Town May Auction Tax Lien Debt [POLL]

Winning bidders would be able to foreclose on properties.

  Westborough town officials are exploring the possibility of auctioning off tax title liens. At the April 24 meeting of the selectmen, Treasurer Collector Joanne Savignac explained to the board why this type of program is under consideration. “It’s another method of collecting some of these past due accounts,” she said. “Massachusetts law allows communities to sell tax title liens at auction…Worcester has been doing this for about 15 years.” Savignac told the board that approximately 60 of the estimated 5,300 properties in town are delinquent on property taxes. The past due money totals about $388,000, she said. She explained that when a property owner is delinquent in paying property taxes, town officials may put a lien on the property. …

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Have A Say At MBTA: Town Seeks Volunteer

Town to fill position on MBTA Advisory Board.

  Westborough has a vacancy on the MBTA Advisory Board. The MBTA Advisory Board is made up of representatives from each of the 175 communities that have MBTA service. The role of the advisory board is to provide an annual review of the MBTA annual operating budget, evaluate the MBTA's Capital Investment Program, receive notice of substantial changes in mass transportation and consult with the MBTA to maximize ridership and transit oriented development. Anyone interested in being Westborough's representative to the MBTA Advisory Board should send a letter of interest and resume to the Westborough Board of Selectmen, Town Hall, 34 West Main St., Westborough, MA 01581, or email the documents to pcovino@town.westborough.ma.us. The MBTA …

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Patch Facts

5 Things You Need to Know Today: April 24

Will the price of gas give you less indigestion this week?

  Each morning, Westborough Patch presents “5 Things You Need to Know,” a collection of announcements, events, reminders and odd little ditties to help you organize your day. What will you be doing today?   1. Gas prices are coming down, so says AAA Southern New England. AAA’s April 23 survey of prices in Massachusetts found self-serve, regular unleaded averaging $3.859 per gallon, four cents less than a week ago and nine cents higher than a month ago. The current price is the same as the national average for self serve unleaded of $3.85. A year ago at this time the Massachusetts average price was $3.82. 2. Today begins National Scoop the Poop Week. That was a subtle reminder, wasn’t it? 3. Smartphone ticketing is coming to the MBTA this …

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Officials: How Can We Improve Town Meeting?

No clear answers came from the Tuesday discussion.

  Is there a way to shorten Town Meeting? At its April 10 meeting, the Board of Selectmen discussed a variety of suggestions with Town Moderator Joe Harrington, all hoping to find an answer to a question that repeats itself annually. Town Manager Jim Malloy said that several residents approached him after the meeting to voice concerns. He cited one person’s concern, saying, “They go there to vote like you do when you go to a polling place; they don’t necessarily go there to listen to a handful of people preach for hours on end.” Malloy said that another person told him that he was upset by listening to the same residents speaking and left the meeting, adding that there are five or six people that dominate the discussions and stretch the …

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Board Hires Terrascaping for Park Improvements

Plans include a landscaped seating area at Bay State Green.

  At its March 27 meeting, the Westborough Board of Selectmen awarded a contract to the Terrascaping landscaping company to build a landscaped seating area at Bay State Green.  According to Town Manager Jim Malloy, the project will cost $8,500 with an option for additional work at $5,400. Currently, there is $10,000 in a gift account which was set up when Bay State Green was given to the town, leaving $3,900 to be raised privately by the Bay State Green Committee to fund the entire proposal. The design calls for a 20-foot diameter fieldstone seating wall that incorporates four grinding wheels recovered from the former Bay State Abrasives. The wheels were incorporated as a reminder of the park’s history. Landscaping will be included in the …

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Patch Facts

5 Things You Need to Know Today: March 27

A pollen alert is sounding. It says, "Ah-choo."

  Each morning, Westborough Patch presents “5 Things You Need to Know,” a collection of announcements, events, reminders and odd little ditties to help you organize your day.   1. Weather.com issued a pollen alert for Westborough today because of the high tree pollen count. 2. The Westborough Public Library, 55 West Main St., is showing a new movie at 11 a.m. The movie is for adults and stars Gary Oldman and Colin Firth. This program is free and open to the public. For the title of the movie, call the library at 508-366-3050. 3. To commemorate the 10th anniversary of Ted’s Montana Grill restaurants, the company announced tthat it made a pledge to raise $150,000 in 2012 for Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign to help end childhood …

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LIVE BLOG: 2012 Town Meeting Continues, March 20

This live blog is from the fourth session of the 2012 Annual Town Meeting which took place on Tuesday, March 20 at 7 p.m.

  The 2012 Westborough Annual Town Meeting, including 30 warrant articles and a Special Town Meeting, started on Saturday, March 17 at 1 p.m. in the auditorium of Westborough High School. Westborough Patch has a live blog from the proceedings from each of the previous three sessions:  

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LIVE BLOG: 2012 Annual Town Meeting

Town officials gather with voters in the auditorium of Westborough High School on Saturday, March 17 beginning at 1 p.m.

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Dodd Proposes Better Public Notification Procedures

He asked Board of Selectmen to use town website, Twitter and Facebook to reach residents.

  At the Tuesday, March 13 Westborough Board of Selectmen meeting, Chairperson Tim Dodd proposed that the board hold public office hours and commit to providing public information electronically and online. His proposal was offered during the same meeting that Conservation Commission Chairperson Andy Koenigsberg encouraged the board to endorse a proposal for better public hearing notification offered by Westborough Patch editor and resident MaryJo Kurtz. Dodd said he proposed his ideas as part of the nationwide Sunshine Week campaign. As explained on the Sunshine Week website, "Sunshine Week is a national initiative to promote a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. Participants include news media, …

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