Belmont Town Meeting approves $1.3 million for Community Path land

Town Meeting · Meeting of June 8, 2026

Belmont Town Meeting approves $1.3 million for Community Path land and a $60,000 sewer takeover. Select Board Chair Matt Taylor told members the community path right-of-way estimate jumped from $200,000 to $1.3 million hours before the meeting, warning the town risked losing roughly $48 million in state construction funding without it; Town Meeting approved it 212-24 after voting 204-33 to end debate. Former town moderator Mike Widmer, part of town government for close to half a century, said that among last-minute shocks it "may well be the number one of all time."

Separately, Town Meeting voted 168-23 to authorize eminent domain over a private Concord Avenue sewer system tied to a roughly $50,000 unpaid town judgment, then voted 174-24, counting two emergency yes votes, to appropriate $60,000 in just compensation, over the objection of the owner's attorney, Michael Magarrer, who called the town's characterization of the system "disingenuous."

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 3,286 words

Source: the Town Meeting meeting of June 8, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Correction (Nov. 3, 2026): An earlier version of this story altered a quote from Mike Widmer, misspelled the name of Precinct 5 member Thomasine Olson, gave the Community Path right-of-way deadline as early August rather than the end of July, and said Brian Curtis received the Beagle award; Bob McLaughlin received it. It also placed McLaughlin's appraisal remark in the sewer debate rather than the Community Path debate, and misstated several other remarks and details, which are now corrected.