🏛️ Grafton at a glance

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🗳️ NEXT ELECTION
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Massachusetts State Election · 140 days away
Governor and statewide offices on the ballot. Polls open 7 AM–8 PM. Your town's own election (Select Board, School Committee, etc.) is held each spring.

This week in Grafton

Updated June 16, 2026

📅 Coming up

4 meetings

These meetings haven't happened yet — you can still attend, speak, or write to the board.

June 16, 2026
Finance Committee
Finance Committee
Reviews the town's entire budget and makes recommendations on how your tax dollars are spent.
Finance Committee meets June 16 to review an end-of-fiscal-year interfund transfer request.
End of FY2026 Interfund Transfer Request
Coming up June 16: committee will consider moving funds between town accounts to close out fiscal year 2026.
Open to all residents — you can attend and speak during public comment. View agenda → ·Contact the board →
June 16, 2026
Planning Board
Planning Board
Reviews and approves new housing developments, commercial buildings, and land subdivisions before construction begins.
Planning Board special meeting scheduled for June 16, 2026 — no agenda items listed in document.
Special Meeting Notice
A special Planning Board meeting is scheduled for June 16, 2026; no agenda items or details are included in this document.
Open to all residents — you can attend and speak during public comment. View agenda → ·Contact the board →
June 16, 2026
Select Board
Select Board
Grafton's main governing board. Sets town policy, approves major contracts, and makes key appointments.
Select Board agenda for June 16, 2026 contains no readable item text beyond the cover page.
Meeting Packet Cover Page Only
Document text provided contains only the title and date — no agenda items or details are readable.
Open to all residents — you can attend and speak during public comment. View agenda → ·Contact the board →
June 17, 2026
Planning Board
Planning Board
Reviews and approves new housing developments, commercial buildings, and land subdivisions before construction begins.
Planning Board special meeting scheduled for June 17, 2026 — agenda contains no listed items.
Special Meeting Notice
A special Planning Board meeting is scheduled for June 17, 2026; no agenda items or details are provided in this document.
Open to all residents — you can attend and speak during public comment. View agenda → ·Contact the board →

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What happened

12 items · last 60 days

Decisions and notable items from recent meetings, most significant first. Routine procedural items (58) are left out.

Nothing matches that filter.
📋 Proposed Board of Health · June 9, 2026
Opioid Recovery Community Partnership (Amended Agenda)
Coming up June 9: Board of Health will take up an Opioid Recovery Community Partnership; an amended agenda was issued but no additional detail is provided in the document text.
Why this matters: Opioid recovery programs affect community health resources and services.
View official document → · from an agenda — check minutes for the final outcome
• Status unclear School Committee · May 22, 2026
Fee Subcommittee Meeting
Agenda document provided contains no readable agenda items beyond the meeting title and date.
Why this matters: Fee subcommittee could affect school-related fees families pay.
View official document → · from an agenda — check minutes for the final outcome
✅ Approved School Committee · May 13, 2026
Fee Subcommittee Scope (Vote)
Approved scope for a subcommittee to analyze potential athletic—and possibly activity—fees, benchmarking other towns; the group will present data only, not recommend whether to impose fees.
💰 Potential future athletic/activity fees; district notes ~$1.5M from school choice and special education
Why this matters: Could lead to new sports/activity fees for families
📋 Proposed Board of Health · May 12, 2026
Opioid Recovery Community Partnership
Meeting focused on opioid recovery community partnership; no additional agenda items or details are listed in the document.
Why this matters: Community opioid recovery initiative — public health impact for residents.
View official document → · from an agenda — check minutes for the final outcome
💬 Discussed Opioid Abatement Fund Pooling — West Boylston & Shrewsbury Board of Health · May 12, 2026
West Boylston and Shrewsbury will pool opioid abatement settlement funds for regional initiatives; kickoff meeting expected this summer.
Why this matters: Regional opioid settlement funds strategy affects Grafton partnerships.
💬 Discussed National Opioid Awareness Day Planning — September 21 Board of Health · May 12, 2026
Early planning underway for a September 21 event; one option is a parent/caregiver webinar with Shrewsbury Youth on opioid prevention.
Why this matters: Parent-focused opioid prevention resource coming this fall.
💬 Discussed Narcan Trainings at Senior Center and Library Board of Health · May 12, 2026
Recent Narcan (naloxone) trainings at the Senior Center (with Officer Spellman) and the Library were well-attended and included kit distribution.
Why this matters: Free Narcan kits and training available to Grafton residents.
💬 Discussed Xylazine ('Tranq') Mixed with Fentanyl — Public Health Alert Board of Health · May 12, 2026
Xylazine, a veterinary sedative mixed into illicit fentanyl, is increasing locally; Narcan does not reverse xylazine's effects, making overdoses more dangerous — committee discussed issuing a public announcement.
Why this matters: Growing local drug threat; Narcan alone insufficient for these overdoses.
✅ Approved GAAP Recovery Grant Proposal — Approved Board of Health · May 12, 2026
Motion by Mary Lauria to accept GAAP Recovery's grant proposal passed unanimously; Dr. Muller and Dr. Chalupka previously expressed support.
Why this matters: Grant funds GAAP's community recovery programs in Grafton.
📋 Proposed Town Meeting Warrant with Explanations and Finance Committee Recommendations Select Board · May 11, 2026
Coming up May 11: the full Town Meeting Warrant, including article explanations and FinCom recommendations, is on the table — the key pre-vote review before Town Meeting.
Why this matters: Town Meeting warrant sets taxes, spending, and bylaws affecting all residents.
View official document → · from an agenda — check minutes for the final outcome
✅ Approved SWP #26-2 – 1 Ridge Road (Tufts University) – Parking Lot Permit Conservation Commission · May 5, 2026
Hearing closed and stormwater permit issued for Tufts' parking lot project, with conditions requiring SWPPP submission, peer-review inspections during construction, O&M Plan implementation, restricted snow storage, and native seed mix approval. Vote 2-0, Chair Brock recused.
📍 1 Ridge Road
Why this matters: Large institutional development near wetland resources.
✅ Approved Conservation Land Usage Authorization – Merriam Road Conservation Area Conservation Commission · May 5, 2026
Approved authorization for an abutter to cut and herbicide-treat invasive bittersweet in upland areas, coordinated with the Weed Warriors program; signage will be posted for public awareness.
📍 Merriam Road Conservation Area
Why this matters: Affects public conservation land accessible to residents.

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How to get involved

📅
Show up and speak
Every meeting above is open to any resident, and most have a public comment period — usually a few minutes per person, no sign-up needed. Showing up matters more than you'd think; most decisions are made in front of nearly empty rooms.
✉️
Write to the board before the meeting
Often more effective than speaking at the meeting itself — board members read constituent email, and a handful of messages on one topic gets noticed. Each board's contact page is linked from its meetings above.
⚖️
Know the appeal windows
Some decisions aren't final right away — zoning board rulings, for example, can be appealed to Superior Court within 20 days. Items with an open appeal window are flagged above with a countdown.
⚠️ These summaries are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always check the original source documents for anything important. This site is not affiliated with the Town of Grafton and is not legal advice.

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