Freetown Select Board opts out of vote-by-mail for April town election

FREETOWN -- January 6, 2025, Freetown Select Board votes to drop vote-by-mail and sets a $100,000 ceiling for a new town planner. The board voted unanimously by roll call Monday to opt out of vote-by-mail for the April 7, 2025 annual town election, citing a 47 percent ballot return rate and mounting postage costs, Town Clerk Cheryl reported that 975 ballots were sent during the last election cycle but only 467 came back. Town Administrator Deborah Chaves won approval of a $100,000 full-time salary ceiling for a long-vacant town planner post, with a $60,000 option if the role is shared regionally with a neighboring town. The board also authorized Chaves to retain outside legal counsel for a worsening County Road water line dispute with New Bedford, a leak is actively undermining the road and has left some residents without drinkable water. In a separate disclosure, Chaves told the board the state has withheld the town's annual $7,200 recycling grant because Freetown has not adopted MBTA 3A zoning, warning it may be "the first taste" of broader grant restrictions to come.