Boxborough Select Board Raises Tax Demand Fee, Sets November Fall Town Meeting Date

BOXBOROUGH -- May 11, 2026, Boxborough Select Board raises tax demand fee and sets Fall Town Meeting for November 16. The five-member board voted unanimously Monday to increase the demand fee for unpaid real estate, excise, and personal property taxes from $10 to $25 per notice, unchanged for at least a decade, and to double the municipal lien certificate fee from $25 to $50, both effective immediately, citing 781 demand notices issued in a single motor vehicle billing cycle and the need to align with neighboring communities. Town Treasurer Emily Roux, presenting via video, said the $25 figure was chosen deliberately below the $30 statutory maximum as "a good step in the right direction." The board also accepted two Massachusetts Department of Fire Services grants totaling $8,432.77, $5,787.15 for student fire education programming and $2,645.62 for senior home safety visits, and appointed 55-year resident Channing Wagg to the Housing Board for a one-year term to help advance a decision on the town-owned Stow Road property. After a brief executive session, the board voted 5-0 to approve a Principal Assessor contract and welcomed Linda Ketchka to the position.