Natick Select Board reviews $7 million override commitments, appoints two police officers

NATICK -- May 27, 2026, Natick Select Board reviews override commitments and names two new police officers. The board voted 4-0 to approve a Pride Month proclamation and unanimously appointed Matthew Hanley and Joshua Reget as full-time officers, with both beginning training at the Marlboro Police Academy on June 1. The bulk of the May 27 meeting was spent on a memo, not yet reviewed by all members or the town administrator, tracking progress on financial pledges made before a $7 million budget override vote in March 2025. The town returned $3.4 million in unspent fiscal year 2025 funds, 44 percent more than the prior year, and a tax title initiative has generated approximately $2.4 million in improved property tax collection. Health insurance premiums rose just 3.85 percent through the West Suburban Health Group against a market average of 8.25 percent. A review of whether to adopt a split tax rate, which determines how the tax burden is shared between residential and commercial properties, will not be resolved before fall 2026 rate-setting, the board acknowledged, with member Jacobs pushing for open-ended language in the commitment rather than a locked-in schedule.