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.