Town Meeting’s annual session is slated to begin on the evening of March 30.
There are currently 35 articles on the warrant. Many of the proposals aim to curb the effects of the rising costs of living. Some call for reducing waste.
Here are a few notable motions Town Meeting will vote on next month:
Article 24: Help pay your elderly and disabled neighbors’ taxes
This proposal suggests Lexington adopt a state program that would allow residents to contribute to their elderly and disabled neighbors’ taxes if they want to. Many elderly, disabled, and low-income people across America are feeling the weight of the current high cost of living. Lexington is no exception, especially with real estate taxes in town set to increase to finance the new high school.
If adopted, this program would give residents the option to check an additional box off on their own property or vehicle tax bills to contribute to low-income, elderly, or disabled residents’ real estate taxes. The program is designed for people who narrowly miss the eligibility cutoff for state aid to get the support they need.
The motion also calls for a local committee to be created to oversee the program. The committee would set eligibility criteria and review annual applications.
Adopting this program would “[add] a flexible, local tool” to the town’s arsenal and “does not mandate spending,” the presentation attached to this article states. It would help keep residents from getting priced out of town as living costs rise.
Article 25: Charge people for knocking down moderate-income housing
Town Meeting member Matthew Daggett created a citizen petition that led to this article.
It calls for the Select Board to petition the Massachusetts General Court to allow Lexington to charge property owners a fee if they knock down an existing dwelling to build new.
The fee is referred to in the Article as a “community housing surcharge.” Here’s how it would work:
If someone is issued a building permit to demolish a single- or two-family building and build a new single- or two-family dwelling in its place, that person would be charged a fee. The fee would only apply to newly-constructed single-family buildings larger than 2,100 square feet and to two-family structures larger than 4,200 square feet.
The Select Board would decide what the fee is and it wouldn’t be one-size-fits-all — it would be applied on a dollars-per-square-foot basis.
The money generated by the fees will be added to the town’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund to help pay for future affordable housing projects in Lexington.
The idea here is to mitigate the continued loss of moderate-income housing and fund future affordable housing projects in town.
Article 26: Make a financial advisory committee to oversee the LHS building project
Lexington residents Gauri Govil, Deepika Sawhney, and Sudha Cheruku created the citizen petition that led to this motion.
It calls for the town to create a “Financial Advisory and Transparency Committee” for the new LHS building project. The committee would be composed of volunteer residents with “relevant expertise in construction finance, auditing, public procurement, or large-scale construction project delivery,” the motion states.
Those volunteers would share what the town is spending on the project and how that compares to its budget as construction unfolds. It would not be a decision-making body, just an advisory channel for residents. That could create opportunities for savings “with additional care and insights through volunteer effort,” the petitioners’ presentation states.
Article 27: Adopt an online financial transparency tool
This proposal is the result of a citizen petition created by Town Meeting members Steven Kaufman and Archan Basu.
It calls for the town to adopt a financial transparency tool so residents can see how the town spends money. In his presentation, Kaufman cites the Lexington High School building project as a reason for adopting a platform like this now — residents want to see how the town stays on track with spending as the project unfolds.
Residents could follow more than just the LHS building project through a platform like this, however. The tool would offer residents searchable, downloadable, and regularly updated information on several large capital projects. Neighboring communities already have such tools — Arlington has OpenCheckbook and Waltham has OpenGov.
Adopting a similar tool in Lexington could increase transparency and reduce the number of questions and public records requests town staff get, Kaufman’s presentation explains.
Article 31: Charge residents for disposing of too much waste
The idea here is for the town to update what it describes as waste in its code and charge residents a fee for disposing of an excess amount of waste.
The first part of this proposal involves editing the language of the town’s code to make it consistent with how the state describes waste — “non-hazardous solid waste and other refuse and rubbish.”
The second part suggests charging residents a fee for throwing out too much trash. Trash removal costs the town money. Here’s how that would work:
Residents would be given a “trash cart” the town will pick up weekly with no fee, the presentation attached to the article explains. If residents have excess trash beyond what fits in the cart, they may incur a fee. The Select Board would decide what that fee would be.
Implementing this motion could combat the rising cost of trash disposal. In fiscal year 2026, Lexington paid an extra $249,500 for trash to be removed. The threat of a fee could incentivise residents to produce less waste, which could not only cut town costs, but would also benefit the environment.
Article 34: No more single-use serveware included with take-out
This proposal, referred to as “Skip the Stuff,” is the result of a citizen petition started by Town Meeting members Laura Swain and Alex Tsouvalas.
The idea is for food vendors in town to stop giving customers single-use foodware or condiment packets unless customers specifically ask for it. This means restaurant workers would verbally ask customers in-person whether they want single-use utensils or condiment packets upon pickup. For online ordering, restaurants would have to add options to ordering forms where customers would have to check off whether they want single-use utensils or condiment packets.
“Single-use foodware” does not extend to cup lids, spill plugs, and trays, however, because they are used to deliver food and beverages safely.
Food establishments that don’t comply with the bylaw could be charged a fee of up to $50.
The goal of this bylaw amendment is to reduce Lexington’s overall waste which could benefit the environment.
Town Meeting will discuss and vote on all of these motions and more during its annual session at the end of this month. All of the forums will take place in-person at Cary Hall. They will also be broadcasted on LexMedia.