Medfield Select Board Adds Dog-Tag Fee Article, Votes Snow Emergency Declaration

MEDFIELD -- February 3, 2026, Medfield Select Board votes to add dog-medallion fee article and snow-surplus transfer to town meeting warrant. At the February 3 meeting, the board unanimously added two placeholder articles to the 2026 Town Meeting warrant: one authorizing a fee-based dog-use tag program for public town properties, intended to replace a $20,000 dog-waste removal contract proposed for elimination, and one directing $100,000 in overlay surplus, released by the Board of Assessors, toward the snow-removal deficit ($75,000) and general revenue ($25,000). The board also debated a $334,000 package of Proposition 2½-compliant budget cuts, with Finance Committee guidance having loosened from a 1.3 percent to a 1.8 percent growth target, freeing an additional $79,000 for restoration. Resident Catherine Thorpe challenged the stated $24,000 savings from eliminating the on-call Animal Control Officer, arguing the figure conflates ACO and firefighter pay in a single budget line and understates training and liability costs of having police absorb the function. The board voted unanimously to approve a $1,218,401 Municipal Buildings Capital Stabilization Fund override increase of 2.5 percent and to sign a $104,000 contract with Weston & Sampson as owner's representative for Phase 1 infrastructure at Medfield State Hospital.