Rochester Select Board — June 1, 2026

The Rochester Select Board convened on June 1, 2026, for a regular meeting addressing personnel matters, utility petitions, town administration updates, and municipal agreements. Police Chief presented a formal recommendation to permanently appoint Acting Sergeant Catherine Connolly to the rank of Sergeant, which the board unanimously approved. Following a public hearing with Eversource representative Julie Lawson, the board approved petitions for two new utility poles on Clapp Road and High Street. In his administrative report, Town Administrator Cam Durant provided updates on fiscal year 2027 preparations, including a completed wage classification review recommending department heads be transitioned under personnel policy, a net metering agreement with a local farm yielding an estimated 15% discount on $9,000, two new part-time custodian positions replacing contracted services, and the handling of a tied Rochester Memorial School Committee election count involving a rejected ballot in the auxiliary bin.

The board addressed multiple appointments and contractual actions, including appointing Douglas Sims to the Zoning Board of Appeals and Town Planner Michaela Shoemaker to the Joint Transportation Planning Group, issuing a service citation to Ken Vieira for his Council on Aging work, and voting to place a debt exclusion ballot question for the Old Colony Regional High School project on the June 20, 2026, election. Board members also authorized a memorandum of understanding with the Park Commission and approved a Host Community Agreement with Rochester Cannabis LLC for a retail establishment on Route 58, while opting to table a state-mandated cannabis social equity policy pending clarification regarding on-site consumption language.

Under board comments, members voted to have town counsel draft a special town meeting bylaw mandating the use of electronic voting tabulators during town meetings. Concluding the meeting, the Select Board reorganized its leadership following municipal elections, selecting Paul Ciaburri as Chair, Brad Morse as Vice Chair, and Adam Mendonca as Clerk. The board agreed to hold its next regular meeting on June 22, 2026, to accommodate statutory notice requirements for cable license hearings with Comcast and Verizon.

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