Southbridge Town Council Defeats Regional Dispatch Ballot Question 6-3

SOUTHBRIDGE — March 23, 2026 — Southbridge Town Council votes 6-3 against placing regional dispatch advisory question on ballot. At a special meeting Monday, the nine-member council rejected a motion to put a non-binding recommendation before voters on joining the Central Mass Regional Emergency Communication Center, or CMRECC, despite six members having signed the petition that called the meeting. Councilor Adams argued the vote was purely procedural — "this is exactly the kind of decision where the council should trust the voters" — and warned that a resident-initiated petition could force the question onto the ballot within 40 to 50 days in any event. Chairman Lazo, who held the deciding opposition, said the case for regional dispatch rested on shifting cost figures and a series of proposed host locations — Auburn, Leicester, Charlton — that each fell through, calling the financial case "fuzzy math" and "smoke and mirrors." Councilors Adams, Daniels, and Kelly voted yes; Chenier, Dow, Provost, Montigny, and Lazo voted no.