Boxborough Select Board Tables Safe Communities Warrant Article Amid Legal Uncertainty

BOXBOROUGH — February 10, 2025 — Boxborough Select Board declines to advance a Safe Communities warrant article, citing existing state-law protections and concerns about federal funding. Town counsel advised the board that the SJC's decision in Commonwealth v. Lund already prohibits Massachusetts police from detaining individuals solely on a federal civil immigration detainer, and that Boxborough's current police procedures are in compliance — prompting counsel to ask, per Town Administrator Michael Johns, whether the town was "creating a solution to a problem you don't have yet." The board voted unanimously to reopen the FY26 annual town meeting warrant through February 24 to allow additional articles. Also Monday: the board accepted $3,141 in MIIA Health Benefits Trust public safety grant funding for a first-responder cardiovascular screening program, approved $5,675 in community services donations — $5,000 of which was catalyzed by a Boxborough News article — and voted 3-1 to reconvene the dormant Boxborough Leadership Forum under open meeting law. Town Administrator Michael Johns received "outstanding" ratings on nine of ten criteria in his annual performance review.