West Bridgewater Sets January Town Meeting Date for $169 Million School Vote

WEST BRIDGEWATER — November 5, 2025 — West Bridgewater Select Board outlines January town meeting and March referendum path for $169 million school project. Town Administrator David Golder walked the board through a compressed multi-step calendar triggered by a Massachusetts School Building Authority vote scheduled for December 12, 2025: if MSBA approves the town's consolidation proposal, a Special Town Meeting is targeted for January 31, 2026, requiring a two-thirds vote on a borrowing article, followed by a Select Board-called referendum recommended for March 28, 2026 — within the MSBA's 120-day deadline of April 11. The estimated project cost is $169 million; with a net reimbursement rate of approximately 43 percent, net borrowing is projected at $97 million. A tax impact calculator posted to the town website shows a first-year increase of $1,653 for the average assessed home value of $535,000. The board also voted unanimously to ratify the hire of Gretchen Conway as Head Secretary and Assistant Tax Collector and to appoint Kathleen Forrester to the Open Space and Recreation Committee, and reached consensus to draft a three-minute public comment policy — without an aggregate cap — for a formal vote at the November 19 meeting. Golder and Chair Jeff Levesque also announced plans to meet with state Senator Driscoll to oppose new DESE regulations converting vocational school admissions to a full lottery beginning next year, which Golder warned could swing the town's Southeastern Regional assessment "from $1 million to $4.5 million with about two months' worth of notice."