Select Board Sends $8.6M Fiber Bond to Warrant

Select Board · Meeting of April 6, 2026

Longmeadow Select Board sends $8.6 million fiber-network bond to May Town Meeting despite sharp resident pushback. Meeting jointly with the Finance Committee, the board voted 5-0 to place the fiber borrowing, the $93,377,134.51 FY2027 operating budget, and 28 other warrant articles on the May 12 warrant. Finance Director Ian Coddington said the $8,615,000 would fund Phase 1 and half of Phase 2 of the buildout, raising an average $565,000 home's taxes by about $2,140 over 20 years, or $97 annually.

Resident Tom Shea told the board "the property tax subsidy of fiber was never planned or disclosed." The borrowing would push the town's debt-service ratio to roughly 12.36 percent, over the board's 12 percent policy cap. The board also overturned the tree warden's denial of removing two pairs of white oaks on Williams Street for a middle-school road project, tabling a third contested removal for a special meeting.

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Source: the Select Board meeting of April 6, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.