Westborough Annual Town Meeting Approves $137.9 Million Budget, Defeats Teen Voting Petition

WESTBOROUGH -- March 21, 2026, Westborough annual town meeting approves $137.9 million FY27 budget and $16.8 million in borrowing while rejecting digital billboards, a Research Drive rezoning, and a teen voting petition. Voters approved a fiscal year 2027 general fund budget that raises the average single-family tax bill by $633 to $13,533, a 4.9 percent increase, with Advisory Finance Committee Chair Prashant Ahuja and Town Manager Christy Williams both noting the town's AAA bond rating and $16.2 million in excess levy capacity remain intact. A $5,732,830 borrowing for replacement of the original 1968 A and B wing roof at Westborough High passed 151 to 37, and an $8,800,000 borrowing for wastewater treatment plant improvements, reduced from the $10,500,000 motion as introduced after bids came in below estimates, passed 160 to 7. Police Chief Todd Minardi secured approval for a $282,468 mobile command vehicle (131 to 69) after the Westborough Police Foundation contributed $50,000 toward the purchase. The meeting adopted the specialized energy code 120 to 72, making the town eligible for new state Climate Leaders Program grants. A citizen's petition to extend local voting rights to 16- and 17-year-olds, presented by three Westborough High School students, fell two votes short of passage at 95 to 98 after a nearly two-hour debate; a proposed digital billboard zoning change failed 84 to 78, short of the required two-thirds; and a developer-sought rezoning of Research Drive parcels was rejected 56 to 123.