Dighton Select Board tables highway hire, gets sobering debt-exclusion fiscal warning

Select Board · Meeting of January 28, 2026

Dighton Select Board tables highway job posting, hears debt-exclusion warning and library gains. Meeting January 28, the board voted unanimously to table a Class 1 Operator job description for Highway Superintendent Tom's department after Select Board member Mark Pacheco raised concerns that the union had not reviewed the document, resumes were directed to the department head rather than to human resources as required by the town's 2020 hiring policy, and required ADA and EEO language was absent, with Tom noting three trucks over 30 years old and a single mechanic servicing 76 town vehicles. Town Administrator Ralph presented a preliminary FY27 budget showing a $501,611 levy deficit without a spring debt-exclusion vote, with $823,000 of $836,000 in projected annual levy growth already consumed by Bristol Plymouth and Bristol County Agricultural high school construction obligations; the average annual homeowner tax impact if the exclusion passes would be $263.24.

Library Director Mark reported a 28.81 percent improvement in return on investment from the new library building over the prior year's trailer, with young adult circulation up 65.92 percent and overall visitation up 37.24 percent. The board also unanimously appointed attorney Kenneth Burdette to the Open Space Committee and approved warrants totaling more than $1.7 million.

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Source: the Select Board meeting of January 28, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.