Westborough Select Board hears public input on raising petition signature threshold from 10 to 50

Westborough Select Board Vice Chair Shelby Marshall opened a public information and input session on Sept. 17 to discuss a proposed home-rule petition that would raise the number of signatures required to place a citizen's petition on the annual town meeting warrant from 10 to 50. "A copy of the proposed article has been made available," Marshall said, and Patrick Welch was assigned to keep time for two-minute public comments.

Residents spoke for and against raising the threshold. Andy Kenigsberg of 3 Smith Street said he supported raising the minimum because it would limit items that consume town-meeting time while still allowing neighborhood matters (for example, radar-controlled speed signs) to proceed if neighborhood support is broad enough. "If you increase to over 50 signatures, you're gonna have…a neighborhood who needs something…work much harder to convince people to sign a petition," Kenigsberg said.

Other speakers urged a higher number. Carolyn Spring (Lehi Lane) recommended 100 signatures to align with other town meeting rules and noted that 100 out of the roughly 14,000 registered voters mentioned at the hearing is still less than 1% of the electorate. Mariah Wallace (22 Moore Street) likewise suggested a larger threshold, saying 50 ‘‘is really easy to get’’ and proposing 100–400 as alternatives. By contrast, several speakers—including Mike Karp (11 Peters Farm Way) and Jeff Levine (6 Quail Hollow)—said raising the threshold to 50 would help shorten long meetings and focus attention on measures with broader support.

Town staff and the moderator clarified legal and procedural issues. A staff speaker, identified in the record as Christy, explained that the 10-signature baseline currently derives from Massachusetts law and that the town must follow that law unless the charter is amended via a home-rule petition. Moderator John Arnold said that, in practice, if multiple numeric amendments were proposed (for example, 400, 200, 50), he would likely start consideration at the highest number and work down until a majority is reached to avoid confusing voters.

Several speakers cited Weston as a precedent: board members and staff pointed out that Weston previously secured a change from 10 to 50 through the state legislature. A board member noted Weston's example as a practical model because 50 is more likely to be approved in Boston than a larger percentage-based threshold. One Select Board member also raised equity concerns, saying any change should not create barriers for seniors or others who may have difficulty collecting many signatures.

The Select Board did not vote on the article at the hearing. Board members said the article will go to the finance committee for further review and that, if the town pursues the change, a home-rule petition would be filed with and acted on by the state legislature. A Select Board member said the Weston process took roughly six months from introduction to completion in the legislature, and staff indicated legislators would be asked to help move a local petition forward.

The meeting concluded with a motion to adjourn that was seconded and carried. The Select Board thanked residents for attending and noted written comments (including one from Joanne Aramini) will be part of the public record. The board invited additional input at upcoming finance committee meetings and on the Select Board email (selectboard@westboroughma.gov).

What happens next: the article will be considered by the finance committee and may be placed on a future town warrant; if the town pursues a home-rule petition, the town will work with state legislators to pursue approval in the legislature.