OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Bourne Select Board Meeting – February 3, 2026

Select Board — Tuesday, February 3, 2026
BodyBourne, Massachusetts
SessionSelect Board
DateTuesday, February 3, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:16:50

Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

It's gonna go down as history as the longest minute of my life at 6 50 now.

0:07

I have seven on that.

0:08

Seven o'clock, okay.

0:10

Being 7 p.m., February 3rd, 2026.

0:14

Note this meeting is being televised, streamed, or recorded by Bourne TV.

0:20

If anyone in the audience is recording or video taping, they need to acknowledge such at this time.

0:26

I do see Helen from Bourne Enterprises here.

0:30

Please refrain from using flash photography.

0:35

If anyone from the public wishes to access the meeting, they can do so by calling the following conference line.

0:44

1929 2056.

0:50

Zoom meeting ID 897 1229 3538.

0:57

Password, born all caps.

0:59

The Zoom chat will not be monitored.

1:01

Participants who wish to speak must raise the hand icon until the chair asks them to unmute.

1:07

All items within this meeting agenda are subject to deliberation and votes.

1:12

And let's have a moment of silence to recognize our troops and our public safety personnel.

1:23

Salute to the flag.

1:25

Pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

1:29

And to the Republic for which it's one nation under the indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

1:48

Public comments are allowed for up to a total of 12 minutes at the beginning of each meeting.

1:53

Each speaker is limited to three minutes for comment.

1:56

Board members are unable to respond due to posting requirements of the open meeting law.

2:02

I see NJ, your hand is up.

2:08

I just want to take a moment to recognize Debbie Judge.

2:18

She was a 39-year employee of the town board.

2:23

And she served the town very well.

2:26

I worked very closely with her on Capitol and in sewer.

2:30

And I just want to acknowledge her dedication and long service to the town.

2:36

Thank you.

2:37

Thank you very much, M Day.

2:40

Okay.

2:42

I do not see any other hands.

2:44

Is no one in the audience here for public comment either?

2:47

All right.

2:48

Moving on.

2:50

Next item on our agenda is annual town meeting, May 4th, 2026.

2:56

Articles and budget and preparation.

3:00

So I guess I'll just start there and then we can kind of go through the ABCD as we go.

3:06

First is the discussion with the planning board proposed zoning articles.

3:10

Seasonal communities designation, tiny homes and affordable lots, accessory dwelling unit, ADU for those at home, amendments, front setbacks in downtown district.

3:22

And I think Madam Chair, members of the board, thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight.

3:39

The articles are seasonal communities designation, tiny homes and undersized lots, accessory dwelling unit amendments, and front setback and the downtown district.

3:50

At this time, um I'll introduce Sean Lewis, our assistant planner to go over some slides to explain the proposed bylaws in more detail.

3:59

Thank you so much.

4:30

Good evening.

4:30

My name is Sean Lewis.

4:31

I'm the assistant town planner.

4:33

Um here to go over some of the zoning bylaw articles of the discussing.

4:39

Um list of these articles are right here.

4:47

The first one we're gonna go over is designation.

4:50

Um the second one uh ties into the school communities designation as tiny homes and affordable lots amendment.

5:00

Then we're gonna go into the accessory dwelling unit amendment, and then finally we're gonna do the downtown district front setback amendment.

5:04

Perfect.

5:08

First, I'm gonna give some important dates.

5:11

Tonight is the discussion with the select board on the we actually just added one going to FIDCOM on the 9th.

5:19

Um and then planning board discussion on February 12th.

5:23

Uh and we're gonna have the public hearing February 26th at the meeting, and then the warrant closes uh March 13th, and then town meeting is May 4th.

5:35

So, what is a seasonal community?

5:38

Uh seasonal communities designation is designed to recognize Massachusetts communities that experience substantial variation in seasonal employment and to create distinctive tools to address the their unique housing needs.

5:52

The state designated Bourne as an eligible to receive the seasonal communities designation on December 10th, 2025.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Land Use Planning█████████████████████████████29%
Education Funding████████████████████████24%
Affordable Housing████████████████16%
Procedural██████████10%
Public Engagement██████████10%
Budget Equity Analysis███████7%
Taxation and Revenue████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Bourne Select Board Meeting – February 3, 2026

The Bourne Select Board convened on February 3, 2026, at 7:00 PM. The meeting included discussions with the Planning Board on proposed zoning articles, an update from the Town Clerk on fee increases, and a budget update revealing a significant shortfall for Upper Cape Tech. Other items included consent agenda approvals, a tabled workshop, and the Town Administrator's report.

Consent Calendar

  • Appointment of Jay Harrington to the Historical Commission as an associate member (term ending June 30, 2026).
  • Appointment of K. Fleming to the Recycling Committee (term ending June 30, 2027).
  • Appointment of Tnee to the Education Scholarship Committee (term ending June 30, 2028).
  • Approval of the National MS Bike Ride using town roads from June 27 to June 28, 2026, with a condition of no parking at Taylor's Point.
  • All consent items were approved unanimously (5-0).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Board member M. Day recognized Debbie Judge, a 39-year town employee, for her dedication and service. No other public comments were offered.

Discussion Items

  • Planning Board Zoning Articles: Assistant Planner Sean Lewis presented four proposed zoning articles for the May 4, 2026, Annual Town Meeting. The articles include:

    • Seasonal Communities Designation: Allows Bourne to access state tools for year-round housing, including grants and a year-round housing trust fund.
    • Tiny Homes and Affordable Lots: Would permit tiny homes (≤400 sq ft) on foundations and allow undersized lots for attainable housing. The Planning Board clarified that movable tiny homes are not being considered.
    • Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Amendments: Aligns with state law by removing owner-occupancy requirements and adjusting parking rules (no parking required within ½ mile of a bus stop).
    • Downtown District Front Setback Amendment: Allows a maximum 30-foot setback for parcels off primary streets in Buzzards Bay.
    • Board members raised concerns about confusion over language (e.g., “movable” tiny homes), the need for clear definitions, and the volume of new information. MJ questioned the removal of owner-occupancy for ADUs and asked for draft documents to be watermarked. The Planning Board acknowledged the feedback and said documents are evolving.

  • Budget Update: Town Administrator M. Day reported a $380,000 shortfall in the Upper Cape Tech budget for FY27 based on preliminary cherry sheets. Additionally, 101 of 144 current Bourne 8th graders were accepted to Upper Cape Tech. Board members discussed the impact on the overall budget and the need for a joint meeting with the School Committee. M. Day noted that Superintendent Forgett will attend the March 3rd select board meeting, and a joint meeting is being arranged for March 4th (school committee) and March 16th (finance committee). Peter expressed concern about the root cause of students leaving Bourne schools; Ann Marie defended the schools' quality and cited vocational education trends and housing costs. MJ proposed drafting a letter to state legislators about budgetary impacts.

  • Town Clerk Fees: Town Clerk Barry proposed increasing dog license fees (unchanged since 2005) and vital records fees (unchanged since 2011), generating an estimated additional $22,000 in FY27. The board expressed support, noting the increases are reasonable and below state averages.

  • Town Meeting Planning & Logistics: Deferred due to time constraints; no discussion occurred.

  • Select Board Workshop (Annual Goals): Moved to table the item until all members could be present for effective communication. The motion to table passed; MJ abstained.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent agenda approved unanimously (5-0).
  • Motion to table the Select Board workshop passed (3-0-1; Jean, Peter, Melissa in favor, MJ abstained).
  • The Town Administrator will schedule joint meetings on budget issues: Upper Cape Tech on March 3rd, School Committee on March 4th, and Finance Committee on March 16th.
  • The board agreed to consider drafting a letter to state legislators regarding cherry sheet impacts.
  • Town Clerk fee proposals will be advanced to Town Meeting for adoption.

Meeting Transcript

It's gonna go down as history as the longest minute of my life at 6 50 now. I have seven on that. Seven o'clock, okay. Being 7 p.m., February 3rd, 2026. Note this meeting is being televised, streamed, or recorded by Bourne TV. If anyone in the audience is recording or video taping, they need to acknowledge such at this time. I do see Helen from Bourne Enterprises here. Please refrain from using flash photography. If anyone from the public wishes to access the meeting, they can do so by calling the following conference line. 1929 2056. Zoom meeting ID 897 1229 3538. Password, born all caps. The Zoom chat will not be monitored. Participants who wish to speak must raise the hand icon until the chair asks them to unmute. All items within this meeting agenda are subject to deliberation and votes. And let's have a moment of silence to recognize our troops and our public safety personnel. Salute to the flag. Pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it's one nation under the indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Public comments are allowed for up to a total of 12 minutes at the beginning of each meeting. Each speaker is limited to three minutes for comment. Board members are unable to respond due to posting requirements of the open meeting law. I see NJ, your hand is up. I just want to take a moment to recognize Debbie Judge. She was a 39-year employee of the town board. And she served the town very well. I worked very closely with her on Capitol and in sewer. And I just want to acknowledge her dedication and long service to the town. Thank you. Thank you very much, M Day. Okay. I do not see any other hands. Is no one in the audience here for public comment either? All right. Moving on. Next item on our agenda is annual town meeting, May 4th, 2026. Articles and budget and preparation. So I guess I'll just start there and then we can kind of go through the ABCD as we go. First is the discussion with the planning board proposed zoning articles. Seasonal communities designation, tiny homes and affordable lots, accessory dwelling unit, ADU for those at home, amendments, front setbacks in downtown district. And I think Madam Chair, members of the board, thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight. The articles are seasonal communities designation, tiny homes and undersized lots, accessory dwelling unit amendments, and front setback and the downtown district. At this time, um I'll introduce Sean Lewis, our assistant planner to go over some slides to explain the proposed bylaws in more detail. Thank you so much. Good evening. My name is Sean Lewis. I'm the assistant town planner. Um here to go over some of the zoning bylaw articles of the discussing. Um list of these articles are right here. The first one we're gonna go over is designation.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com