Wellesley Select Board cuts back fee increase, sets May 11 vote on 40 Oakland Street

WELLESLEY -- May 5, 2026, Wellesley Select Board scales back fee hike and previews Special Town Meeting on state housing plan. The board voted 5-0 to raise the demand fee on overdue tax bills from $5 to $10, half the originally proposed increase, and to keep the standard Municipal Lien Certificate fee at $25 while adding a $50 rush fee, effective May 18. Treasurer/Collector Maura O'Connor said the demand-fee bump would generate roughly $35,000 a year against more than 4,300 annual demand bills. The board also backed a July 1 Catch Connect pilot eliminating Needham and Waban T stops after Transportation Manager Sheila Page reported 19,000-plus rides over six months. Resident Sally Watts urged negotiation over litigation on 40 Oakland Street, asking "why pay for something that we can get for free," while Doug Youngen of Friends of Centennial pressed for consultant renderings before Monday's Special Town Meeting at Wellesley High School.