Town Warrant Walk-Through Sets Stage for 19-Article May 11 Town Meeting

MAYNARD — April 27, 2026 — A warrant review session ahead of the annual town meeting covered all 19 articles, headlined by a $106,442,430 fiscal year 2027 operating budget representing a 4.01 percent increase. The session, held remotely on April 27, featured no formal votes but walked attendees through key articles including a $1 million free-cash appropriation for a Taylor Elementary School feasibility study required by the Massachusetts School Building Authority process and a proposed Neponset Avenue Overlay District that would open five parcels currently zoned general industrial to residential and mixed-use development. A planning official identified only as Catherine said residents face a binary choice at town meeting: "Vote yes on it, in which case this framework would apply, or no on it, in which case guaranteed it's going to be developed according to general industrial from end to end." Article 15 would fully rewrite the earth removal bylaw, transferring permit authority from the Select Board to the Planning Board and adding groundwater and contaminated-soil protections. The advisory committee voted to support all articles from 4 through 19, and town meeting is scheduled for May 11 at 7 p.m.