Accountability posts

**Lexington Select Board — February 23, 2026: What Residents Should Know**

The Select Board covered significant ground at its February 23 meeting, but a few items deserve closer public attention before Town Meeting.

**Staff opposes citizen transparency petition.** Residents Steve Kaufman and Archen Basu are petitioning for a public dashboard (Article 27) to track spending and progress on seven major capital projects, capped at $50,000. Town staff formally declined to endorse the article — even after the petitioners revised it — citing concerns about vendor costs and integration with existing software. The board deferred the matter to a March 9 staff presentation. Notably, Town Manager Steve Bartha told the board he'd prefer residents consult staff before filing petitions rather than going straight to the petition process. Archen Basu's response at the meeting: "It's clear that everyone loves transparency, except when it comes to offering it." Residents who care about tracking how their tax dollars are spent on major projects should watch the March 9 meeting closely.

**Waste collection is changing — and a resident wants a vote on it.** Two Town Meeting articles (23 and 31) would replace Lexington's current curbside waste pickup model with a mandatory wheeled-cart system and add fees for excess waste. The Finance Director noted waste collection costs have risen 54% over four years, with the average household paying $140 more annually. Resident Peter Kelly attended specifically to oppose the change, calling for a citizen advisory committee and a referendum before implementation. The board chair thanked him but did not engage with the substance of his request. No board member addressed the referendum question.

**The snow budget is gone.** Town Manager Steve Bartha confirmed on February 23 that the town has exhausted 100% of its snow and ice budget due to a historic storm, and is now deficit spending. Residents will be asked at Town Meeting to weigh in on how to cover the shortfall — but no specific remediation plan was presented at this meeting.

**Other actions taken:** The board unanimously approved a $22,245,000 general obligation bond sale (AAA rated, 2.03% interest) to fund the high school design, police station and library renovations, and other projects. The Burlington-North Street sidewalk project was cut from $250,000 to $60,000, and Adams/East Street intersection improvements were deferred pending further engineering review. All recorded votes were 5-0. Official minutes will be posted at lexingtonma.gov when available. https://meetingwatch.org/ma/lexington/select-board/2026-02-23/ #MeetingWatch #LexingtonMA