[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6285728,"mediaKeyId","2567886-9c531bb23f515d887bac226aa243956c","parentId",2567886,"title","Selectmen approve event permits, update Town Common rules and adopt FY2026 general government budget; vision-insurance vote tabled","audioSeconds",583,"startMs",4983000,"endMs",5566000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2567886-9c531bb23f515d887bac226aa243956c&start=4983&end=5566","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2567886-9c531bb23f515d887bac226aa243956c/thumbnail_4983000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6285728/Town-of-Norwood/Norfolk-County/Massachusetts/Selectmen-approve-event-permits-update-Town-Common-rules-and-adopt-FY2026-general-government-budget-vision-insurance-vote-tabled","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6285728-a090e93a55425f1c41723abddfb58237/orig.mp4?Expires=1771162666&Signature=Xp4hD2Mx8eK3KgYZiDnpoFrkU~w1GUpJgDuStSM5aEhXlxcgg-Wjw8rFOnosTBcSnKWVesIQzGvjWd85aq02Erdp0NcarUopQHn2EEY0E5fwzj3EiEDp8txzymZE5EWjgjbs1xy7ozED21InwywmYpETvXQSrig-bwsN--ctUOEhXeN9m8ol2-pvllAw-zIpq-4RIIMUksfNry8B6QrduFysZYGlm0Mw5-VeKb1um8dIWExOyTbv5JD9tg9HVM2TNyb3OByc~v2EMFD7XOlHjQduWy24wAgsrT67YfAPoTek6nKckj0x9LLY-l2G6axDnBbwfX1o4Hn6IpwSRNs-Nw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Town of Norwood, MA","date","2025-03-12T00:00:00Z","article","The Board of Selectmen on March 11 moved a number of procedural and policy items: it approved event permits and use requests, adopted amended Town Common rules and regulations (first reading), accepted the manager’s recommendation to replace the talent bank with a targeted posting process, approved the light department’s annual bad-debt write-off, and approved the town’s FY2026 general government budget. The board tabled a proposal about voluntary vision insurance for town and school employees so staff can provide additional legal and administrative details.

Nut graf: Several items were routine permits or administrative updates, but the FY2026 budget approval and the decision to modernize the talent-bank process were substantive and affect town operations. The town also took a first reading to tighten Town Common regulations and clarified that larger organized games would be allowed only under permits.

Key actions (motions, movers/seconds, tallies, and next steps)

1) Warrant signature and meeting minutes
- Motion: Accept warrant-signature update and approve minutes for 01/28/2025 and 02/25/2025.
- Outcome: Approved; votes recorded as unanimous “Aye.” (procedural)
- Provenance: agenda opening and minutes approval segments.

2) Event permits and use requests (multiple items)
- Baystate Bridal cooperative — annual dog wash, car wash and rabies/microchipping clinic at municipal lot on Sunday, June 2025, 9 a.m.–2 p.m.
- Motion: Approve.
- Outcome: Approved, unanimous vote (5–0).
- Provenance: item 4.1 transcript segment.

- Norwin High School cheer — car wash at municipal lot Saturday, August 2025, 9 a.m.–2 p.m.
- Motion: Approve.
- Outcome: Approved, unanimous vote (5–0).
- Provenance: item 4.2 transcript segment.

- Cheer Advantage Boosters car wash — follow-up discussion about nonprofit status and local membership; applicant provided IRS documentation but board members raised concerns about out-of-town membership.
- Motion: Approve.
- Outcome: Approved, vote recorded as 3–2 in favor; board members discussed modifying application forms to require clearer local-membership information for future permits.
- Notes: Manager and staff will follow up to consider application changes to capture applicants’ local connections.
- Provenance: item 4.3 transcript segment (lengthy discussion).

- Town Common request — Earth Day Community Fair, Sunday 04/27/2025, 10 a.m.–2 p.m., expected 200–300 attendees.
- Motion: Approve.
- Outcome: Approved, unanimous vote (5–0).
- Provenance: item 4.4 transcript segment.

- Morse House request by Judith Howard for March 22 (private luncheon) — approved as a late agenda item.
- Motion: Approve.
- Outcome: Approved, unanimous vote (5–0).
- Provenance: late-item segment at end of meeting.

3) Town Common / Parks rules and regulations (item 4.5)
- Discussion: Town manager summarized housekeeping updates and proposed codifying park rules in a single document. Selectmen suggested clarifying the provision that currently limits “games exceeding three players” and add an exception for permitted events. Manager incorporated suggested language.
- Motion: Accept the changes and update rules and regulations as amended (first reading).
- Outcome: Approved as amended, unanimous (vote recorded “Aye; as amended”).
- Notes: This regulation change is a two-meeting process; the item will return at the board’s March 25 meeting for final approval.
- Provenance: item 4.5 transcript segment.

4) Talent Bank process (item 4.6)
- Discussion: Manager recommended discontinuing the long-standing talent bank and instead posting openings publicly when vacancies occur, using simplified letters of interest and job-description materials for boards/committees. Board members supported the change and suggested multiple publicity channels (website, social media, public access scroll, occasional print ads).
- Motion: Accept the manager’s recommended replacement of the talent bank with targeted posting and letter-of-interest process.
- Outcome: Approved, unanimous (5–0).
- Provenance: item 4.6 transcript segment.

5) Light department bad-debt write-offs (item 4.7)
- Discussion: Manager explained these are accounts at least seven years old that have been through collections and are now uncollectible.
- Motion: Approve write-offs.
- Outcome: Approved, unanimous (5–0).
- Provenance: item 4.7 transcript segment.

6) FY2026 General Government Budget (item 4.8)
- Discussion: Selectmen thanked the budget balancing committee and school leadership for collaboration. The manager summarized projections and warned of structural pressures; board members discussed forming a task group to address long-term structural deficits after town meeting.
- Motion: Approve the FY2026 general government budget as presented.
- Outcome: Approved, unanimous (5–0). The shared-cost and utility budgets (light, water/sewer) will be presented to the board at its March 25 meeting.
- Provenance: item 4.8 transcript segment.

7) Town election warrant (item 4.9)
- Motion: Approve and sign the town election warrant.
- Outcome: Approved, unanimous (5–0).
- Provenance: item 4.9 transcript segment.

8) Voluntary vision insurance under M.G.L. c.32B, §15 (item 4.10)
- Discussion: Manager proposed permitting employees to enroll in voluntary, employee-paid vision insurance at no town cost; manager said labor counsel reviewed PEC (health-insurance) language and did not oppose adding a voluntary, employee-paid vision option.
- Motion: Table pending additional legal/administrative detail and clarification of any administrative costs to the town (staff to confirm plan costs and any enrollment/administration fees).
- Outcome: Motion to table carried (5–0). Staff will return with more information.
- Provenance: item 4.10 transcript segment.

9) Cemetery deeds (item 4.11)
- Motion: Approve cemetery deeds for signature.
- Outcome: Approved, unanimous (5–0).
- Provenance: item 4.11 transcript segment.

Procedural notes, next steps and clarifications
- Town Common rules: Because the board uses a two-meeting adoption process for bylaw- or regulation-style changes, the amended Town Common rules will return at the March 25 meeting for a second vote.
- Booster car wash discussions prompted a manager action to review and update the municipal event application to request clearer information about local membership or residency among organizers.
- Vision insurance: labor counsel reviewed draft language in the PEC (health insurance) agreement; board requested a follow-up memo describing any administrative costs, the recommended vendor/plan and confirmation that the town would not assume costs absent future bargaining.

Speakers and attribution (selection of participants recorded in transcript)
- Mr. Mazuko, Town Manager (presenter on multiple items)
- Selectman Plasco, Selectman (voting member)
- Selectman Satt, Selectman (voting member)
- Selectman Lane, Selectman (voting member)
- Selectwoman Grove, Selectwoman (voting member)
- Selectwoman Delaney, Selectwoman (voting member)
- Ms. Woodward, Town staff (contact who followed up on booster applicant)

Proper names and authorities referenced
- Town Common / Parks rules and regulations (municipal policy) — referenced in item 4.5
- MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey (referenced in Impact Norwood presentation)
- PEC agreement (townwide health-insurance collective bargaining arrangement) — referenced in connection with the voluntary vision-insurance discussion
- Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 32B, Section 15 — statute cited when discussing voluntary vision insurance

Clarifying details extracted from discussion
- Application changes: Manager will follow up to consider modifying the municipal-event application to capture applicants’ local connections and membership details for booster and similar groups.
- Town Common amendment: Language was added to permit larger games if part of an approved event (board-approved permit). The change will return for a second vote on March 25.
- Vision insurance: Labor counsel reviewed draft PEC language and agreed to language allowing voluntary, employee-paid enrollment; the board asked staff to confirm whether any minimal administrative charge or enrollment fee would apply and to provide plan options.

Provenance (high-level): selected transcript segments supporting actions listed above
- Town Common rules (topicintro): transcript_block_2613.0398_2652.61 (manager summary)
- Town Common rules (topfinish): transcript_block_2820.6802_2822.52 (approval as amended)
- Talent Bank (topicintro): transcript_block_2857.6748_2883.165 (manager introduction)
- Talent Bank (topfinish): transcript_block_3641.075_3645.015 (motion, vote)
- FY2026 budget (topicintro): transcript_block_3789.105_3821.625 (budget remarks)
- FY2026 budget (topfinish): transcript_block_4889.0596_4896.42 (vote)

Ending

The board completed a number of routine approvals and several operational changes. The most consequential items for town operations are the FY2026 budget approval and the manager’s administrative changes (Talent Bank replacement and updated event-application requirements). Staff will return with additional information on the vision-insurance proposal and the Town Common rule changes at the next meeting (March 25).","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Town of Norwood: Board of Selectmen 3.11.25","oneSentenceSummary","The Board of Selectmen approved multiple event permits and administrative changes on March 11, adopted amended Town Common regulations in a first reading and approved the town’s FY2026 general government budget, while tabling a voluntary vision-insurance decision pending further information.","taxTitle","Town of Norwood, Norfolk County, Massachusetts","taxId",52806,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6285733,"Impact Norwood tells selectmen youth vaping and alcohol use have fallen; says federal grant ends in 2027",1152,888000,2040000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2567886-9c531bb23f515d887bac226aa243956c&start=888&end=2040","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2567886-9c531bb23f515d887bac226aa243956c/thumbnail_888000.jpg","/articles/6285733/Town-of-Norwood/Norfolk-County/Massachusetts/Impact-Norwood-tells-selectmen-youth-vaping-and-alcohol-use-have-fallen-says-federal-grant-ends-in-2027","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6285733-0b41803be6dd5e268ea951775a3bfc8c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771162666&Signature=VjbIJULsxm0hQxAhlpnIAEliFFxtHV51NfDxnkIeqtL5oUnzmDVLwfxaWGVJxEanL~IlWjbjg10rRIHLJ2ienozGSOz1gtPfzMKBF4PYkQQlzylrNR-f5rwt6Qgsg7XusUo-tBwVVTKjBggbIg6LokGLe0iWoMInZi4l2r7OUXudDfdk~d6KBpc6vCfvubP5Gb4gogfsWS0wH5SEuxzmlCJOuJGrkd9uDmhiu9BY5nVjnBiZzwZZ9k6RJFkkZ3Cpz1UcQKR8gmk2TmkAmox1JV7F87wc~4g6WbJ5lop81jbK-KrZdMQKzeI94cKTLNuZVU6Pj5T3AsE4RBZzVpbAJw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Impact Norwood, a community coalition that works with Norwood Public Schools and other local partners, briefed the Board of Selectmen on March 11 about prevention work it says has coincided with declines in youth substance use and described plans for outreach before its federal grant ends in 2027.

The presentation, led by Connor Brosnan, program director of Impact Norwood, summarized the coalition’s work in schools and the community and cited results from the MetroWest adolescent health survey that the program funds and administers biennially. “Our goal is to provide an environment for Norwood’s youth where they can grow and be the best version of themselves in a safe manner,” Brosnan said.

Impact Norwood described itself as a data-driven, community coalition founded in February 2014 and currently funded by a federal CDC grant that was structured as a 10-year award. Brosnan told the board the grant has roughly two and a half years remaining and is due to end in September 2027. The coalition works with students in grades 6–12 at Coakley Middle School and Norwood High School through a steering committee, a youth coalition and partnerships with school staff and town departments.

Why it matters: the coalition’s survey data are used by the schools to inform programming, and the grant’s scheduled end raises questions about sustaining services. Selectmen asked about future funding and whether the group could extend programs into younger grades after the district reconfigured the middle grades.

Key details and activities

- Funding and timeline: Impact Norwood is funded by a CDC grant (10-year term) with about 2.5 years remaining; the coalition was founded in February 2014 (Connor Brosnan, program director).

- Survey data cited: Impact Norwood helps fund and administer the MetroWest adolescent health survey in Norwood (administered in 2018, 2020 and 2023). Brosnan highlighted declines in substance-use measures: lifetime vaping at Norwood High School was reported by Brosnan to have fallen to 19 percent (from near 50 percent in an earlier year), and lifetime alcohol use at the high school declined from about 50 percent to about 30 percent. Brosnan said vaping at Coakley Middle School decreased by nine percentage points since 2018. He described the survey results as self-reported student data and said the survey is used to shape school and town programming.

- School partnerships and programs: Ryan Quigley, 6–12 wellness coordinator for Norwood Public Schools, said Impact Norwood staff sit on the schools’ health council and helped organize the first annual Norwood Wellness Fair. Quigley and Brosnan said they plan to pilot a wellness club at Norwood High School during the school’s wind block and to expand outreach to families and elementary PTOs ahead of grade transitions.

- Youth-led and community activities: Impact Norwood described ongoing programs including youth-led public-service announcements produced with Norwood Community Media, a senior-center intergenerational conversation series, a regional podcast (Where’s My Handbook?) produced with Mass Call 3, naloxone trainings, anti-vaping campaigns, an upcoming 3-on-3 basketball tournament on June 7 at the Civic Center, and a public-art project on the Germany Brook Trail.

- Regional collaboration and training: Impact Norwood participates in Mass Call 3 (a regional coalition with Stone, Avon and Easton) and uses those links for training and materials.

Board discussion and next steps

Several selectmen praised the coalition’s work and asked how the town could help sustain programs when the CDC grant ends in 2027. Selectwoman (board representative) said she would continue as the board’s liaison and encouraged earlier conversations about long-term funding options. Brosnan said Impact Norwood is exploring ways to meet parents where they are and will provide more information on specific program costs and options if townspeople or board members want to volunteer or receive the coalition’s newsletter.

Ending

Selectmen thanked the presenters and asked staff to follow up with any additional details about program costs, administrative impacts and opportunities for town support as the CDC grant approaches its scheduled end.

","Impact Norwood updated the Board of Selectmen on prevention work in Norwood schools and the community, presented survey data showing declines in youth substance use, and outlined outreach and programming as its 10-year federal grant enters its final years.","actionData","errors"]

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Selectmen approve event permits, update Town Common rules and adopt FY2026 general government budget; vision-insurance vote tabled

Impact Norwood tells selectmen youth vaping and alcohol use have fallen; says federal grant ends in 2027