Lee Annual Town Meeting - May 14, 2026

The Lee, Massachusetts, Annual Town Meeting was held on May 14, 2026, from 7:01 p.m. to 8:20 p.m. Registered voters considered all 26 warrant articles under Town Meeting rules; debate was limited to five minutes per member per speech, with a two-speech maximum per motion. Every article on the warrant was approved.

Consent Calendar

• Articles 1 through 5 passed by a single unanimous vote. These actions received the reports of the Select Board, town accountant, and other town bodies; fixed elected-official salaries for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026; transferred $1,100 from cemetery lot receipts to the Fairmont Perpetual Care Trust; authorized blanket grant applications; and authorized FY2027 Chapter 90 road repair and paving expenditures.
• A voter corrected the moderator's voting instructions to say "abstain" rather than "absent."

FY2027 Operating Budget

• Article 6 authorized a total appropriation of $25,770,872.91 for department operations, including $25,570,872.91 raised and appropriated and $200,000 transferred from overlay surplus. The department line items were read in full.
• The animal control line was held and amended to $135,500. The sponsor explained that Lee is the lead municipality in a new full-time intermunicipal animal control officer agreement run through Tri-Town Health; other towns reimburse Lee, so Lee's net cost is roughly $18,000 to $19,000. Cornelia Callischer, a Lee resident, asked about the eight participating towns and said a full-time officer would have been helpful when she could not reach someone on weekends.
• On the sanitary landfill line, a town official said PFAS testing is a new annual state requirement and will be an ongoing cost.
• On Sandy Beach, a resident praised last year's road work but complained about weeds. The sponsor said the small budget decrease was because lifeguards are returning and that weed treatment is funded in a later article.

Capital, Enterprise, and Other Appropriations

• Article 7 passed the FY2027 general fund capital budget, including police cruisers and body cameras, fire communications equipment, DPW highway trucks/plows/mowing equipment and paving, sewer meter replacements, kennel improvements, IT upgrades, parks and recreation improvements, and school capital.
• Article 8 passed the Water Department budget of $1,281,909, funded by $1,186,409 in user charges and $95,500 in retained earnings.
• Article 9 passed the Wastewater Department budget of $2,513,046, funded by $2,152,006 in user charges and $361,000 in retained earnings.
• Article 10 passed $668,910 from free cash for non-departmental purposes, including $44,000 for Laurel Lake invasive species control shared with Lenox, Chamber of Commerce advertising and gateway/downtown projects, fireworks for Founders Day, bike path matching grants, $50,000 for 250th anniversary celebrations, and $22,000 for the Lee food pantry.
• Article 11 passed the Community Preservation Committee's FY2027 budget, with $232,000 in project appropriations and $9,628 in administrative funds, leaving an anticipated reserve balance of $104,895.94.
• Article 12 transferred $1,285,145 from the General Stabilization Fund for the FY2027 public safety building bond payment; it required a two-thirds vote and passed.
• Article 13 authorized the Select Board to acquire land and easements needed for the Mill Street bridge replacement project.
• Article 14 appropriated $235,000 from FY2026 school capital funds for feasibility study and schematic design costs related to a potential Massachusetts School Building Authority accelerated repair project for the Lee Elementary and Lee Middle/High School roofs.
• Article 19 appropriated $100,000 to acquire 25 acres at 200 Reservoir Road for municipal/watershed purposes. A resident asked that the land be placed under a conservation restriction; officials said that could be considered for a future meeting.
• Article 20 appropriated $2,500,000 for the central fire station and EMS building adaptive reuse project, using $500,000 from free cash and authorizing $2,000,000 in borrowing. The required two-thirds vote passed; a clicker vote was taken for bond counsel, but the numerical tally was not stated in the transcript.
• Article 21 transferred $89,000 from the fire special stabilization fund to buy a new fire chief vehicle.

Public Comments and Testimony

• Cornelia Callischer, a Lee resident, spoke on multiple articles, including support for the full-time animal control officer, questions about recurring PFAS testing, concern about Sandy Beach weeds, questions about wildlife bylaw enforcement, and support for preserving upper reservoir land.
• Roger Schurr, president of the Laurel Lake Preservation Association, supported the invasive species control funding. He said it took 30 years to obtain permits, that the recommended herbicide is safe for fish, people, non-target plants, and the endangered snail, and that more than 300 Massachusetts lakes use it. He said treatment lasts three to five years.
• A resident from 57 Main Street said Laurel Lake has been degrading since the 1970s and that water chestnuts are spreading; he urged more aggressive action and offered to serve on a lake committee.
• On the wildlife bylaw, Lori Kripkowski of Prospect Street supported the law but objected that bird and squirrel feeders are allowed while composting is restricted. Caroline Young of 755 Maple Street East Lee said bears ignore her compost; Mary Teresa Valeri of East Street asked for confirmation that bird feeders would remain allowed.
• On the speed limit article, Robert Heinzman of 121 High Street supported lowering the limit but asked about enforcement of speeding on High Street. Mark Livernache of 812 East Street spoke in favor of the 25 mph limit for safety on East Street.
• Annie Lee of 104 High Street, chair of the Lee Youth Commission and a reuse committee member, supported the fire station reuse plan, noting there would be historical displays, community rooms, and a commercial kitchen.

Discussion Items

• The Town Planner explained that the wildlife bylaw's compost language is aimed at improperly handled compost and open or broken garbage containers that attract bears, and that enforcement would be complaint-based with discretion. The wildlife bylaw passed.
• Lenny Tiz of 345 Church Street responded on the speed limit article that any town-owned road currently posted at 30 mph would become a statutory, enforceable 25 mph zone after acceptance of MGL Chapter 90, Section 17C.
• On Article 20, the Town Administrator said the reuse plan's first floor could hold up to 200 people, nearly all presentation surveys were supportive, and the town has applied for $1.8 million in grants; CPA money could later be used for matching funds to reduce the tax impact. The article passed.
• Planning Board Chair Buck Donovan said the Article 25 adaptive reuse overlay district amendments were intended to make the district more flexible for mills; the public hearing occurred after warrant posting, so a handout of grammatical amendments was moved and adopted. The Planning Board had voted 5-0 for the amended version.
• On the battery energy storage moratorium, Buck Donovan said the state had set an October 1 deadline but had not finalized model bylaws, and the town has no battery storage zoning. The Town Planner said the moratorium would last six months or until a bylaw is completed. One voter expressed concern that November 14 was not enough time. The moratorium passed.

Other Warrant Articles Approved

• Article 15: accepted the tax title payment plan bylaw.
• Article 17: amended the Community Preservation Act bylaw to add an Affordable Housing Trust member to the Community Preservation Committee.
• Article 18: amended the general bylaws relating to fines.
• Article 22: accepted MGL Chapter 59, Section 5, Clause 22G, providing a property tax exemption for real estate owned by a trustee or fiduciary for the benefit of an eligible domiciliary.
• Article 23: accepted MGL Chapter 90, Section 17C to reduce the speed limit from 30 to 25 mph in thickly settled or business districts.
• Article 24: approved, by the required four-fifths vote, transfers from free cash to pay prior fiscal year invoices, specifically $4,766.08 to the Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association and $250 to the Department of Public Works.

Key Outcomes

• All 26 warrant articles were approved; none failed.
• The FY2027 operating budget passed, with the animal control appropriation amended to $135,500.
• The wildlife bylaw, speed limit reduction, fire station reuse borrowing, adaptive reuse overlay amendment, and battery storage moratorium all passed.
• The meeting dissolved at 8:20 p.m.; voters were reminded of the town election on Monday, May 18, 2026, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Crossway Gym.