Select Board February 10, 2026

• Date: February 10, 2026
• Governing Body: Wellesley Select Board
• Meeting Type: Regular Meeting
• Location: Giuliani Room, Town Hall
• Attendees:
  • Marjorie Freiman, Chair
  • Tom Ulfelder, Vice Chair
  • Colette Aufranc, Secretary
  • Beth Sullivan Woods, Select Board Member
  • Kenneth Largess, Select Board Member
  • Meghan Jop, Executive Director
  • Corey Testa, Assistant Executive Director
  • Tom Harrington, Town Counsel
  • Ethan Dively, Town Counsel

• Laura Van Zant (Crestwood Drive): Spoke in favor of the MassBay proposal, advocating for a collaborative approach with the state to create housing while preserving forest land. Quote: "creating accessible, affordable, quality housing on five acres of land that is currently a parking lot feels like creating value, producing utility, generating purpose for that land."
• Leslie Hanrahan (Putney Road): Expressed concerns regarding the 40 Oakland Street (MassBay) parcel. She questioned the legal basis for designating the land as surplus, citing ongoing parking needs for MassBay and potential Article 97 protection for the forested areas.
• Peter Diana (Berkshire Road): Former Trails Committee Chair. Opposed declaring the state-owned land surplus, noting it is indistinguishable from Centennial Park and essential to the town's trail system.
• Boyd Hill (Washington Street): Raised urgent concerns regarding pedestrian safety and crosswalk synchronization, noting he was recently struck by a vehicle in a crosswalk near the police station.

• Citizens Leadership Academy: Applications for the inaugural class are live on the town website and due by 5:00 PM on Friday, February 27, 2026.
• DEI Task Force Update: Corey Testa summarized the 2025 Equity Audit recommendations, which include maintaining a permanent DEI body, diversifying the municipal workforce, and improving vendor equity monitoring.
• Community Dialogues: The "Many Traditions, One Community" dialogues highlighted the need for visible representation and inclusive traditions. The Task Force recommended maintaining its current structure while developing concrete action items for future Board review.

The Board considered two items:

1. Approval of an expenditure from the Education Stabilization Fund for a Medicaid reimbursement vendor.
2. Awarding $15,000 from the War Memorial Scholarship Fund to Wellesley students, funded by three Boston Marathon runners raising $5,000 each.

• Action: The Board voted to approve the consent agenda.
• Vote Outcome: 5-0 (Unanimous).

• Proposal: Article 30 seeks to shift the authority for approving personnel policies for approximately 155 non-union positions from Town Meeting to the Human Resources Board (HRB), provided the Select Board approves any financial components.
• Discussion:
  • HRB Chair Tony Bent and member Sean Baker argued this would improve efficiency and legal compliance.
  • Member Beth Sullivan Woods expressed concern regarding major financial impacts (e.g., changes to vacation or sick time) bypassing Town Meeting, suggesting that significant cost-bearing policies should still require legislative approval.
  • Town Counsel confirmed that most peer communities do not require Town Meeting approval for personnel policies.

• Request: Expenditure of $3,443.15 from the Richard Campana Fund for a kitchen dedication ceremony ($642 for refreshments, $720 for a plaque) and the annual St. Patrick's Day celebration (~$2,081).
• Action: The Board voted to approve the expenditure.
• Vote Outcome: 5-0 (Unanimous).

• Proposal: The Planning Board and RIO Task Force proposed prohibiting RIO applicability in single residence districts and requiring a Development Agreement (DA) for project approval.
• Legal Conflict: Town Counsel raised concerns that requiring a DA as a prerequisite for a special permit application might conflict with state law (Chapter 40A).
• Motion: Member Kenneth Largess moved: "that the select board supports the use of a development agreement as a condition to the issuance or effectiveness of any special permit granted under the residential incentive overlay bylaw in order to provide certainty regarding approved projects and further move that the select board directs staff in consultation with town council and the planning board to address the specific implementation details and bylaw change appropriate consistent with Massachusetts Chapter 40A and the zoning adopted by town meeting."
• Vote Outcome: Motion Failed, 2-3.
  • In Favor: Kenneth Largess, Beth Sullivan Woods.
  • Opposed: Marjorie Freiman, Tom Ulfelder, Colette Aufranc.

• Draft Proposal Review: The Board discussed feedback from various town boards (NRC, PBC, CPC, Library).
• Key Adjustments:
  • Increasing the project threshold from $1 million to $2 million.
  • Refining the "Citizen Member" requirement to prioritize construction or construction finance expertise.
  • Clarifying that the Strategic Housing Plan should be treated as a "toolkit" rather than a set of capital mandates.
• Membership Debate: Discussion continued regarding whether the Board of Library Trustees should be a voting member or ex-officio. A final vote is expected on February 24.

• Health Insurance: West Suburban Health Group rates for FY27 are projected at 7.5% for Blue Cross Blue Shield and 9.5% for Harvard Pilgrim. This is significantly lower than the initial 14% projection, reducing the budget gap by approximately $424,000.
• School Allocated Costs: CFO Rachel DeRoche presented a draft analysis of municipal costs supporting schools (Schedule 19 and additional services like IT, Police, and HR). Total allocated costs to schools are estimated at $191,170,707 when including shared services and benefits.
• Article 8 Structure: The Board reviewed a plan to split the Omnibus Budget into separate motions to provide greater transparency for school vs. municipal appropriations.

• Special Town Meeting: Dates set for November 9, 10, and 16, 2026, at Wellesley High School.
• MassBay Update: The town is still awaiting a response from Secretary Ed Augustus regarding the 37 questions submitted on January 9 concerning the 40 Oakland Street property.