Belmont Town Meeting backs paramedic funding, hybrid-meeting petition

Town Meeting · Meeting of May 6, 2026

Belmont Town Meeting funds a $125,000 paramedic pilot and votes to seek permanent hybrid-meeting authority. Fire Chief David DeStefano told members Belmont has already lost one paramedic this year and six last year amid a statewide shortage, and Select Board Chair Matt Taylor said the town's advanced life support services bring in about $1.2 million annually. After members including Liz Allison and Nicole Dorn pushed for retention guarantees, Article 26 passed 227-7 with three abstentions following a 196-40 vote to end debate.

Separately, former Town Moderator Michael Crowley won 244-6 approval of Article 15, directing the Select Board to seek permanent state authority for hybrid and remote meetings before temporary pandemic-era rules expire in June 2027; Town Clerk Ellen O'Brien Cushman said 61 percent of members joined Monday's session by Zoom. Members also approved $65,000 for Beaver Brook invasive-species removal and $35,000 for the Brendan Grant flagpole grounds project.

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Source: the Town Meeting meeting of May 6, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.