Natick Select Board Approves Solar Program, Parking Crackdown, Cable Counsel in 5-0 Votes

Select Board · Meeting of July 22, 2026

Natick Select Board unanimously approved a low-income community solar program, a scofflaw parking enforcement policy, and a cable licensing legal contract at its July 22 meeting. The board voted 5-0 to authorize Chair Coughlin to sign three agreements with solar developer Blue Wave, allowing the town's electricity aggregation to channel solar bill credits to roughly 1,200 households on Eversource's R2 low-income rate, an estimated $300,000 in total annual savings, or about $400 per household. Police Chief James Six and Deputy Town Administrator for Finance Ari Skye also won 5-0 approval for a tow-and-hold policy targeting 24 identified vehicles or individuals accounting for 252 unpaid parking tickets totaling $12,225 in Natick Center, with Six noting the existing RMV-hold tool does not reach out-of-state plates.

The board authorized attorney William H. Solomon at $220 per hour, not to exceed $6,600, to negotiate a successor cable franchise license with Verizon before the current five-year agreement expires in 2028. Fire Chief Jason Fursky reported a record 6,500-plus emergency calls in 2025, a 36 percent increase over pre-pandemic volume, with three-call simultaneous incidents up 66 percent in two years.

In the full story:

• Low-Income Community Shared Solar Contracts
• Scofflaw Parking Tickets: Discussion and Vote
• Main Street Improvement Project: Public Questions
• Appointment of Special Counsel for Cable Licensing Agreement
• Natick Fire Department Annual Update
• Cochituate Rail Trail and Route 9 Safety Letter
• Select Board Office Hours Update
• Consent Agenda and Administrative Items
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 4,930 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of July 22, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.