Council expands wetland buffer in 6-5 vote
Attleboro's City Council narrowly expanded its wetland buffer zone and raised water, sewer and trash fees for fiscal 2027. The council voted 6-5 to double the city's wetlands no-disturb buffer from 25 to 50 feet, with Councilors Waterman, Holmes, Reynolds, Tavares and D'Alessio opposed.
City Council · Meeting of June 16, 2026
Attleboro's City Council narrowly expanded its wetland buffer zone and raised water, sewer and trash fees for fiscal 2027. The council voted 6-5 to double the city's wetlands no-disturb buffer from 25 to 50 feet, with Councilors Waterman, Holmes, Reynolds, Tavares and D'Alessio opposed. Councilor Jay D'Alessio called the ordinance "government overreach," warning the rush to pass it in June for a January effective date ignored unresolved questions about the pending state Mass READY Act.
The council separately approved a $387 solid waste fee, an $8.99 water rate and a $13.51 sewer rate, and put $650,000 toward the Wading River PFAS treatment plant. Resident Andrew Kerr used a comprehensive-plan hearing to accuse the city of ignoring ADA access requests and running Capron Park Zoo at a multimillion-dollar deficit. The council also confirmed Stephanie Tracy to the Disability Commission and funded a $35,200 UMass Collins Center contract to launch a charter study committee, 10-1.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 3,635 words
Source: the City Council meeting of June 16, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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