some of this become routine. And don’t take lightly the privilege of stepping to the microphone and being able to say what you feel without the fear of recrimination,” said Widmer, to a standing ovation.

State of the Town: alot good, some not so

Elizabeth Dionne, Select Board chair, gave an unofficial ‘State of the Town’ address, with the familiar phrase as title: “The Best of Times, The Worst of Times.” On the best side of the ledger, “honest, competent local government” that allowed the town and schools to work collaboratively to produce a balanced budget that, for the first time, saw agreed-on spending limits. On the worst side, clouds loom over the fiscal year 2027 budget process, which will be a “more difficult” exercise. 

Dionne highlighted Belmont’s commitment to meeting the recommendations of the 2022 Collins Center report, which pointed out the town’s financial challenges: hiring Jennifer Hewitt to the town’s newly created Financial Director’s post, an appointed treasurer, and a board of assessors, and starting a multi-year Budget Advisory Committee. 

Dionne also praised the ramping up of the Information Technology Department under Chief Innovation Officer Chris McClure, a refocus on Planning and Economic Development to attract commercial and industrial activity, and the reorganization of the Community Services Department.

But while town continues to do more with less, “we have hit the outer limits of efficiencies on the municipal side,” as Belmont ratepayers are weighed down by “one of the state’s heaviest property tax burdens,” she said.

“Persuading voters to add to their already heavy tax burden will be an uphill battle, which means that we must demonstrate ongoing fiscal discipline before asking voters for another override,” said Dionne.

First Night: 800 Apples heading to the schools

Monday’s first night of Town Meeting saw Crowley complete more than half of the 20 articles in the warrant, many profunctory, such as elected officials’ salaries. Tomi Olsen (Precinct 6) did suggest Town Clerk Ellen Cushman receive a raise citing the office’s workload and professionalism.

Town Meeting approved two new revolving funds: for the new skating rink and solid waste management. Select Board Vice Chair Matt Taylor explained that the funds raised through fees would endure, and the money is used for specific activities; solid waste management would include mattress removal. Vince Stanton (Precinct 2) asked if the money in a revolving fund could be invested in, for example, money market securities to reap the benefit of increasing rates. Taylor responded, saying those funds work by taking in revenue and distributing it when needed over the year. Also, there are lots of governmental restrictions when investing town funds. (222-18-2)

The meeting approved the School Committee’s four-year lease-to-own financing contract with Apple for 800 iPads for Belmont’s youngest students, replacing the current inventory that is coming to the end of its useful life. The contract came before Town Meeting as it had exceeded the state’s three-year limit for such agreements. The members responded positively – actual cheers – when it was revealed that the funds came from the school’s budget rather than another source, such as free cash. (231-3-0)

Finally, Town Meeting approved an article asking the state legislature to pass home rule legislation that will allow the town to ban second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides, better known as rat poison. Rodents partake of the toxic bait but, unfortunately, pass it on to the rat’s predators—like hawks, owls, and eagles—which kill them. The article passed 222-5-2.

Night Two: Roads? Yes, yes, yes, etc, etc

In a report to the Town Meeting, Library Building Committee Kathy Keohane told members that while the $39.5 million new library project is on budget with enough contingency funds to offset any foreseeable cost hikes, the project’s timeline for substantial completion has been pushed back a week to November 1. 

“That puts us moving into the building in November and December, with the hope that we’ll have some targeted services open in the library in December with a brand new opening in January,” said Keohane. “We don’t want to compete with the holidays, so we’re going to wait for the quiet month of January and celebrate the heck out of that month.”

The articles 

If you saw the final tallies on Wednesday night’s articles, you’d probably think you saw the results of some authoritarian dictatorship. For seven of the eight times it voted on either an article or appropriations, not a single Town Meeting Member cast a ‘no’ vote. In fact, one member voted against allowing Assistant Town Clerk Meg Piccioneto to substitute for Town Clerk Ellen Cushman, who couldn’t attend Wednesday. Go figure.

Want a surefire way to start a conversation in Belmont? Bring up roads and sidewalks. That’s what happened on Wednesday night as a line of members formed before the two microphones on the auditorium floor and on Zoom when the total appropriation of $2.513 million—$2 million for streets and $512,266 for sidewalks—was brought before the meeting. While the article was to appropriate funds, many members took the opportunity to express, once again, their frustrations with Belmont’s infamous roadways and sidewalks. 

After being told by National Grid that two small gas leaks on her street had to be repaired before 2027 but the town scheduled road repairs in fiscal ’24, Corinne McCue Olmsted (Precinct 1) wondered if there was any coordination with the gas utility and the town so streets would not be dug up after the repair, Assistant Town Engineer Wayne Chouinard said while there is communication between the parties, sometimes the utility will miss a scheduled monthly meeting or something will fall through the cracks to create issues with ripping up the road. 

“National Grid is the bane of my existence,” said DPW Director Jay Marcotte. While the town has a five-year moratorium on any work after a repair, it does not apply to the utility. “We can work with them with the best intentions to figure out how they can get in and do their gas work to repair leaks, they may not get around to it. It’s extremely frustrating on our end.”

Rosemary Burke (Precinct 2) told the meeting that $2.5 million is “nowhere near what this town needs to spend on roads and sidewalks.” She contends that “all the roads are a mess … and there isn’t anyone that lives anywhere here that doesn’t have a terrible street.” 

“What kind of plan will the town come up with … to more substantially address the town’s serious infrastructure problem?” Burke asked. Marcotte said his department works with consultants who rate the town’s roadways and prioritize those streets that fall below a set standard, basically selecting the worst of the lot. 

Here’s a first for the Town Meeting: Emily Peterson called the question via Zoom. The appropriation passed 218-1-1

The answer: 157. Question: How many trees did the DPW plant in the past fiscal year? And that was nearly twice the average (80) of replacement trees placed throughout town, mainly on the green strips next to sidewalks, according to Marcotte. Town Meeting approved the Comprehensive Capital Budget Committee’s request of $35,000 for tree planting in FY ’25.

Article 3: Updating the 2004 Belmont Floodplan District zoning bylaw by modifying existing sections to meet new federal requirements and incorporating new definitions and use regulations. (233-0-0)

Article 12: Approve $3.1 million in funding for the water main replacement program. Now four decades on, the program has replaced 35.5 miles of the 39 miles of unlined steel water mains laid before 1929. Best part, a loan from the MWRA to do the work is interest free. (242-0-0).

Article 18: The quarter-century-old roof of the Chenery Upper Elementary School needs to be replaced. The first part of the three-year plan is installing new HVAC systems for $3.7 million. Possible rebates, grants for updated heating and cooling equipment, and any remaining funds from this year’s work will go towards the $4.2 million to replace the roof in fiscal ’27. (207-0-1)

Article 17: Capital Expenditures, totaling $668,000, included:

  • Council on Aging: An accessible van at $75,000. (216-0-0)
  • DPW: Tree planting and purchasing a dump truck for $135,000. (239-0-1)
  • Fire Department: $118,000 towards a $545,000 new ambulance, $90,000 for breathing apparatus (239-0-1)
  • $250,000 in Information Technology infrastructure upgrades and cables (213-0-0) 

Town Meet will reconvene at 7 p.m., Monday, May 12 at the Belmont High School auditorium.

COA Votes To Delay Transitioning Rec Dept Staff To Beech Street Center; Town, Select Board Has Other Ideas

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Photo: The Council on Aging voted 9-1 to delay the transition of three Recreation Department staffers and the Veterans Agent into the Beech Street Center

At first glance, the proposal from town officials to transistion the Recreation Department to the Beech Street Senior Center this fall appears straightforward enough. Due to space needs at Town Hall with the Retirement Board heading to the Homer Building, construction work – including adding a new entry specifically for Recreation Department use – will be performed so three Recreation Department administrative staffers and the town’s Veterans Agent can relocate into a corner of the Beech Street Center as town librarians – in the location temporarily as the new library is being built – are prepared to transfer out. 

While the request didn’t appear to be contentious, don’t tell that to seniors who contend the transition is part of a “power play” by the town to reduce or remove the Council on Aging’s control of the Beech Street Center. Many senior advocates point to last year’s placement of the once-independent Senior Center into the newly-created Community Services Department – which occurred only after a protracted debate – as another example of the town interjecting its will onto its seniors.

“A lot of us see this building as just being prime real estate, and the town is licking its chops and figuring out every scheme it can use to move inside,” said Bob McGaw. The chair of the By-Law Review Committee has spearheaded a successful Citizens Petition with more than 300 signatures to bring an article to the Special Town Meeting inside the annual Town Meeting on May 21 to ask the town’s legislative to approve the Center’s “change of use essentially.” 

COA member Maryann Scali

After a month of meetings in April, the COA on Wednesday, April 30, voted 9-1 to delay the proposed transition of the Rec Department employees in the Center until the completion of the ongoing University of Massachusetts Boston community needs assessment survey of town’s seniors, and the formation of a working advisory group made up of COA members, residents, and others would then meet to hammer out a new plan. 

“We don’t have enough detail [about the transition plan],” said COA member Andrea Paschal just before Wednesday’s vote. “The thought of having the Rec Department, library, and senior services here all the way through ’til November seems almost impossible to me. So I think if I had to decide today … let’s wait at least until the fall when the library has moved out and when we have more information about the details and then come to a decision about the best way to combine rec, veterans, and senior services.” 

Yet, according to two COA members, the vote—and the hopes of senior activists—was insubstantial at Wednesday’s meeting, as the final determination on the transition lies in the hands of the town’s administrative body.

“We do have our hands tied, because ultimately, we advise the Select Board, [but] the Select Board is the body which ultimately makes these decisions,” said COA Chair Karen Donelan.

At the COA public meetings, opinions sharpened as the assembled voiced its approval of speakers who blasted the proposed transfer and vowed to halt the move. Supporters contend that inserting the Rec. Department employees violates the long-standing agreement between the town and financial donors who brought in approximately $1 million that the primary use of the building would be senior-oriented. 

For COA member Maryann Scali, the sole purpose of the Center—approved in 2005 by a Town Meeting vote—is as a “senior center, and this is why it’s here and why millions of dollars was donated.” “Now the recreation department has moved in without our consent, without discussion,” she said at an earlier meeting.

Others believe the COA has only a single course to take.

“A resounding NO!”

“There’s nothing in your charge that allows you to have the Recreation Commission come in and do anything else. Your main function is to serve the elderly people in this town. So the answer to the town: ‘Can we bring the Recreation Department?’ should be a resounding NO!” said Mark D’Andrea.

Yet the town and the Select Board stand firm in their belief that there is reasonable cause to move forward with the transisition. While wanting to be very respectful of the COA, Select Board Chair Elizabeth Dionne said at its Monday, April 28 meeting that the board has long committed to continuing to have the Beech Street Center dedicated to seniors “from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.” For that reason, Dionne opposes the suggestion of bringing in a small number of town employees, which constitutes a full-fledged abandonment of the Center’s main role. 

“I really object to this claim that it’s a change of use. I don’t want that claim to go out there unanswered. To say there’s a change of use, in my mind, is to perpetuate a falsehood,” said Dionne. Town Administrator Patrice Garvin noted a recent reading of the 2011 Memorandum of Understanding by the town’s legal counsel refutes the change of use claims and renders the advocate’s challenge moot.

The board has pointed to practical reasons for the transistion. Select Board Vice Chair Matt Taylor said the move is coming at an opportune time as “there is a renewed energy and enthusiasm around our Senior Center” and the extra pair of hands and ability to extend the building’s hours that “there are real opportunities to serve our residents.”

“Bringing staff to the administrative offices would allow both staffs to share responsibilities while freeing up staff from the desk to help programming and services throughout the building, especially at later hours that seniors have been requesting,” said Taylor.

Community Services Director Brendan Fitts said the move would enhance efficiency while supporting cross-departmental collaboration. The COA and Rec. Department use the same software and share the same administrative backbone within the Community Service.

“[It] aligns with town goals,” said Fitts, as it is doing more with less with long-term savings, all the while maintaining the senior Center’s focus on serving the town’s elder community.

However, the chief cudgel the town holds over the COA vote are two past acts: stripping the independence of the Center and the COA, and Town Meeting passing changes to the Town Administrator’s position. After several seniors at the last public meeting suggested a much stronger response than a slowdown of the process – one going so far as suggesting the council resign en masse for failing its mission to promote elder services – COA member Joel Semuels told those attending that the COA is restrained by past presence from halting the move.

Samuels explained that the COA vote was only on whether to proceed with the construction project—including creating the new entrance and interior modifications—and on getting the Veterans and Recreation Department staff into this building. “That’s what this meeting is about,” he said. 

“The Recreation Department and the Veterans [Agent] and the COA are part of a Community Services Department. That is a reality right now. That horse has left the bar. The fact that the COA is not a free-standing Senior Center has already been decided. Last year, we fought that and lost, so we’re not returning.”

COA Chair Karen Donelan

“Town meeting by its vote a number of years ago, gave the town administrator the authority to oversee the staff of the Council on Aging,” added Our board can advocate. Our board can plead. Our board can suggest our board does not hire and fire staff. That is in the town administrator’s authority by vote of Town Meeting,” said Donelan.

“What we are saying [with the vote] is we want to delay until we can answer many of the questions that have been raised,” said said. “We don’t want to move ahead with what a legitimate policy process is. We’re doing our best to hear your questions and say, ‘Let’s answer them before we take a vote’.”

Belmont FY ’26 Water, Sewer Rates Following Recommended Rate Increase Of 3 Percent

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Photo: Water and sewer rates are going up three percent

Belmont residents and businesses will see their water and sewer bills increase by a recommended three percent beginning in August.

Starting with the August 1 statement, the annual combined water and sewer bill for the average single-family household using approximately 200 cubic feet of water a month – the equivalent of 1,496 gallons – will increase from $624.99 in fiscal ’25 to $652.84 in fiscal ’26.

These are decreases from FY ’25 rate changes of four percent for water and eight percent for sewage, despite a significant jump in the bill the town received for the coming year from its water supplier. Belmont DPW Director Jay Marcotte told the board this year’s assessment from the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority – which supplies the town with water and sewage removal – came in “a little high on the water side” at 10.5 percent, from $3.26 million to $3.61 million.

The chief reason for the jump was global climate change, according to assistant Town Administrator Jennifer Hewitt, resulting in drier than normal seasons including a summer drought.

“So when a community, like Belmont, has drought, our irrigation goes up because people have nice, manicured lawns and landscaping, and they don’t want that to go to the side, so the irrigation goes up,” said Marcotte.

Marcotte also announced fee increases for serviced provided by the Water Department. Backflow device test, backflow device retest, and a failure to repair failed backflow device goes from $75 to $100, while a temporary water meter assembly will change from a $150 fee plus usage to a $800 flat fee.

Belmont is mid-way through a five year overhaul of financing the town’s Water and Sewer Enterprise funds by Raftelis, a national management consulting firm focusing on municipal government and utilities.

Related article: May 10 Public Meeting On Plan To Increase Water/Sewer Rates After No Hikes For Half A Decade

The Raftelis report issued in May, 2023, suggested Belmont’s water rates increase by four percent annually for the first two years, and recommending an eight percent increase in sewer rates in fiscal ’24 and ’25 before reverting to three percent increases in the remaining three years.

As noted by Select Board Chair Elizabeth Dionne, up until fiscal year 2023 the town used to charge a flat rate for water and sewer regardless of the size of the water main, as it would rely on reserves to subsidize residential water rates. But this strategy placed a strain on those reserves which would over time place them in deficit.

“Now we have aggressive charge, which is the standard practice [nationwide.] It also allowed us to match more closely infrastructure expenses with users,” said Dionne.

6:09
of the many things we love about Jennifer, is that we get this forecasting really, really helpful for planning purposes. Jay and

6:17
I have been a great team on this so graphic. Tell us it’s been their model was phenomenal, and we’ve been able to build on that. That was something that was part of the analysis, that the model came with it, and so we simply updated the model to be able to provide this analysis. Okay, exhausts my questions.

6:42
Matt, did you

6:44
questions, is our Is there any trend reading to be said about our water usage throughout town? Is it like trending

6:52
up? Trending historically? No, actually, it’s not down. Everything is now low flow. So our water consumption, holistically, over the last 10 years, has been going down, down down every year. That’s why our cost of water, cost of infrastructure, cost of maintenance, doesn’t go down. So that’s why our rates have to kind

7:18
of keep up with that. Okay? And then the but the MWRA assessment also seems to keep going up. Yes, it’s like

7:27
we’ve had years where we were zero.

7:28
We had Year Zero. Sewer is one of the lower that we’ve seen. On average, it’s about 3% they came in at 1.4 it was less than 2% it was one of the lower ones I’ve seen in my time here. So that, to me, is a would show a term that the water consumption is going down like for residential use. Yeah, I know

7:52
there’s a lot of incentives to have low flow toilets and sinks,

7:59
washing machines, washing machine when we were kids are 4550 gallons alone. Now

8:10
they’re like eight. You want to talk through the recommended feed increases,

8:17
sure. So the first so we’re in year three of the bra tell us program or call it. So the first two years was 4% water, 8% sewer, and then years three and continuously, 3% increase we are on pace or on par to do that. Hopefully the assessment in future years doesn’t happen we’re seeing, but with that, we’re super comfortable,

8:55
and I think that the increases also would be the temporary water meter assembly and the back flower so something that’s that’s important that I didn’t quite realize, Matt, is that these i So we also have included on page four of the memo a list of water fees. And these are all the fees that were charged by the department. However, the only thing that is changing are the temporary water meter assembly and then the backflow maybe describe what shows are sure. So backflow prevention program that we have is it’s mandatory. It has to be the commercial level restaurants, census, fire suppression type things, it’s mandatory that they get tested twice a year, and we have to have a certified technical, tech or person that can do those tests. So that is a new, basically, program that we have implemented and we have a set last year, I think we had fees of $75 or requesting to go up 100

does 100 actually cover the cost? No, it does not. So we have, as a Select Board member, has been moving towards fees that actually reflect, that reflect the actual cost. So we looked

in the area, and we’re a little bit lower than some of the communities around us, but not too much older. Waltham, I think, is 125 or

10:29
150 or would it

10:30
be worth adjusting those 225 each?

10:34
It again, wouldn’t be we only one person going in Waltham, I think, has three. They have, like, 10 times more than we

10:44
have just just in general. So what you’re saying to prefer that we accept the list as presented. If we have these who, you

10:52
know, adjust next year, then we can, yeah, I

10:54
think we have an appetite for realistic fee structures. I think

10:57
one of the things we’re we’re seeing, we look at other towns, it’s like, is there a practice or a best practice? And other towns are potentially haven’t looked at their fee structures in a long time, or their fees are not covering their costs as well. So yeah, we have to take additional, I think, look at what our costs are and just be thoughtful about it.

11:16
So yeah, without asking to make a change now for next year, think about actual

11:21
costs. I do know that being number one in

11:25
MWA or cost is not a good place to be. Fair enough. Fair enough. Good point. We’ve got one hand raised online. Lisa parvoli,


I forgot about the fees. Could you have a similar motion for the fees for

14:13
the water? Yeah, move to accept the FY 26 water and these are these, water and sewer? No, just water. Water fees affected? Yes, effective. July 1, 2026 as presented.

14:45
Yeah, what does it move to rescind the prior vote and second, all in favor? Aye. Thank you for the

14:54
cap. Move to accept the FY 2026, water and sewer rates effective July 1. 2025 as per second. All right. Second, move to accept the

15:07
FY 26 water fees effective July 1. 2025 as presented. Second,

15:10
we briefly just talked that there will be a month on

15:19
flow. Oh, yes, just the we’ve operationalized this so that the the rates are effective July 1, but the first bills that will contain those new rates will be received in office, right? Because that is July, yeah, yeah. So there’s a there’s a bill, all

Raftelis, a national management consulting firm focusing on municipal government and utilities, to conduct a five-year rate study. The goal is to “establish financial sufficiency and viability” for the town’s water and sewer enterprise by determining the revenue needed to meet the operating expenses while retaining a healthy reserve.

Ratepayers will be facing steady rate hikes for the foreseeable future, said Raftelis vice president David Fox who told the Select Board Belmont “is very much not alone in this boat.” Nationally, water rates have been increasing by five percent and sewer by six percent for the past decade due to a litany of reasons, from inflationary pressures, repairing aging infrastructure, and declining consumption which results in a fall in revenue for municipalities and their utilities.

Even if costs were stable and you didn’t need to reinvest in the infrastructure, “you already would be facing an uphill battle with a declining revenue base” due to conservation measures and just a general drop off in usage, especially after the pandemic.

And for those communities that have been “kicking the can down the road” on rate increases, “eventually you’re going to get to a position where [Raftelis] will be meeting with a community where they are looking at a 35 percent year-to-year rate increase.

During most of the 2010s, Belmont’s water and sewer bills were some of the highest among its peer communities. With that knowledge, town officials began relying on retained earnings to keep rates unchanged to align charges with neighboring cities and towns.

But that reliance on reserves to subsidize residential water rates is no longer viable. In its analysis of water consumption and the expected increase in the assessments from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, which supplies water to Belmont, Fox said the water fund’s retained earnings account is scheduled to run empty by the end of fiscal ’26.

Keeping the ratepayers in their mind

While it’s a simple equation to determine how high new rates should rise by understanding how much revenue is generated and what is needed to cover expected costs, “we don’t ever want to overshoot the rated and have the rates be artificially high,” said Fox. “We have to keep the burden of the ratepayers in the back of our mind.” 

One area of importance when calculating the new rate is maintaining a healthy retainer, the equivalent of a savings account, said Fox. The account is necessary to weather the financial storm of reduced consumption when there is a cool, wet spring or summer or a sudden capital demand on the infrastructure.

Raftelis forecast water and sewer operations and maintenance costs to increase three percent annually, with just over half of the water portion coming from MWRA assessments, while 71 percent of the sewer increase results from MWRA pricing. 

With yearly capital improvements expenditures expected at $1.36 million for water and $1.1 million for sewer and with both fund’s retained earnings line items heading towards zero in the next few years, “[a]dditional revenue is needed immediately in [fiscal ’24] to ensure [adequate] financial [growth],” wrote Fox for both water and sewer funds.

According to Fox, Belmont’s water rates should increase by four percent annually for five years. Raftelis recommends an eight percent increase in sewer rates in fiscal ’24 and ’25 before reverting to three percent increases in the remaining three years.

While rates are heading upward, the impact on residential users’ bills will be small under the Fox recommendations. The typical single-family household in the first year of the plan using approximately 200 cubic feet of water a month – the equivalent of 1,496 gallons – its annual combined water and sewer bill will increase by 4.5 percent, or $27.84, from $624.99 in fiscal ’23 to $652.84 in fiscal ’24. 

A two-family structure would see its bill rise by 5.8 percent ($76.77), and an apartment complex 6.3 percent ($158.33). The big jumps will be seen in the typical commercial site using approximately 7,500 gallons a month, where the average annual bill increases by $1,302.44 to $13,505.44. High-volume commercial users (15,000 gallons a month) can expect a $6,820.40 year-over-year hike.

When asked what conditions would be after the five years, Fox said if he was a betting man, “I’d say you’d still be looking at probably at a three percent increase every year.” With inflation to be around for longer than most people think and infrastructure needs always in the forefront of concerns, “I don’t think you’re going to get to a period after this five years whey you just don’t have an increase,” said Fox.

HalfWay Home: New Municipal Skating Rink Has Its Coming Out Party [VIDEO]

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Photo: The interior of the Belmont new Municipal Skating Rink.

The roof is on, the side walls are mostly up, and the cement floor is coming soon. The view of the new Municipal Skating Rink was just a few months ago in renderings and architectural drawings, but in the last week of April, the facility on Concord Avenue is here—well, halfway there. 

The public’s first chance to see the interior of the under-construction skating rink and community center took place on a warm April evening. So far, the reviews have been upbeat.

“It’s really nice,” said a nine-year-old Belmont Youth Hockey player looking at the rink. “It’ll be fun to play here because it’s brand new.” 

“Many who spent time in the old rink were just amazed at what they were seeing,” said Mark Haley, chair of the building committee overseeing the NHL-sized rink’s construction.

Residents strolled in over the afternoon—many bringing kids to see where they will be playing by year’s end—to ask questions of representatives from contractor Skanska or just take a look around the $30 million facility. 

On May 21, concrete will be poured, followed by laying a series of pipes to cool the ice sheet. The CO2 refrigeration system – currently under construction – will be shipped from Canada, arrive on June 19, and be in the rink by the end of that month. The roof-top dehumidification system will be in Belmont in late July. “And with that, we can make ice in September,” said Haley. 

Less than an hour later, Haley and committee members Tom Caputo and Dante Muzzioli sat before the Select Board to update the board on the timeline for opening the rink.

“The project remains on schedule,” Haley told the board. We’re planning on making ice and doing the commissioning in September.” The installer of the preferred mechanical equipment will make the first sheet of ice. 

“By October, the ice will be ready for youth hockey and our student-athletes to skate on. It will be ready for the hockey season in November. 

But there remains one tricky obstacle facing the project, one not of its doing: the threat of a 10 percent cost hit due to President Trump’s recently imposed tariffs on Canadian goods. While the large steel beams making up the building’s frame were delivered before Trump’s action, two essential items remain to be built: the CO2 ice plant and the roof-top dehumidification, which total $1.4 million. 

“There is no alternative source” for the equipment, said Elizabeth Dionne, chair of the Select Board. “This is nobody’s fault. It’s a change of circumstance.”

Haley said the building committee has paid half the cost for the ice plant, which he hopes will not require any tariff increase in its final price.

The search for a solar panel installer will begin this spring with Skanska putting together a package of base and two alternative bids: The base will be for the full 22,000 square foot coverage, with one alternative installing two-thirds of the roof and the second alternative constructing half of the base.

“The reason for that is we can have some flexibility of how much money we are able [to spend],” said Haley. The good news on the money front is the building committee is preparing to sign a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) contract with Skanska. The document outlines a predetermined maximum price for the project, where the contractor bears the risk of cost overruns beyond the GMP. 

Also, the total contingency – which covers unforeseen expenses that (always) arise during a project – is currently at $1.2 million, with 50 percent of the $26 million in construction costs spent. Haley noted that having a 10 percent buffer with half the project paid for “is a good place to be.” 

Crowley Prevails In Recount For Belmont Town Moderator

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Photo: Mike Crowley with the results of the Town Moderator recount which confirmed his victory, April 17.

When many believe the United States is undergoing a crisis of confidence in government, Belmont witnessed the reaffirmation of small ‘d’ democracy when, on Thursday, April 17, the town successfully proceeded – without allegations, shouting, or threats – to confirm the result of the race for Town Moderator.

After nearly three-and-a-half hours in the Town Hall auditorium, one-time school committee member Mike Crowley was declared the winner (again), receiving 2,136 votes to 2,125 for former Select Board Chair Mark Paolillo. Crowley’s winning margin increased by an extra vote from his Town Election total on April 1, while Paolillo’s tally remained the same.

“I would like to thank the Board of Registers for their work” in promoting democracy, said Crowley after Registrar of Voters Chair Bob McGraw read the results from the town’s eight precincts.

Crowley expressed his gratitude to Town Clerk Ellen Cushman and her staff which ran the recount, his attorney, Dennis Newman, and the volunteers who came out in force to work as his vote observers. 
Attorney Newman has some history with recounts: he was the lead Democratic attorney observing the critical Palm Beach review of votes in the historic Bush/Gore Presidential recount of 2000.

The day began with detailed instructions from Kristen Gagalis, an Associate at Anderson & Kreiger, which is the town’s legal counsel. The recount of nearly 5,000 votes was conducted at card tables with a reader facing a calculator. The candidates were allowed an observer at each table who could challenge any ballot they felt was incorrectly tabulated. The Registers would judge the disputed ballot.

While Crowley came with two dozen volunteers serving as his observers and tabulators, Paolillo did not attend and did not appear to have sent his own set of reporters. Despite the lack of advocates on the floor, Paolillo actually picked up a vote after the first precinct—the precincts were reviewed in order from one to nine—was completed, reducing Crowley’s margin to single digits at nine. 

But by the completion of Precinct 3, Crowley’s advantage had returned to 10 votes, as his observers kept a keen eye out for any mark or smudge that could go the candidate’s way. At times, Gagalis—using her pre-legal experience as a middle school teacher on cafeteria duty—would firmly remind the room the process was best served without unnecessary chatter. 

Just before noon, the final two precincts were swiftly counted without a large increase in disputed votes, which Paolillo would have needed to overturn the initial result.

“I’m very happy with the results. They confirm that the original outcome was the right one,” said Crowley.

Annual Town Meeting Warrant Set By Select Board, All In One Session With A Hybrid Twist

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Photo: The town prepares for the annual Town Meeting

It’s said that you can’t tell who the players are without a scorecard, and you can’t tell what’s going on at Town Meeting without the warrant.

Now, the members and public are all set to attend. On Thursday, April 10, the Belmont Select Board voted unanimously to sign off on this year’s annual Town Meeting beginning on May 5. Other dates for the Town Meeting include May 7, 12, 14, 19, and 21.

This year’s meeting will set precedence by taking place over a single, three-week session, as opposed to the decade-long bifurcated assembly, when the meeting was divided into a May general session followed in June by the budget articles.

“We’re entering into an experiment, and it is an experiment to do a single session,” said Select Board Chair Elizabeth Dionne, who said the final number of articles could reach 26. She said the change came down to a pair of considerations: A budget segment scheduled in mid-June prevented the town from closing its books in a timely fashion on June 30. The second reason is to “ease pressure on people’s schedules in June.” 

This year, we will also see the introduction of a hybrid meeting that allows members to attend online. The option in attending was a chief election promise of Mike Crowley, the newly-elected Town Moderator.
The select board has supported and will support a hybrid town meeting, said Dionne, noting it will be a “very ambitious agenda” as it will take place with a new town IT director, Chris McClure, and Crowley in place. While Belmont will employ a mixed meeting, nearby towns, such as Arlington and Needham, remain on-site only. 

But Dionne said her one caveat in supporting the hybrid meeting will be if the members believe the benefit of not meeting in June is worth the pain in May. “So this is a one-year experiment.”

The list of articles before members includes appropriations, the first of two parts in repairing the Chenery Upper Elementary school roof, the seven Community Preservation Committee projects, a lengthy flood plain district zoning bylaw, and a slew of articles that appear every year on the warrant.

Article 16 is to approve a four-year term to finance the purchase of iPads, which the school district has targeted. Dionne noted there had been social media “chatter” questioning the “found money” as any extra one-time funds should be made available for the fiscal year 2026 town budget, which is anticipated to increase by 2.5 percent as opposed to the 5.8 percent rise in the school’s budget. Dionne explained that the money was found during a “clean-up” of the town’s book from check-offs on residents’ property tax bills directed to schools. 

“So in some ways, it is found money. But it was originally meant to be spent on school projects,” said Dionne. 

A significant article before the approximate 290 Town Meeting members is senior tax relief, an important pledge by the Select Board to ease the tax burden on homeowners after voters passed the Proposition 2 1/2 override in 2024.

“The very diligent [senior tax relief] working group had brought us a number of articles that I think we all enthusiastically support,” said Dionne, including a mix of volunteering at town departments and donations by residents to assist qualified elder homeowners. 

The senior tax relief will be discussed in a special town meeting within the regular meeting, as the town legal counsel requires a little more time to discuss last-minute changes. 

Another article in the special will be to release the overlay funds within the assessor’s department. This reserve budget line has built up over time so that some of the funds can be released to the town for one-time bills. 

A single citizen’s petition will come before Town Meeting requesting the Select Board to file a Home Rule Petition with the state legislature granting Belmont the authority to prohibit or restrict the use of second-generation phosphides to control rats. If passed, it would allow a future Town Meeting to prohibit the poisoning by the town. Sponsored by the Belmont Citizen Forum, the article points out the evidence rodents that ingest the poison can harm and kill predators who feed on rats. Currently, the town’s departments have rejected the use of poison.

The Select Board will likely bring a late attempt to bring a second citizens’ petition to ease restrictions and increase the number of liquor licenses to stimulate business activity in the fall special town meeting.

Belmont Town Election: Yates Takes Select Board Race, Crowley Squeaks In As Moderator, Donner Elected To Library Trustees

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Photo: Tyler Yates arrives at Town Hall to hear he was elected to the Belmont Select Board

With more than three of four Belmont voters deciding to take a pass, there was a good chance a few surprises were in store from the 2025 annual Town Election held April 1, April Fool’s Day.

Despite contested races in four town-wide offices, voter participation was just 23.6 percent—the lowest numbers since 2018, when a minuscule 16.5 percent came out to cast ballots, which made the landscape ripe for challengers. In the town-wide races, a long-serving elected official was edged out by just 10 votes by a rival who lost his bid last year by a wide margin. At the same time, a venerable incumbent was outed by a candidate who was unceremoniously dumped from her seat on another committee just five years ago.

Results of the 2025 Belmont Town Elections can be found here

In the race for Select Board, Planning Board Chair Taylor Yates topped each of Belmont’s eight precincts to capture the seat vacated by Roy Epstein, defeating another first-time candidate, Economic Development Committee Chair Paul Joy, 2,533 to 1,738. Several observers noted the similarities of the pair – both relatively recent residents with young children (Yates welcoming a newborn last year) who ran on their accomplishments and new vision – and how this race represents a generational “changing of the guard” in town leadership.

“I feel extraordinary gratitude to all the voters, to my campaign team, the volunteers, the donors, and my family. A lot of people came together to make tonight happen,” said Yates, who witnessed his victory in the packed second-floor lobby of Town Hall. Candidates, observers, four or five children, and a crew from Belmont Media Center came to hear the traditional reading of results just after 9 p.m.

Yates said his positive vision of Belmont’s future brought out voters. “Our best days are ahead of us if we have leaders willing to push forward on our biggest priorities,” he said.

In a bit of an upsetting of the political apple cart, former School Committee member Micheal Crowley in his second go around for the post, squeaked by four-term Select Board member Mark Paolillo by the razor thin of margins, a mere 10 votes, 2,133 to 2,123. While both candidates ran on making changes to the office held for nearly two decades by Mike Widmer, Crowley said he believed voters saw him as the greater reformer.

“I have a great deal of work ahead of me [because] I promised a lot of change,” said Crowley, specifically on the focus of the job, “that the moderator will be much more engaged with the community.” One concrete example will be establishing a citizens’ advisory board and a commitment to virtual Town Meetings.

It was a good night for former School Committee members as Tara Donner placed second in a tight three-way race for two seats on the Board of Library Trustees, defeating long-time member Mike McCarthy, who placed third. Donner lost her school committee seat in the 2021 post-pandemic lockdown election, in which voters locally and nationally placed their frustrations onto incumbents. However, the public school educator and Town Meeting member since 2007 wanted to be involved in town government. With her background teaching English, “libraries have always been a place I love, where I’ve taken my kids and where I have been a heavy user.”

As with the Select Board race, Donner believed “people are just interested in what the next generation of Belmont leaders might bring to the library.” She said that once the new library building opens in early 2026, “we also need to have the programming and have the resources to fill it with the services that people are looking for in Belmont.” Joining Donnor on the committee will be Edward Barker, the candidate who topped the field, in which 142 votes separated the three candidates.

Talking about the school committee, that group now has two new members with newcomers Zehra Abid-Wood, who scored an impressive 45 percent of the total ballots cast with 3,213 votes, and Brian Palmer, each winning a three-year term.

The final competitive race saw Julie LeMay easily securing a fourth term on the Board of Health, defeating first-time candidate Michael Todd Thompson. Thompson also ran for a seat on the School Committee.

The big surprise on the Town Meeting ledger was the number of seats that write-ins will fill: In Precinct 3, Wendy Etkind, Ashley Addington, and Constantin Lichi won three-year terms via write-in votes, while Andrea Carrillo-Rhodes and Franceny Johnson will be attending Town Meeting as write-ins. And in Precinct 7, Mary Rock got 26 of her friends and neighbors to write in her name to secure the 12th spot on the ballot.

Among Town Meeting incumbents, Marie Warner placed 13th in Precinct 6 despite garnering 388 votes, which would have comfortably secured a seat in the seven other precincts.

Write-in Sally Martin took the one-year seat in Precinct 1, while over at Precinct 7, James Reynolds will need to choose whether to select a three-year or a two-year term, as he secured that final spot for a three-year seat and topped the field for a two-year term.

Don’t Be Fooled, Vote! Town Election 2025: Tuesday, April 1; All You Need To Know

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Photo: Go out and vote!

This is not an April Fool’s prank: Belmont’s annual Town Election is Tuesday, April 1!

Registered voters may cast their ballots in person only on Election Day; polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the following polling locations: 

A list of the candidates for town-wide office and Town Meeting, can be found in the Belmont League of Women Voters guide.

  • Precinct One: Beth El Temple, Zonis Auditorium, 2 Concord Ave.
  • Precinct Two: Belmont Town Hall, Select Board Room, 455 Concord Ave.
  • Precinct Three: Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St.
  • Precinct Four: Daniel Butler School Gym, 90 White St.
  • Precinct Five: Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St.
  • Precinct Six: Belmont Fire Headquarters,  299 Trapelo Rd.
  • Precinct Seven: Burbank School Gym, 266 School St.
  • Precinct Eight: Winn Brook School Gym, 97 Waterhouse Rd., enter from Cross Street.

If you are wondering if you are a registered voter and your voting precinct, go to the Town Clerk’s web page or phone the Town Clerk’s office at 617-993-2600.

Election results for town wide and Town Meeting races will be announced at Town Hall after the polls close and are located on the Town Clerk’s website early Wednesday morning.

Taylor Yates: Let’s Build Belmont’s Future Together

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Photo: Taylor Yates (2nd to the left) and supporters

I’m Taylor Yates, and I’m running for Belmont Select Board. I’m a homeowner, a father of three, and a small business owner.

I moved to Belmont in 2018, just like a lot of you, to make a home for my family in a community that invests in itself. Belmont’s got great schools, it’s close to Boston, and people really put down roots here. This is a town where people stay for decades and generations, and they work together to shape its future.

I dove headfirst into Belmont government. I started on the Vision21 Committee, got elected to Town Meeting, and chaired the successful ‘Yes for Appointed Treasurer’ campaign. I was appointed to the Planning Board and have since been elected Chair. Along the way, I’ve championed key initiatives: I pushed to allow restaurants by right in Belmont; got the MBTA Communities Act passed by one of the largest margins in the state; and have reformed the Planning Board to focus on planning and economic development.

I’m running for Select Board because the next three years are going to determine where we are in 10 years. There are two possible futures:

  1. We’ve run out of time and resources to deal with our thorniest issues and are forced to make some heartbreaking tradeoffs
  2. Belmont is the best it’s ever been, we’ve kept the things we love about our town, enhanced them, and added to them.

When the Select Board makes those decisions I want to be there so I can bring my energy, collaboration, and vision to the table to ensure Belmont’s best days are ahead.

As chair of the Planning Board, I secured funding for a Belmont Center overlay district, a Brighton Street overlay district, and a 10-year comprehensive plan. Our residents are hurting from tax increases and service cuts, which means we need to increase our commercial tax base, boost our small businesses, and make our Town a better place to live.

That’s a lot of work, and we wouldn’t have been able to do it six months ago. When I became Chair, I decided that the Planning Board was going to have the courage to tackle our biggest and most persistent problems. We were going to do the work necessary to give people the choice to decide if we want to move forward or not.

But that was easier said than done. The Planning Board was bogged down with a lack of processes and direction. That meant we spent too much of our time working on the wrong things. I put in a lot of hours to solve that so we can pursue this ambitious 2025 economic agenda.

That’s the kind of leader I am: I start with a vision, break it into actionable steps, and deliver results. 

I believe there’s a shared vision in this Town: a thriving, dynamic town that honors its past while embracing progress. I’ve spoken to thousands of voters in this campaign, I’ve heard you, and I want to be the leader that works with you to actually fix our problems and set us up for a brighter future.

Let’s build Belmont’s future together!

Paul Joy: My Vision For Belmont

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Photo: Paul Joy has a vision for Belmont

Belmont, I’m Paul Joy, and I’m running for Select Board because this isn’t just about me. It’s about us. On Tuesday, April 1, we get to decide what our town becomes. 

I live on Harvard Road with my wife and three kids—Thomas, Lucas, and Alexandra—who attend Chenery and Wellington every school day. My wife, Yuan, is an immigrant and also teaches at the Belmont Co-Op Nursery School. We’re raising our family here, facing the same rising costs—taxes, rent, small business pressures—that is felt across our community all feel. I’ve heard your stories on porches, at games, in shops, over the phone, and they’ve shaped me. Together, we can build a Belmont that thrives for all of us.

What have I done for us? 

  • As Chair of the Economic Development Committee, I’ve fought to fill empty storefronts, bringing jobs and boosting our tax base to ease our burdens: supporting our schools and services. But it’s more than that. 
  • I chaired the Co-Op Nursery School Board, raising funds to keep tuition affordable and give our teachers bonuses, because early education sets our kids up for life. 
  • I’ve coached our kids on Belmont’s soccer fields, and helped organize practices and clinics at the same time. 
  • On the education side, I can’t tell you how proud I am of the work-based learning virtual internship program that Belmont High School students have available to them.  

My family’s roots trace back to Thomas Joy, who built Boston’s first Town House, a place that literally helped shape American democracy. And as an immigrant family today, we bring that legacy forward, proving Belmont is stronger when we embrace our diversity.

What sets me apart? 

  • I don’t just nod along—I ask hard questions and stand firm for what we need. 
  • When others accept “that’s how it’s always been,” I push for better, not quick, fixes, but durable solutions.
  • I’ve seen us struggle with a cost of living crisis, seeing seniors stretched thin, small businesses balancing rent and red tape, and renters and families priced out. I’ve demanded we rethink how we grow and that includes applying every year for every competitive grant opportunity that we can.  
  • I’ve called for a town voice to unite our business owners, amplifying their ideas to keep our downtown vibrant, not drowned out by endless construction or big chains. We need growth that works for us, not against us – in places like Brighton Street and Cushing Square, and South Pleasant St not just Belmont Center – where we can sustain it without losing our charm.


We’ve got a vision worth fighting for: a Belmont where our commercial tax base grows so our wallets don’t shrink, where our kids learn in strong schools, and our seniors stay in homes they’ve built. I’ve got the experience, as a teacher, consultant, and coach, to make it real, tackling problems with data, grit, and heart. I’ve always sought zoning changes with our entire community in mind, cut red tape like parking, and listened to you. We can partner with our shop owners, not steamroll them, and plan finances that last, not just patch holes.

Some say we should settle, that change is too messy. I say we’re tougher than that. We’re the town that shovels each other’s driveways, cheers our kids on, and keeps our shops alive. We don’t back down, we rise. My ancestor Thomas Joy didn’t just build a building; he built a place for us to stand up and demand more. I’m here to do the same, not for me, but for us. On April 1, we choose: a Belmont that builds, grows, and thrives together.

So, Belmont, let’s do this. Grab your neighbor, your friend, your family—head to the polls on April 1, and Vote Joy. Check out joyforbelmont.com to see our plans—because this is our campaign. We’re not just voting for a person; we’re voting for us: a town where we all belong, prosper, and shine.

Let’s make it happen, together. Thank you.