Wakefield Town Council Notes -- January 12, 2026

Here's what we covered at our Town Council meeting on Monday, January 12:

• We postponed a hearing for a new beer and wine license for Salem Variety at 222 Salem Street. The hearing will take place at our January 26th Town Council meeting.

• The Town Council reviewed and made some administrative updates to our Kiosk Policy. The policy covers the materials that are displayed at the four outdoor kiosks downtown and around Lake Quannapowitt, as well as the digital displays at Town Hall, the Americal Civic Center, and the Senior Center.

• The Council discussed the installation of signage related to dog leashing and waste clean-up at several Town parks and playgrounds. The signs are being installed in response to increasing reports of dog waste and damage from digging at various parks, including Sullivan Park and Moulton Park.

• Town Administrator Denise Casey and her staff provided an update on the spending of the $8 million in federal funds that Wakefield received as part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Major initiatives funded included sidewalk installations, tree replacements, renovations to the Senior Center, installation of solar panels at Galvin Middle School, the Wakefield Rental Assistance Program, and various economic development initiatives. We expect that all of the funding will be spent by the December 31, 2026 deadline required by federal law, including the installation of a planned public restroom at Veterans Field this summer.

• We discussed the Massachusetts Municipal Association's "Navigating the Storm" report, which lays out a set of policy recommendations that the state legislature should consider to better support the Commonwealth's cities and towns. Most significantly, the report proposes that the state increase unrestricted aid to cities and towns by $351 million in Fiscal Year 2027, which would help offset the inflation-adjusted decline in state aid that we have experienced since the 2008 financial crisis. For Wakefield, this would mean a local aid increase of approximately $1 million. We will invite our legislative delegation to an upcoming meeting to advocate for this recommendation.

• The Town Council approved a one-day liquor license for a fundraiser at the Americal Civic Center on January 30, appointed Anna Rao and Mark Iafrate to the Affordable Housing Trust, and appointed Alfred Rosenthal and Robert McGuire to the Economic Development Council. We also voted to disband the Housing Production Plan Advisory Committee now that Wakefield's Housing Production Plan has been completed and approved by the state.

• Police Chief Steve Skory provided an update on the search for a missing Wakefield man, Jason Thomas. My thoughts are with Mr. Thomas' loved ones as we all pray for his safe return. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call the Wakefield Police Department.

Our next meeting will be on Monday, January 26 at 7:00 PM, during which we will begin reviewing
proposed budgets for Fiscal Year 2027. As always, residents are invited to join us on Zoom or in-studio at Wakefield Community Access Television.