Belmont Town Meeting votes down naming-authority petition, 163-75

Town Meeting · Meeting of May 18, 2026

Belmont Town Meeting rejects bid to move naming authority from the Select Board, 75-163. The article, brought by Thomasina Olson after last year's contentious rink-naming fight, would have required Town Meeting votes on naming major buildings, parks and land; an amendment narrowing it to "major" assets passed 162-67 first. Select Board Chair Matt Taylor and Vice Chair Taylor Yates opposed it, warning naming could become "a divisive debate," while Select Board member Carol Kennedy Berberian broke ranks to back the amendment.

Town Meeting also adopted a tightened leaf blower enforcement bylaw 224-15, two senior tax relief measures worth an estimated $18,000 and $22,508 annually, a $126,000 senior center flooring appropriation, and raised Town Clerk Ellen O'Brien Cushman's salary to $114,773.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 1,150 words

Source: the Town Meeting meeting of May 18, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.