Natick Select Board makes commitments related to economic development, tax rates & staying in sync

The Natick Select Board at its March 19 meeting continued discussion on meaningful but manageable commitments it can make to the public in light of the public scrutiny of town operations that the override debate has invited.

(Update: 3/28/25. A list of commitments is now published on the Select Board web page on the town web site.)

Board members have looked to other municipalities for examples they might borrow or modify (Arlington was cited at a meeting earlier this month). Select Board member Kristen Pope f0und a couple of broad but doable possibilities from Hull, including keeping the community informed about municipal affairs and to encourage communications between citizens, the Select Board, and town administrator, and then developing strong relationships among elected and appointed bodies in town.

Bruce Evans raised the idea of making a financial portal more accessible to the public. He pointed to Waltham’s visually appealing OpenGov-based financial transparency system. 

Natick actually has something called the Financial Transparency Center accessible from its Finance Department page. It uses technology from an outfit called ClearGov. Natick officials discussed making its Transparency Center easier for people to find.

(As an aside on OpenGov: Natick does use this for its building permits, though I’ve found the system to be limited. For example, I’ve wanted to get alerts whenever a new commercial building permit is applied for to keep track of new businesses coming to town. I’ve spoke to the building commissioner about this, but he told me there’s no way to get such alerts. So for now it’s a manual process. If anyone out there has a better way to keep track of this info, lemme know: natickreport@gmail.com).)

One proposal from Chair Kathryn Coughlin is to establish a year-long fiscal governance task force consisting of members of the Select Board, School Committee, Finance Committee, and the public. The task force would look at how Natick’s budget decisions are made, she said. Other members said they like the idea, though member Linda Wollschlager did say she’d need to think more about the details. Coughlin recommended returning to this topic in April, with ideas from the Board on what such a task force’s charge would be, and more. So in the end, the Board agreed to commit to studying formation of such a task force.

Coughlin also recommended that the Board commit to having its chair meet monthly with the chairs of the School Committee and Finance Committee (Coughlin and the School Committee Chair already do check in monthly, she said).

Another commitment would be looking at potential cost savings on the trash collection and recycling front (Public Works is taking the lead on this, but the Board would be involved in further discussions, which would likely take years). Changes could involve outsourcing of some services.

In the interest of economic development, Coughlin also suggested Natick take relatively easy steps to make itself more attractive to the biotech industry (for example, moving from the bronze to platinum level of MassBio’s Bio-Ready Community program). More broadly, the Board committed to work with town departments to ensure Natick offers a business-friendly climate through bylaw revisions, and more. The Board will also look to advocate for the Commonwealth administration’s proposed Municipal Empowerment Act, which seeks to give municipalities more flexibility for raising revenue beyond through property taxes.

The Board this summer plans to have a subcommittee review the concept of a split tax rate in which residential and commercial property owners might be subject to different rates. Among other things, this would review what other communities do. Natick has had a single tax rate for years. The Board will also commit to studying a tax recapitulation policy. The state defines such a policy as displaying “a municipality’s entire budget plan for the fiscal year. It summarizes all anticipated expenditures.”

The Board during an earlier discussion kicked off a review by the town of its financial policies and principals, and a segment of the March 19 meeting was devoted to that subject. The Board plans to look at ways to minimize the tax impact not only on seniors with limited income, but others in town with income challenges, too. It also plans to mail info to all eligible seniors to better the chances of them knowing about available programs.

Town Administrator Jamie Errickson raised the idea of a stormwater enterprise fund, though said he wasn’t advocating for it at this time. Wellesley recently introduced such a fund—compiled through property owner fees (the town has insisted these are fees, not taxes…)—to support the town’s increased expenses related to managing stormwater, adhering to state and federal rules, etc.

Other Select Board items:

• The Board approved the Department of Public Works 5-year roadway improvement plan (see “Natick using AI to ID suspect streets, lays out 5-year road improvement plan”)
• The town continues to review its financial policies and procedures to make sure they’re up to date and clear. Topics covered include areas such as free cash and stabilization funds. Deputy Town Administrator & Director of Finance John Townsend said at one point during his briefing that Natick was able to use its experience of revenue loss during COVID in determining how much should be in Natick’s operational stabilization fund. A new section has been developed for quarterly financial reporting by the town to the Select Board.
• Deputy Town Administrator John Marshall shared an update on Spring Annual Town Meeting Article 11, which focuses on capital spending. Natick has taken a more conservative than usual approach to making requests for general funds this time around. While the town has about $17M in capital project funding in mind for FY26, it will only be requesting $1.2M-plus in the spring, with plans for about $12.3M in the fall and the deferral of another $2.9M. Among other things, the near-term funding would go toward a new ambulance.
• The Board continued its hearing for alcohol license non-compliance by California Pizza Kitchen in the Natick Mall. The restaurant had been out of compliance for a year related to manager approval and the town had made repeated efforts to get the business to address the situation. Both parties have now communicated and the license renewal was approved.
• Bruce Evans, if re-elected to the Board on March 25, was appointed by Coughlin as the Board’s rep to the Memorial School Building Committee.

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