Board votes to raise water rates 7 percent

Select Board · Meeting of March 30, 2026

WINCHESTER — The Winchester Select Board elected Anthea Brady chair without objection and William McGonigle vice chair in a split vote, then voted unanimously to raise water and sewer rates 7 percent. Member Michael Bettencourt cast the lone "no" vote on McGonigle's election; member Michelle Prior abstained. The board accepted a $90,094 Green Communities grant funding window replacement at Mystic School and LED lighting at McCall Middle School, plus a MassDOT grant for speed feedback signs and a trailer on Swanton Street, where Town Engineer Matthew Shuman said speeds hit 36 to 37 mph in a 25 mph zone.

The board allocated outdoor dining spots to seven restaurants, approving three parking spots for Black Horse Tavern over one dissenting vote. Bettencourt said he is "not prepared to vote for another override at all" until the board joins budget talks following the failed $11.5 million override.

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Source: the Select Board meeting of March 30, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.