Charlton Select Board opens May town meeting warrant, amends policy adoption rules

CHARLTON -- January 13, 2026, Charlton Select Board opens its May 18 town meeting warrant and rewrites its own policy-adoption rules. The four-member board, meeting January 13 without Member David Singer, voted unanimously to open the Annual Town Meeting warrant with a March 4 article-submission deadline and a March 10 warrant-closing date. Town Administrator Andrew Golas flagged four budget unknowns for FY2027: school assessments pending the governor's budget release, rising health insurance costs, new fire station operating expenses, and regional school capital needs. The board also amended its Rules of Procedure to clarify that any three votes, regardless of whether three, four, or five members are sitting, suffice to adopt a policy, resolving an ambiguity Town Counsel identified after a prior 2-2 split vote. In other business, the board replaced Singer and Member Peter Lancette as Fay Mountain Farm Committee liaisons, naming Chairman Karen Spiewak as primary and Vice Chairman Stephen Koronis as alternate, after chronic quorum failures; approved special alcoholic beverage licenses for St. Joseph's Church Youth Ministry trivia night and wine tasting fundraisers; and voted to enter executive session on the Charlton Permanent Firefighters Association, IAFF Local 4023 contract and a fire injury-on-duty claim.