Hopkinton Trails Club
Hopkinton Trails Club will lead a trail walk on Sunday, November 17 at 1 p.m. at the Elmwood Farm property.
Information about this and other upcoming walks is on the Trails Club website. The Elmwood Farm open space property is owned by the Town of Hopkinton and connects to several other protected parcels.
Special Town Meeting (STM)
STM will be held Monday, November 18 in the Middle School auditorium at 7:00 p.m. All registered voters are eligible to vote at Town Meeting.
The Warrant and Motions document is posted on the Town Website. This is the document that attendees will use to review the warrant articles and the motions that the article proponents intend to make at Town Meeting.
Eight articles will be considered at Town Meeting:
Article 1: Reauthorize the Means Tested Senior Property Tax Exemption
The Town’s Home Rule Petition was originally enacted for a three year term with a provision that Town Meeting had to vote to extend the Act every three years. Special Town Meeting on May 8, 2021 extended the Act to August 22, 2024. The exemption provides financial relief to qualifying seniors.
This article would extend the exemption to August 22, 2027.
Articles 2 and 3: New Veterans tax exemptions
On August 8, 2024, Governor Healey signed an Act Honoring, Empowering and Recognizing Our Service Members and Veterans (the HERO Act) into law.
Article 2: Clause 22I would increase the amount of the tax exemption granted to veterans on their domiciles under Clause 22, Clause 22A, Clause 22B, Clause 22C, Clause 22E and Clause 22F annually by a cost-of-living adjustment determined by the Mass. Department of Revenue based on the consumer price index (CPI).
For example, if a Clause 22 recipient will receive a $400 exemption and the community accepts this option, and the CPI increases by 5%, the total exemption amount would increase to $420.
This exemption, if accepted, will take effect for Fiscal Year 2026 and is funded through the Overlay Account and will not affect the tax rate.
Article 3: Clause 22J provides an additional exemption up to 100% of the amount of the tax exemption granted to veterans on their domiciles under Clause 22, Clause 22A, Clause 22B, Clause 22C, Clause 22E and Clause 22F.
To implement this exemption, the town must vote to accept the statute and establish the additional exemption percentage before the July 1 beginning of the fiscal year in which the percentage will first apply. The voted percentage will continue to apply in subsequent years unless and until another percentage is voted.
For example, if a Clause 22 recipient will receive a $400 exemption and the community accepts Clause 22I, and the CPI increases by 5%, the total exemption amount would increase to $420.
If the community further accepts Clause 22J and increases by the maximum 100% the amount of the tax exemption granted to the veteran, in this example, the total exemption will increase to $840.
Article 4: proposes that the Town impose a local sales tax on meals (“meals tax”)
At the present time, Massachusetts imposes a 6.25% meals tax. A city or town may impose a local option meals tax on sales by a vendor of restaurant meals occurring within the community. The local rate is 0.75% of the vendor’s gross receipts from restaurant meal sales.
It is anticipated that if adopted, the Town would pursue a Special Act that would allow designation of the revenues for economic development purposes.
>> RELATED: Hopkinton Chamber Supports Special Town Meeting Articles 4 & 8
Article 5: transfer the care, custody and control of the three Hughes Farm open space parcels to the Open Space Preservation Commission (OSPC)
This will facilitate the placement of a Conservation Restriction on the property, which is required because the land was purchased with Community Preservation funds. The land will be under the jurisdiction of the OSPC, and the Conservation Restriction will be held by the Hopkinton Area Land Trust, preserving it in perpetuity.
>> RELATED: LTE Open Space Preservation Commission Supports Article 5 at the STM
Article 6: rescind $1,815,962.23 in authorized but unissued debt previously voted at a Town Meeting
The 13 projects were approved between 2003 and 2021. Town Meeting authorized borrowing for the projects in those years, but the funding was not needed and so the borrowing never occurred.
This article proposes to eliminate this potential debt.
Article 7 establishes a revolving fund for the Health Department
This will be funded by fees collected by the Department. The funds collected could be spent on Department expenses including salaries, nursing equipment and related supplies, and personal protective equipment.
Article 8: proposes amendments to the Zoning Bylaw and the Zoning Map by adopting the MBTA Communities Multi-Family Overlay District
The article establishes an overlay zoning district that complies with the Commonwealth’s MBTA Communities multi-family by-right housing law (Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 40A, Section 3A).
This article would add a new section to the Hopkinton Zoning Bylaws to establish this district as well as amend the Zoning Map to show the subdistrict locations. At the Planning Board meeting on November 13, the Board voted to recommend the proposal known as “The Preserve/Downtown/Walcott Valley.”
The motion with the proposed Bylaw language and the map is posted on the Town website.
The Town is required to comply with the law’s requirements by December 31, 2024.
>> RELATED: Letter to the Editor Concerning the November 4th Planning Board Meeting
Call For Art: 2025 Winged Feet Exhibition and Auction
Hopkinton Center for the Arts and 26.2 Foundation, 501(c)(3) organizations, invite artists to submit their proposal for a Winged Foot, a project celebrating the Boston Marathon.
The works of art will be displayed on the Hopkinton Town Common from April 6 to April 27, 2025.
Information here: 2025 Winged Feet
Hopkinton Youth & Family Services November Newsletter
Hopkinton Winter Farmers Market
The Winter Farmer’s Market runs from November 3, 2024 to March 6, 2025 on Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Weston Nurseries, 93 East Main Street.
The Farmers Market website has more information, including a calendar of events that shows the vendors scheduled for each date. Hopkinton Farmers Market
