Milton’s October Special Town Meeting approved $300,000 for improvements to the Tucker Elementary School playground and sent a proposed surveillance oversight bylaw to the Select Board for further study.
The measures were among seven articles covered in the Milton Times’ report on the meeting. Recorded votes drew little opposition, while two articles were decided by voice vote.
The playground appropriation passed 218-1, with two abstentions. Community Preservation Committee Chair Tom Callahan supported the project, and Tucker PTO co-president Haley Byron presented its design, contractor and timeline, the Times reported.
The money will come from existing Community Preservation funds, according to the official warrant.
Members also unanimously approved adding $363,469 to the fiscal year 2027 Reserve Fund, bringing it to $663,469. The adjustment reflects additional projected state aid and provides money for extraordinary or unanticipated expenses.
A separate vote, with one abstention, redirected $424,001.35 in unused bond proceeds toward a replacement fire engine previously approved by Town Meeting. Using those funds reduces the amount the town needs to borrow for the purchase.
Members referred a proposed water system improvement appropriation to the Select Board for further study, voting 216-1, with one abstention.
The housing amendment passed 209-3, with five abstentions. It removes obsolete language from Milton’s MBTA Communities Multi-family Overlay District bylaw, preserving a requirement that developments with eight or more units make at least 15% affordable to eligible households.
The deleted provision would have allowed a lower requirement if the state found the 15% standard economically infeasible. State housing officials accepted Milton’s feasibility analysis in July, making that fallback unnecessary. The amendment does not change the town’s MBTA Communities compliance status.
Members also approved an accounting adjustment for the PEG Access Enterprise Fund by voice vote. It lowers the FY2027 appropriation ceiling from $500,000 to $450,000 to reflect declining cable franchise fee revenue. The adjustment does not directly change Milton Access TV’s contractual payment, which is tied to fees collected.
The citizen surveillance petition would have required Town Meeting authorization before town departments acquired, used, renewed or materially expanded certain surveillance technologies or accessed their data. It also included provisions for existing systems and temporary emergency use.
The Warrant Committee recommended further study, citing concerns about the proposal’s scope and possible effects on police investigations. Members approved referral to the Select Board by voice vote.
The petition followed controversy over Flock Safety license-plate-reader cameras. The ACLU of Massachusetts’ trackersays Milton’s Select Board voted to end the town’s Flock contract and remove the cameras. The Times reported that the cameras had been taken down.
U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch also addressed Town Meeting, discussing joint projects with local officials and federal priorities, including the Major Richard Star Act. That proposal would allow eligible veterans with combat-related disabilities to receive retirement pay alongside disability compensation without the existing offset.
Milton’s next Annual Town Meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 3, 2027, at 7:30 p.m. at Milton High School, according to the town’s meeting page.
