# Select Board - October 27th, 2026 | Westford, MA

Westford Select Board meeting, October 27, 2026: The board approved several spending and funding items. It authorized $11,950 from an existing budget for Police Chief Mark Chambers to attend a senior management program, and approved five state grants: $2,872,404 for a Powers Road shared-use path; $215,000 for Littleton Road sidewalk design; $1,568,357 for pedestrian improvements supporting the Red Gate development; $3,000,000 for electrical-capacity upgrades along Littleton Road; and $65,000 for village business-center improvement planning. The interim town manager was authorized to execute the related grant agreements. The board also approved a $7,280 Massachusetts DEP sustainable materials recovery grant and purchase orders for HP Fairfield plow blades ($14,580), Global Public Safety emergency warning equipment installation ($18,412.49), and the Sprints Academy recreation program ($17,650). No competitive bid or contract award was discussed in these approvals.

The board discussed health-insurance plan changes and related budget pressures, including a stated estimated annual gap of about $307,000; it clarified that the health insurance trust makes plan decisions and discussed employee mitigation funds and further public meetings. Town staff presented a proposal to pilot AI-assisted meeting minutes, citing approximately $34,000 in current annual costs for minutes and related licenses; the board supported piloting and requested an update in about six months, without approving a replacement of paid minute takers. A working group recommended moving the annual town meeting to April 12–13, 2027, as a trial, with an estimated $4,000–$4,500 increase over the current Saturday format, but the board deferred a decision to its November 10 meeting pending legal review of ballot timing and other information.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Construction & Infrastructure, Public Safety
**Topics:** Grants & Funding, Physical Infrastructure
**Published:** October 28, 2026

### Sources
- [Select Board - October 27th, 2026 | Westford, MA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DO2TfOI2YYg) - WestfordCAT