The Select Board at its meeting Tuesday evening voted 4-0 for a proposed local option meals excise tax of 0.75% to be put on the warrant for the May 2025 Annual Town Meeting.

Member Joe Clark recently attended a Hopkinton Chamber of Commerce meeting with Town Manager Elaine Lazarus where this option was proposed. He invited Paul Ostrander, a chamber member, to speak about the concept.

Ostrander noted that the chamber’s board of directors unanimously supported this tax “to specifically fund a full-time economic development officer.”

“In a small town, the path of economic resilience and growth often requires focused attention and strategic planning,” he said as he read from a statement. This full-time person’s role would be to create job opportunities and attract investors.

Julia Chun currently serves as the town’s sustainability, economic development and equity project manager.

Massachusetts imposes a 6.25% sales tax on meals sold by or bought from restaurants or any restaurant part of a store. Cities and towns may add an additional 0.75%. Adoption of the local option meals excise tax would require a Town Meeting vote.

Ostrander noted that 73% of the communities in the state already have this tax.

“When the math comes down to it, it’s very inexpensive for the consumer,” he explained. A $100 food purchase would generate an additional 75-cent charge to the bill.

“I think it’s a great thing,” said Clark, adding that it would generate some revenue for the town. He saw it as “an opportunity to invest in economic development” because if it could not fund a full-time person, the money could be used for economic development programs.

Member Shahidul Mannan endorsed the idea of putting it on the warrant, saying that residents would benefit from the money instead of paying a similar tax in a neighboring town. More details on how the state allows the money to be allocated will be provided by Lazarus at a future meeting.

Draft of new Trails Committee structure discussed

Lazarus spoke about a draft she prepared for the structure for the new Trails Committee. It  merged ideas from the former Upper Charles Trail Committee and the current Trails Committee (also referred to as the Trail Coordination and Management Committee).

The Select Board previously voted to disband both committees, but it is allowing the current Trails Committee to work on its ongoing projects until the new committee structure is approved. Lazarus said she incorporated comments from former UCTC and Trails Committee members in the draft document, as well as input from Open Space Preservation Committee chair Ed Harrow.

The draft charter included information on the new committee’s mission to make the town more pedestrian friendly, provide connectivity to points of interest, and plan for new trails with “robust community input.” It also referenced creating an Upper Charles Trail that would link the town to Milford and Ashland.

The proposed composition of this committee included seven at-large members and three associate non-voting members. The initial at-large members would serve one-, two- or three-year terms to create a staggered system. After that, members would be appointed by the Select Board to three-year terms, and they would not be allowed to serve for more than three consecutive terms. The associate members could serve for an unlimited number of terms.

Lazarus explained that once the final language is approved, an administrative order under the charter would be created to allow for the transfer or appropriations from the two defunct committees to the new Trails Committee. There would be a public hearing on this, followed by a Select Board vote.

Board members debated the role of the associate members. Ritterbusch expressed concern that associate members would be non-voting members. On other town committees, the associate members can vote in the absence of a full member, she said. Her husband, Tim, was an associate member of the UCTC.

Mannan said there should be no associate members. He spoke with former UCTC associate members about their views on the limitations of that role, saying it felt to him like a “second-class membership.”

He also said that there should be an odd number of members to prevent tie votes. The board eventually agreed on nine members.

Select Board vice chair Mary Jo LaFreniere, who chaired the meeting in the absence of chair Brian Herr, said she preferred having associate members. This would provide opportunities for students to join or for residents to learn.

Ritterbusch also asked that the language regarding trail accessibility be “beefed up” so that trails would be accessible “in a variety of ways,” including for people with mobility, hearing, visual and neurodivergent disabilities.

“I would say the majority of the trails in town are not really fully accessible,” said Ritterbusch, who also serves on the Commission on Disability. “So I just want to make sure that that does not get lost and that we’re not going to strive towards some accessible trails.”

William Lee (third from right) is welcomed as the assistant town clerk. PHOTO/HCAM SCREENSHOT

Board welcomes new assistant town clerk

Town Clerk Connor Degan introduced William Lee, the town’s new assistant town clerk. Lee, who started two weeks ago, is a former civics teacher who has several years of experience helping in municipal elections in Ashland and Franklin.

“His background has already proven fantastic,” said Degan, adding that Lee is “quick to learn all the aspects” of the position and is “hitting the ground running” as the presidential and state election approaches on Nov. 5.

Ritterbusch welcomed Lee, saying that he came “in the nick of time” due to early voting for the election and Special Town Meeting on Nov. 12. The board later voted to approve the state election warrant 4-0.

In regard to early voting, Degan said that the ballots went out from his office already. He received several calls that day from residents who have not received them. He explained that the post office may not have delivered them yet.

The board also voted 4-0 to confirm the appointment of several new employees by the town manager. They included Jess Nadeau as a heavy equipment operator, Erin Bartolini as the Drug Free Communities Coalition coordinator, Victor Visoni as the administrative assistant of the Land Use Department, and Nicholas Medeiros as a weekend custodial maintenance worker.

Budget listening sessions discussed

Lazarus noted in her report that last year’s budget listening sessions only had “slim” attendance despite being hosted at various locations during the day and in the evening. She suggested that Select Board members have a table at evening events in town to hear people’s concerns instead.

Ritterbusch liked the idea of “piggybacking on other events,” saying it may be more successful than an event solely based on the budget.