The Board of Selectmen voted Jan. 14 to schedule a public hearing for Feb. 11 on whether to opt out of mailing ballots for the upcoming local election, after a request from Town Clerk Mary Lou Folan.

Town Manager Tony Mazzuco told the board that the hearing would address only mail‑in voting for the local (April) election and would not affect state or federal mail voting. He said past town mailings produced low response rates (roughly 3,000 ballots sent and fewer than 1,000 returned in prior cycles) and led to public confusion about down‑ballot contests; staff also cited printing and postage costs and administrative workload as factors prompting the clerk’s request to schedule a hearing.

Selectmen agreed to schedule the Feb. 11 hearing pursuant to the clerk’s letter and asked the manager and clerk to prepare explanatory materials for voters, including outreach describing application processes for absentee or mailed ballots if the town opts out of a universal mail‑in approach for the local election.

Ending: The Feb. 11 public hearing will be held; the board will take testimony and decide whether to opt out of mail‑in balloting for the April local election. Any decision will affect only local contests, not statewide or federal ballots.