Town Meeting Debates Tax Relief, Plastic Ban in Final Night

May 14, 2025
• Special Town Meeting commenced and concluded Monday night, but not without lengthy discussion and narrow votes.

Town Meeting members passed seven of 14 articles by unanimous consent, but the remaining items on the warrant sparked opposition and discussion, though each was eventually approved.

One such article was the creation of a property tax work-off program aimed at residents 60 years and older as outlined by state law. The program, which replaces the ongoing Senior Corps program, allows residents to work within various town departments in exchange for a reduction on their property tax bill, amounting up to $1,875 on their Q4 bills.

The town aims to broaden the program’s requirements, namely the income cap. Previously, only individuals making $45,000 and two-person households making $60,000 would qualify, but the Select Board pledged to raise the bar to 80% of the area median income, or about $92,650 for single-occupants and $105,850 for two people. However, that language was not explicitly included in the warrant article, leading to questions.

Town Meeting member Lawrence Cohen suggested the work-off program should be open to anyone who owns property, regardless of income, seeing as just six people participated in 2024. Cohen argued few residents beneath the income threshold would also own property.

Select Board member Josh Levy said the limit is a starting point, adding that the board could raise or eliminate the cap in the future. The cap also ensures the town is “able to fund this,” depending on how many people they expect to enroll.

“The intent of the income limit is to, in some ways, mirror the existing program, which has an income limit, but at the same time making it more generous by increasing it to 80% of the AMI, which is a standard that we use in many other contexts, such as affordable housing,” Levy said. “The other intent is to really see how it goes.”

Funding for the program comes from the overlay surplus, which is paid through taxes.

The article’s counterpart — article 9, which outlined a similar yet new work-off program for veterans — passed on the consent calendar. The Select Board plans to institute an income limit for that program as well, Levy said.

Other changes to the work-off program include increasing the maximum possible hours worked from 100 to 125 and extending the program to residents of any duration, not just those of five or more years.

Cohen’s motion to amend the article to include the phrase “no income limit” was rejected, but the article itself passed on a voice vote.

Black Plastic & Skip the Stuff

Despite scrutiny from the Select Board and several residents, an amended black plastic ban passed in a 138-63 hand count vote.

Under the ban — effective Jan. 1, 2026 — Needham vendors cannot package any food or beverages in black plastic, which may contain hazardous chemicals that can leach into food products when heated. Black plastic is also not able to be recycled because recycling facilities, such as Needham’s, are unable to discern the material due to its color.

The article’s supporters spoke to black plastic’s health risk — due to its contents, often from recycled electronics — as well as its waste, pointing to cost-effective alternatives. The Select Board, however, voted not to recommend its adoption, citing concerns with its impact on local businesses.

“Certainly the proponents have said that there are sources at the same cost that are available to restaurants from other vendors,” Select Board member Marianne Cooley said. “But if you’re a restaurant, if you’re a Needham business, you are under a lot of stress right now.”

The article would be “better handled at the state level,” she said, “which would give some consistency.” Kathy Raiz of Green Needham — who initially put forward the effort as a citizens’ petition — said lawmakers actually seek communities’ “appetite” for such policies.

To address potential harm to local businesses, Town Meeting member Stephen Frail proposed an amendment to eliminate the $100 daily fee included in the article. The amendment eventually passed.

“My rationale here is, enforcement of this is going to be tough. It’s also going to cost money if businesses are getting fined per day,” Frail said. “We could pass this without the enforcement and send a very strong signal to businesses that they should change their habits, give them time to do so without punishing them and also send a very strong statement to our elected state officials that we want to ban this.”

The effort follows a series of sustainability initiatives, including a single-use plastic bag ban on businesses passed in 2023 and another single-use plastics ban passed last year.

A handful of speakers, including a representative from the Board of Health, questioned the science behind black plastic’s supposed health risk. David Escalante, a Town Meeting member, also suggested the problem lies in technology, not in the plastic itself, and that it could be recycled in the future.

Regardless of its place in the waste stream, Town Meeting member Artie Crocker said “plastic is poison to our bodies.”

The amended article, minus the fees on businesses, passed after discussion.

Town Meeting also passed a “Skip the Stuff” effort, wherein food vendors would only include plastic accessories such as cutlery and straws at the customer’s request, not automatically. The article also covers online ordering and Needham’s sit-down restaurants, which also must use reusable serviceware.

Energy Efficiency and Clean Energy Capital Program Revolving Fund

Concerns about a perceived lack of control mounted during discussion on a revolving fund dedicated to clean energy projects, ultimately ending in its narrow passage.

The funds, which will be operationalized after a vote at next year’s Town Meeting, will not exceed $100,000, Select Board member Cathy Dowd said. Those monies will be funded by rebates and environmental incentives not already allocated to a specific construction project, not from the town, she added.

Several residents spoke against the article, warning those funds would not receive approval at Town Meeting and that the town already spends on similar projects in other ways.

“The terms ‘nimble’ and ‘be responsive,’ to me, these are code words for unauthorized or unsupervised,” Town Meeting member Adam Cole said, “no oversight from Town Meeting.”

The town contended the fund falls into its Climate Action Roadmap, which aims to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 through infrastructure investments. By establishing a specific fund, Needham could be more responsive to rebate opportunities, Dowd said.

Other Articles

Town Meeting passed an updated flood plain zoning and accompanying map, in compliance with the National Flood Insurance Program in order to receive flood insurance. Members also approved a citizens’ petition calling on local lawmakers to move toward nuclear disarmament by co-sponsoring legislation, concluding its Annual Town Meeting warrant.

Needham also approved $195,516 from residents’ cable bills to fund The Needham Channel, which oversees Needham Local.