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Dave Watkins

Belmont Select Board unanimously backs zoning, budget, and path articles for town meeting

BELMONT — May 27, 2026 — Belmont Select Board clears slate of town meeting positions, including $172 million budget and $525,000 union payment. The three-member board — Chair Matt Taylor, Vice Chair Taylor Yates, and Member Carol Barbarian — voted unanimously Wednesday on seven motions covering a new four-tier site plan

Belmont Select Board Buys $379,500 Sewer Cleaner, Demands New Cannabis Host Agreement

BELMONT — May 18, 2026 — Belmont Select Board votes unanimously to buy a new $379,500 sewer cleaner and require a fresh cannabis host agreement from would-be new owner Clover Partners, LLC. The board, meeting May 18 at Belmont High School ahead of Annual and Special Town Meeting, approved the

Belmont Warrant Committee Rejects Retiree COLA Increase 15-2 Before Town Meeting

BELMONT — May 13, 2026 — Belmont's Warrant Committee voted 2-15 against recommending a retiree cost-of-living adjustment increase, sending a contentious retirement funding fight to Town Meeting on May 18. The article would raise the COLA base from $13,000 to $15,000, worth $5 more per

Belmont Select Board Greenlights Hybrid Special Town Meeting for May 18

BELMONT — May 4, 2026 — Belmont Select Board unanimously approved a hybrid format for the May 18 Special Town Meeting and previewed a slate of warrant articles ahead of the Annual Town Meeting the same night. Chair Matt Taylor, Vice Chair Taylor Yates, and Member Carol Barbarian voted without dissent to

Belmont Warrant Committee previews paramedic training, pension, and library articles

BELMONT — April 22, 2026 — Belmont Warrant Committee reviews $125,000 paramedic pilot, pension gap, and hybrid meeting petition ahead of May Town Meeting votes. Meeting in information-only session Wednesday, the nine-member committee heard Town Administrator Patrice Garvin warn that a regional shortage of paramedics is threatening Belmont'

Belmont Budget Summit Projects $7.2 Million Gap by FY2029, Override Expected

BELMONT — March 26, 2026 — Belmont officials project a $7.2 million structural budget gap by FY2029, setting the stage for a likely Proposition 2½ override. At a joint Budget Summit III on March 26 attended by the Select Board, School Committee, Warrant Committee, Comprehensive Capital Budget Committee, and Multi-Year

Belmont Select Board eyes GIC switch as health insurance trust nears minimum reserve

BELMONT — March 11, 2026 — Belmont Select Board moves toward a vote on joining the state Group Insurance Commission to contain exploding health care costs. Town Administrator Patrice Garvin told the board at a March 11 public information session that self-insured claims have surged from $13 million in FY2021 to

Warrant Committee Deadlocks on Belmont Center Zoning Ahead of Special Town Meeting

BELMONT — February 25, 2026 — Belmont's Warrant Committee deadlocked 6-6 on the flagship Belmont Center Overlay District ahead of the March 4 Special Town Meeting. The committee spent more than two hours debating whether its mandate extends beyond fiscal analysis before voting 8-5-2 to take a

Belmont Select Board approves $200,000 water loan, spring community events

BELMONT — February 23, 2026 — Belmont Select Board approves $200,000 no-interest water loan and authorizes spring festivals as FY2027 budget shows $1.7 million gap. Meeting fully remotely due to a winter storm, Chair Matthew Taylor and Vice Chair Taylor Yates — the only members present, with Elizabeth Dionne absent