Town Meeting 11-12-2026

Reading Town Meeting on November 12, 2026, approved several major infrastructure and capital actions. Article 8 authorized $2 million in debt to replace approximately 8,000 water meters with smart meters, with costs allocated between the water and sewer enterprise funds and repayment planned over eight years beginning in FY2028. The four-year rollout is expected to begin around July 2027, with DPW staff performing installations; Weston & Sampson is assisting with rollout planning. The measure passed 117–12. Article 9 authorized $2.8 million in debt to replace about 4,300 feet of century-old, unlined cast-iron water main on Van Onen Road; work was expected to begin around July and finish during the following construction season. It passed 130–0. Article 11, which passed, rescinded $14,839,987 in Killam School project borrowing authorization after general-contractor bids came in about $25 million below the original $130 million budget. The project will retain $10 million in bid contingency, in addition to $5 million in hard-cost contingency and $1.1 million in owner’s contingency; the MSBA reimbursement was reduced by $1,128,379, and the town said it would align borrowing with the construction schedule.

The meeting also approved $50,000 for Town Forest maintenance contracts to control invasive plants; an amendment to reduce the amount to $35,000 failed. Article 7’s accessory dwelling unit zoning changes passed on reconsideration, 126–2, making qualifying ADUs of up to 900 square feet allowed by right in relevant districts and removing special-permit and owner-occupancy requirements. Article 10 approved raising the business personal-property tax exemption threshold from $2,000 to $10,000, a change officials estimated would benefit more than 400 businesses and shift roughly $14,000 across the commercial tax base. A proposed instructional motion directing the town to sell the Pleasant Street Center failed; officials said an informal RFI process to explore possible uses, leasing, or sale was being prepared. No specific construction or meter-installation vendor was selected at this meeting.