Arlington Select Board Sets March 28 Date for Proposition 2½ Override Vote

ARLINGTON -- December 8, 2025, Arlington Select Board sets March 28, 2026, for a Proposition 2½ override election as fiscal year 2027 deficit shrinks to $3.8 million. The board voted unanimously to place the override question on the annual town election ballot, with the dollar amount to be determined by early February following further Long Range Planning Committee work; Chair Diane Mahon and member Stephen DeCourcy credited Town Manager James Feeney's team with cutting the projected shortfall from an initial $13.5 million. The board also unanimously denied resident Paul Pendolfo's appeal to remove a town-planted Princeton elm at 53 Churchill Avenue, with member John Hurd citing a longstanding board practice against removing public shade trees solely to expand private driveways; Tree Warden Tim McQueen testified the tree's roots had been severed during unpermitted driveway work before the appeal was decided. Additionally, the board accepted proposed parklet policy changes including a $500-per-space fee, a two-space maximum per parklet, and a shortened season running May 1 through October 1, with a final policy document to return for approval at the board's next December meeting.