Select Board renames climate panel, advances warrant
The Reading Select Board voted unanimously to rename the Climate Advisory Committee as the Environmental Sustainability Committee while previewing a 13-article fall Town Meeting warrant.
Select Board · Meeting of September 22, 2026
READING — The Reading Select Board voted unanimously to rename the Climate Advisory Committee as the Environmental Sustainability Committee while previewing a 13-article fall Town Meeting warrant. Town Manager Jayne Wellman reported the Killam School Building Committee is returning $15 million in borrowing authority after bids came in roughly $24 million under the original $130 million budget. The warrant also includes a $2.8 million Van Norden Road water main replacement, a $2 million smart water meter program, and a new sidewalk snow-clearing bylaw prompted by a Massachusetts Architectural Access Board complaint carrying fines up to "$10,000 a day." Board member Christopher Haley pressed staff on whether the town could meet its own 24-hour deadline when plowing sidewalks "takes 35 hours." Officials warned a failed fiscal 2028 override could cost Reading Public Library its state certification and $66,203 in annual aid.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 3,555 words
Source: the Select Board meeting of September 22, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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