What’s Next at Town Meeting?

Town budget, school spending, a water rate increase and a zoning amendment limiting marijuana establishments to two on Route 1 are on next week’s agenda

By Mark E. Vogler

Article 2 – the town’s overall budget for the 2026 fiscal year that begins July 1 – tops the list of financial items that are expected to draw discussion when the Annual Town Meeting convenes next Monday at 7:30 p.m. in the second floor auditorium in Saugus Town Hall. This includes municipal general fund operating budgets to go with proposed school spending, which adds up to an estimated $119.2 million in total general fund operating budgets.

Articles 6 (the Water Enterprise Fund), 7 (the Sewer Enterprise Fund) and 11 (a vote on whether to raise water rates) are also items that could come up for a vote Monday night, according to Town Moderator Stephen N. Doherty. “Hopefully, we’ll get through the rest of these articles next week,” Doherty said of the remaining financial articles on the Town Meeting warrant.

In addition, Doherty said he expected members could take up Article 21, a proposed amendment to the town’s zoning by-laws covering eligible locations for Marijuana Establishments. The Planning Board was expected to make a recommendation on Article 21 at last night’s meeting, which would be necessary before the Annual Town Meeting can consider the measure. Board of Selectmen Chair Debra Panetta and Selectman Michael Serino sponsored the amendment, which would limit Marijuana Retail Establishments to two establishments within the Business Highway Sustainable District (BHSD) – one on the Northbound lane of Route 1 and one on the Southbound lane of Route 1.

Article 16, a measure submitted by Steve Carlson and the Historical Commission, is also expected to be discussed at Monday night’s session. The Finance Committee had recommended that article be referred back to its maker. But at this week’s session, Precinct 10 Town Meeting Member Peter Manoogian made a motion to table the article in order to give the Historical Commission a chance to explain the measure.

Article 16 seeks $10,000 for the Saugus Historical Commission to hire an historic preservation consultant to prepare nominations for placing the Roby School, the Center School (Town Hall Annex) and the Old Town Hall (Procopio-American Legion Building) in Saugus Center, with the possible addition of the Revolutionary War Cemetery and the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. The Historic Commission would work with the town manager to spend the money to accomplish this purpose, according to the article.

Moderator Doherty said the final of three Special Town Meetings scheduled for earlier this month probably won’t take place until Town Meeting members meet on June 2. It had been tentatively set for May 19. But the Planning Board has not yet reviewed a warrant article to amend the town’s zoning by-laws to add an MBTA Communities Multi-Family Overlay District (MCMOD). That session is expected to take several hours – perhaps the entire meeting, according to Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree.

The Annual Town Meeting will not meet on Monday, May 26, which is the Memorial Day holiday.