Select Board recommends 16 articles for Oct. 27 special town meeting, including zoning updates and capital requests

The Foxborough Select Board on Oct. 7 voted to recommend 16 articles for a special town meeting scheduled Oct. 27, approving a slate of capital requests, stabilization and revolving fund moves, collective bargaining ratification, and several zoning and bylaw amendments.

Board members voted to recommend FY26 capital items that include vehicles and equipment (conservation vehicle, a brush truck lease payment, two new school minibuses and DPW equipment), sewer system upgrades funded from retained earnings, and other standard capital requests. The board also recommended transfers to a fire stabilization fund and to the town’s general and capital stabilization funds as part of routine fiscal housekeeping.

Other recommended articles include the police collective bargaining agreement for FY26–FY28, authorization for multi‑year school contracts (up to five years), creation of a revolving fund for a summer institute to retain and reuse program revenues, and zoning updates to bring accessory dwelling unit rules into compliance with recent state regulations. The board recommended a zoning base map update to replace the town’s 1990 map and voted to recommend authorizing sale of two tax‑title properties (76 North High Street and 175 Mechanic Street) and a sewer map amendment to add connection capacity for interested properties.

One article would allow two electronic message boards on the town common and an additional electronic message sign at town hall; board members discussed scope and agreed the article could be amended at town meeting if voters prefer to separate locations. The board approved the final warrant and agreed to sign the required copies to move the articles to the town meeting process.

Votes on the recommendations were recorded individually for each article; the board generally voted unanimously to recommend the items, with occasional abstentions recorded on procedural votes.