Middleton Select Board Closes 30-Article Town Meeting Warrant, Approves PFAS Borrowing

MIDDLETON — April 9, 2026 — Middleton Select Board closes 30-article Annual Town Meeting warrant and flags PFAS cleanup language. The board, meeting jointly with the Finance Committee on April 9, unanimously approved 10 formal votes including acceptance of a Mass Health Officers Association public health excellence grant, adoption of 105 South Main Street as the town's permanent new polling location replacing Fuller Meadow School, and amendments to the electric vehicle charging policy setting fees at 30 cents per kilowatt hour with a 10-cents-per-minute idle penalty after a 30-minute grace period. Town Administrator Justin Gilmore and Finance Director Sarah Wood led a reading of the 30-article warrant for the May 12 Annual Town Meeting, which includes a $6,675,000 Massachusetts Clean Water Trust borrowing request for PFAS remediation in the Hilldale neighborhood, a $2.2 million Fuller Meadow roof and HVAC construction appropriation with 47 percent MSBA reimbursement, and a $51,925,927 FY27 omnibus budget. Members flagged that Article 25 incorrectly described water main extensions at two landfill sites when current planning covers only the Hilldale location near the Middleton Landfill, and staff agreed to revise the language before printing. A wide-ranging FY28 budget guidance discussion produced no formal vote but broad agreement that an operational override is a "distinct possibility" next year, with a follow-up joint meeting targeted for June.