Boxborough Select Board Approves FY26 Detail Pay Rates, Makes Dozens of Annual Appointments

BOXBOROUGH — June 23, 2025 — Boxborough Select Board makes more than 30 appointments and approves public-safety pay adjustment. The board voted unanimously at its June 23 meeting to raise private-detail rates for reserve police officers from roughly $60 to $65 per hour and make comparable increases for per diem firefighters, effective July 1, matching the rates in newly negotiated collective bargaining agreements. The board also recognized community member Mr. Stewart for performing the Heimlich maneuver on a choking victim at Fifer's Day on June 21 before EMS arrived, with Fire Chief John Kivlin writing that Stewart's "swift and decisive actions undoubtedly made a difference in the outcome." Leslie Fox, a 24-year Select Board alumnus now on the Water Resources Committee, briefed the board on a forthcoming Weston and Sampson water study, warning that roughly half of Boxborough residents draw from unregulated private wells and that PFAS testing alone can cost nearly $1,000 per household. The board also approved a $26,000 reduction in the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District's FY2026 assessment after the district received additional state funds, which the district will use to retain staff.