Lexington voters will weigh in on FY2027 budget changes and the future of 11 stabilization funds at a Special Town Meeting set for Monday, Nov. 9.
The Select Board signed the warrant on Oct. 5, formally calling the 2026-1 Special Town Meeting. All five board members signed: Chair Joseph N. Pato, Vineeta A. Kumar, Jill I. Hai, Douglas M. Lucente and Mark D. Sandeen.
The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. at Margery Milne Battin Hall in the Cary Memorial Building, 1605 Massachusetts Ave. It will run as a hybrid session, with Town Meeting members able to attend in person or via Zoom.
Six articles, no dollar amounts yet
The warrant contains six articles. Dollar amounts remain unknown. Specific figures for most items had not been posted as of the town's STM page on Tuesday, Oct. 6, and the town said supporting documents would be added as they become available.
Article 3 is the broadest item. It authorizes the town to create, amend, dissolve, rename or fund 11 stabilization funds under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 40, Section 5B. Any appropriation from these funds requires a two-thirds vote.
The funds cover zoning, traffic mitigation, transportation demand management, special education, the Center Improvement District, the Transportation Management Overlay District, capital projects, payment in lieu of parking, the Visitors Center, the water system and ambulance services.
The warrant does not specify which funds would be newly created, dissolved or simply funded. Those details are expected in article motions the town has not yet released.
The remaining articles cover annual business. Article 2 addresses prior-year unpaid bills. Article 4 would amend FY2027 operating, enterprise and Community Preservation Act (CPA) budgets. Article 5 seeks additional money for capital projects with revised cost estimates. Article 6 updates departmental revolving fund spending limits set at the 2026 Annual Town Meeting.
Zoning amendment left off warrant
The warrant does not include a proposed Planning Board amendment to Chapter 135 of the Lexington Zoning Bylaw dealing with Special Residential Developments. The Select Board voted Oct. 5 not to include it, according to the town's zoning amendment page. The Planning Board's public hearing on the proposal, scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. via Zoom, remains on the calendar.
How to participate
Town Moderator Deborah Brown requested hybrid meeting authorization in a Sept. 28 letter, certifying that the Zoom voting and queuing system, developed by Select Board member Pato, had been tested successfully at prior Town Meetings.
Residents who live or work in Lexington may speak for or against any article, with a three-minute limit per speaker. In-person speakers should arrive early to enter the comment queue. Those unable to attend can submit comments through the Town Clerk's Office at [email protected] or the online form at lexingtonma.gov/STM2026-1.
The town said it will post article motions and supporting financial documents to its STM page in the weeks before the Nov. 9 meeting.
