Board Grants $540 Water Abatement

In this report: Key decisions · Next dates · Full report · Sources

What happened

The board granted a $540.20 water abatement for a homeowner whose irrigation leak caused her bill to surge to $3,121.40, using a custom formula rather than the staff-recommended three-year lookback method. The board also promoted two police officers, approved a corporate liquor license reorganization, endorsed two grant applications for transportation planning, and held 2027 licensing fees flat.

Key decisions

• 📜 Endorse Metro West Health Foundation grant application. The board voted 5-0 to endorse a letter of support for a $100,000 Metro West Health Foundation grant application for Way to Go Natick, a two-year consultant-led study to develop a comprehensive bicycle and pedestrian network plan. The application is due October 16. (Vote 5-0; Next: Oct. 16). Read case details
• 📜 Keep 2027 license and permit fees unchanged. The board voted 5-0 to keep all select-board licensing and permit fees at 2026 levels for calendar year 2027, despite Natick's one-day liquor permit fee at $105 being the highest among comparable communities. Staff will return with historical fee data and analysis of fees before any spring town meeting warrant articles. (Vote 5-0). Read case details
• ● Water bill abatement for irrigation leak. The board voted 5-0 to grant a $540.20 abatement on Katie Oates' water and sewer bill, reducing her $3,121.40 bill from an irrigation leak to $2,581.20. Rather than using the staff-recommended three-year lookback method, the board billed her full usage up through the second-highest rate tier. (Vote 5-0). Read case details
• 📜 Endorse Natick Center parking data collection plan. The board voted 5-0 to endorse the Spot Patrol data collection plan, which will use volunteer spotters to report occupancy in municipal parking lots starting January 4, 2027. The plan includes optional training for frequent contributors and uses Google forms for data submission. (Vote 5-0; Next: Jan. 4). Read case details
• 👤 Promote Sergeant Scott Lacera to lieutenant. The board voted 5-0 to promote Sergeant Scott Lacera, a 2005 department hire with experience as patrol supervisor, SWAT operator, and defensive tactics instructor, to police lieutenant effective October 15. (Vote 5-0). Read case details
• 👤 Promote Officer Kenneth Payton to sergeant. The board voted 5-0 to promote Officer Kenneth Payton, a Marine Corps veteran and 2014 hire who has served as field training officer and leads firearms and defensive tactics training, to police sergeant effective October 15. (Vote 5-0). Read case details
• 📋 Approve public way occupation permit for painting. The board voted 5-0 to approve a provisional public way occupation permit for exterior painting scaffolding at Clark's Block, running October 19 through November 20, contingent on the town administrator confirming clear pedestrian access during Halloween trick-or-treating, Veterans Day, and other high-traffic downtown events. (Vote 5-0). Read case details
• 📋 Approve Putschak Boston Natick LLC corporate reorganization. The board voted 5-0 to approve conversion of Putschak Boston Natick LLC from a Massachusetts to a Delaware LLC and replacement of its LLC managers (David Diamond, Logan Powell, Joseph Rankin removed; Ryan Nowicki and David Bagley added). Day-to-day operations and the manager of record remain unchanged. (Vote 5-0). Read case details
• 👤 Appoint Margaret Armstrong to Net Zero committee. The board voted 5-0 to appoint Margaret Armstrong as an associate student member of the Net Zero committee. (Vote 5-0). Read case details
• 👤 Accept Brittany Czernowska resignation. The board voted 5-0 to accept the resignation of Brittany Czernowska, a community planner, from the Cultural Council. (Vote 5-0). Read case details

Next dates

• Oct. 16: Metro West Health Foundation grant application due
• Jan. 4: Spot Patrol parking data collection begins

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Full meeting report

The complete, section-by-section account of the meeting, 3,363 words, for members.

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