Select Board recap: October 6, 2026

(9-minute read)

For residents looking to stay up to date on key town matters, this recap highlights major takeaways from the Select Board meeting held on Tuesday, October 6, 2026.

Watch the full meeting here on RCTV’s Youtube page.
Review the full Select Board packet.

Key takeaways

1. Override budget impacts. The Town Manager detailed which positions and services would be cut if the override fails, as outreach continues ahead of the November vote.

2. Election preparation and warrant changes. The Town Clerk outlined an unusually long, two-card ballot for the November 3 election and asked residents to consider working the polls, as the board also closed warrants for the state election and the November 9 Subsequent Town Meeting.

3. MWRA sewer overflow costs. A regional $1.3B plan to reduce combined sewer overflows will raise Reading’s sewer assessments, prompting board members to question how costs are divided among member communities.

Town Manager report [0:05:28]

Town Manager Jayne Wellman said the state awarded Reading a $500,000 HousingWorks Infrastructure Program grant for the Walker’s Brook Drive redesign, bringing the design close to construction documents with no local funds spent to date. The project remains at least 3 years from construction, but the town wants its design ready in case an earlier slot opens in the state’s Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Community Development Director Andrew MacNichol said the town won’t know its financial obligation, including needed easements and right-of-way, until design reaches 75% completion; the town had only committed to finishing the design on schedule, not a funding match.

Wellman also updated the board on the MBTA’s Double Track project, now at 15% design, which could move Reading improvements up from the planned 2030 start to 2029. The first phase covers Andover and Ballardvale upgrades; the second adds double track between Reading and Wilmington and Reading station platform upgrades. The MBTA proposed curbing work only on the High Street side of Reading’s station; the town asked it to cover the Lincoln Street side instead, since the town is already completing upgrades as part of the High Street pedestrian improvements. She said the MBTA has acknowledged past communication gaps and committed to more community meetings.

Preview of FY27 tax classifications [0:23:42]

Select Board member Chris Haley recused for this discussion over an appearance of conflict of interest. The town’s assessor, Victor Santaniello, cautioned that the packet uses two-year-old figures, since FY27 numbers await certification from the state Department of Revenue as part of Reading’s five-year revaluation review, now underway and open to public inspection on the town’s website. He used FY26 values to walk through four decisions the board must make each year: setting the minimum residential factor, deciding whether to offer an open space discount, a residential exemption, or a small commercial exemption.

Santaniello flagged pressure on the Senior Circuit Breaker tax relief program, whose state maximum credit has jumped from $1,200 to as much as $2,820 in two years, far more than anticipated. The program, funded by the residential tax class, approved 203 of 217 applicants in FY26, with relief averaging $2,049; he said the town wants to keep it affordable for seniors and the broader tax base. He didn’t recommend an open space discount, since no Reading properties qualify, or a residential exemption, since Reading’s largely owner-occupied housing stock would mean higher-valued homes subsidizing the break. A small property commercial exemption could apply to about 46 properties, mostly on Haven Street, creating a third tax rate; raising the personal property reporting threshold to $10,000 would spare roughly 400 small businesses a bill, without reducing revenue.

Board members said they appreciated the detail. Chair Melissa Murphy asked when the town expects word from the Department of Revenue; Santaniello said likely within a month, since a delay risks a late tax bill.

MWRA draft of updated Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Plan [0:51:49]

DPW Director Chris Cole briefed the board on a draft $1.3B control plan from the MWRA, Cambridge, and Somerville addressing combined sewer overflows in the Alewife Brook, Mystic River, and Charles River watersheds. Reading has no overflow points of its own but shares the cost as an MWRA member. The plan targets zero overflows by 2050 through new storage tanks, sewer separation, and conveyance piping; the Charles River work alone could take up to 33 years.

Cole said the plan would cost Reading an estimated $22.7M through 2072. The town’s MWRA assessment rises 2.4% in FY27, below the typical 3%, but future increases could exceed 4%, peaking around 2038-2039. A public comment period runs through October 30.

Board members questioned the cost allocation. Murphy noted Cambridge and Somerville, where much of the work will happen, appear to face smaller increases than Reading despite the town’s past $11M buy-in, and asked for detail on how costs were divided among the MWRA’s 43 members. Member Karen Herrick asked whether the allocation is tied to actual usage. Haley argued the math doesn’t add up and said he’s supporting a strongly worded letter objecting. Wellman noted the underlying problem: aging sewer and stormwater systems are common to older mill cities, not unique to Reading. The board agreed to review and sign a letter in a future meeting.

Election update from the Town Clerk [1:19:38]

Town Clerk Laura Gemme said 12 campaign-season directional signs have been ordered for 11 locations; election dates will go up two weeks before the election and come down the next day, with DPW and police input on safe placement.

Gemme said this election’s ballot is unusually long: two double-sided cards totaling four pages, with Precincts 1, 7, and 8 carrying 12 questions and Precincts 2-6 having 11 questions. Ballots arrived only on Friday; the office sent 2,796 of the 5,580 requested mail ballots and hopes to finish the rest by Wednesday’s end. The longer ballot means more poll workers than usual, at least 76, with about 54 lined up. Gemme said any registered voter should consider helping, noting the state has also requested a police officer at early voting given the national political climate. Early voting runs October 17 through 30; the registration deadline is October 24.

Gemme confirmed the town is reimbursed for the police detail, though it pays up front as an unfunded mandate. Haley asked what lets a town place a non-binding question on the ballot. Gemme said any resident can petition to add one, though the process differs by election type.

Vote to close the Warrant for the Nov. 3 State Election and Nov. 9 Subsequent Town Meeting Warrant [1:29:34]

On the state election warrant, Haley said he appreciated the simplicity of the local override question, but found the CPA question’s required legal language confusing, and asked what Reading would have received in FY26 under the Community Preservation Act (CPA). Wellman said the finance office estimated a state match of $116,932, about 15% of the revenue the town would raise locally. The board voted 5-0 to close the warrant.

On the Subsequent Town Meeting Warrant, the board pulled Article 11 for separate consideration because Haley has a direct conflict, then approved the remaining articles 4-0-1, with Haley abstaining.

Herrick asked about Article 8, which would fund lighting replacement at Driscoll Field in the Birch Meadow complex, estimated at $600,000, after storm damage took down several light poles. Given the pending override vote and finance staff’s concern about borrowing too close to planned Killam and ReCAL project debt, the board voted 5-0 to remove Article 8 from the warrant, with facilities staff saying the work could still be completed by next summer if approved at spring Town Meeting.

The board also discussed Article 6, a new bylaw requiring property owners to clear snow from abutting sidewalks. Haley objected to placing that liability on residents and asked for a clearer outreach plan before Town Meeting votes. Wellman said the state’s Architectural Access Board (MAAB) requires municipalities to keep sidewalks clear or face fines of up to $10,000 per day, a requirement the town only learned of this spring; a volunteer Snow Patrol program launches the day after the meeting, and the DPW is buying four sidewalk salter units for downtown and school areas. The bylaw allows exemptions and could take effect January 1, 2027. The board voted 5-0 to close the warrant with its remaining 11 articles, then 4-0 to approve Article 11, with Haley recused.

Italian Heritage Month proclamation [2:17:59]

Herrick read the proclamation recognizing Italian Heritage Month into the record, and the board voted 5-0 to approve it.

Use of AI for meeting minutes [2:28:25]

Wellman raised, for discussion only, whether the town should formally allow artificial intelligence (AI) to help draft meeting minutes, noting the town has no policy on the practice and that a paid transcription service it considered would cost $50 per meeting, more than the town wants to spend across all boards. She proposed allowing AI to draft minutes for town staff to review and the board to approve as usual, with disclosure that AI was used and that a person verified it. Staff member Jax LaVerde said the process is significantly faster than writing minutes from scratch, though review against notes and videos still takes a few hours.

Board members were broadly supportive. Member Sal Bramante said AI can reduce errors in attributing comments. Vice Chair Karen Rose-Gillis and Herrick said they were open to it as long as a person reviews the result, and Murphy suggested extending the approach to other boards at low cost. Haley asked whether the town could be given a tool to manage, offering his own for Reading Recap; Wellman said the town would consider it rather than pay for a commercial service.

Override discussion [2:39:13]

Wellman updated the town on community engagement around the proposed override, pointing to an information hub on the town website with background on how the town arrived at this point, a Massachusetts Municipal Association report on the budget pressures involved, a tax impact calculator, short videos, and a schedule of sessions. A recent webinar with police, fire, and the library drew good attendance. Upcoming sessions include a school-focused presentation at Joshua Eaton Elementary requiring RSVP, an outdoor forum on the Common paired with the Beer Garden where Wellman and Superintendent Dr. Henry Turner will staff a table, a lunch-and-learn at the Pleasant Street Center followed by an evening session with the Select Board, and an informal session later in the month.

DPW Director Chris Cole outlined the impacts without an override: the town is keeping 11.5 positions open, including two in DPW, as well as roles in finance, the town manager’s office, human resources, and public safety. Other DPW cuts could include reduced budgets for traffic-signal repair, shade trees, and paving; eliminated capital improvements to fields and fence repairs; and removing trash barrels from fields and downtown for carry-in, carry-out use. Biweekly recycling happens regardless of the override’s outcome.

Herrick asked whether portable toilets at athletic fields were at risk; Wellman said no, since the recreation program funds those separately. Rose-Gillis noted that eliminated duties don't disappear; remaining staff absorb them, and Wellman added that keeping positions unfilled reduces the unemployment costs the town would otherwise owe. Murphy thanked staff for their outreach and called the beer garden a good way to reach residents.

Watch the October 6, 2026 Select Board meeting on the RCTV Youtube page. Seated (left to right): town staff Jax LaVerde, Julie Haley, Board members Karen Herrick, Board Vice Chair Karen Rose-Gillis, Chair Melissa Murphy, Chris Haley, Sal Bramante, and Town Manager Jayne Wellman.