Town Meeting approves budgets, contracts and capital items; multiple zoning and project articles fail or are postponed

Southborough voters moved through a packed warrant at the 2025 annual town meeting, approving operating budgets, select appropriations and several capital items while rejecting or postponing several zoning and petitioned articles after extended public debate.

The town cleared a multi‑part budget package after the consent‑list process and several holds. Moderator Paul Cimino and Town Clerk Jim Hegarty ran the votes and the meeting disposed of most unheld budget lines by a voice/hand count with subsequent held items taken separately. The meeting approved the wrap‑up appropriation moving forward the FY26 spending plan.

Collective bargaining and personnel actions: Select board representative Andrew Dennington presented Article 5, which funded the first‑year costs for recently ratified collective bargaining agreements with four town unions. The article included the following appropriations and descriptions presented on the floor: • $29,832 to fund the DPW agreement; • $295,545 for the police agreement (including a…