West Bridgewater Finance Committee Unanimously Recommends All Special Town Meeting Articles

WEST BRIDGEWATER -- October 16, 2025, West Bridgewater Finance Committee backs all three Special Town Meeting articles, citing mandatory state compliance and grant forfeiture risk. The committee voted unanimously Thursday to recommend two state-mandated housing bylaw changes and one fire department equipment payment to voters ahead of the October 20 Special Town Meeting. On the MBTA Communities Act overlay, the chair identified at least $284,000 in secured grants already at risk of forfeiture, including a $171,000 South Elm Street sidewalk grant and a $30,000 police grant, with a $400,000 Complete Streets grant no longer available to the town going forward; he also warned that Chapter 70 school aid and Chapter 90 road funds could face exposure after the Attorney General gains civil enforcement authority on January 1, 2026. The committee also endorsed an ADU bylaw amendment removing the town's owner-occupancy and attachment requirements to match state law, acknowledging that all 3,000-plus single-family homes in West Bridgewater could now theoretically host a detached investment-owned ADU, though existing septic upgrade requirements were cited as a practical constraint. The third article authorizes payment of a fire department power stretcher delivered in April but invoiced after the June 30 fiscal year close.