Select Board recap: June 10, 2025

Jun 18

(6-7minute read)

For residents looking to stay up to date on key town matters, this recap highlights the major takeaways from the Select Board meeting held on Tuesday, June 10, 2025.

Watch the full meeting here on RCTV’s Youtube page.

Key takeaways

Acadia Avenue parking issues discussed
Deputy Police Chief Christine Amendola outlined persistent parking issues caused by Austin Prep student drivers in the Barrows Elementary School neighborhood. Residents shared serious safety concerns and endorsed the idea of a resident-only parking placard system during the school year.
Water and sewer rates held steady
The Board voted to keep water and sewer rates flat with a 0% increase for FY26. While briefly considering a 1% sewer rate reduction, the Board ultimately chose to maintain reserves to prepare for potential infrastructure failures.
RCTV grant agreement extended for 3 months
Following heated debate, the Board voted 4-0 to extend RCTV’s grant agreement for 3 months to continue negotiations. Residents strongly supported RCTV and expressed concern about the Board’s handling of the issue. Multiple residents also raised concerns about Chair Chris Haley’s potential personal conflict given his ownership of RCTV’s competitor, The Reading Recap.

Juneteenth Resolution [0:17]

The Select Board read and unanimously approved the Juneteenth Resolution. Resident Angela Binda praised the Board’s support and noted the respectful tone compared to the June 3 meeting, where the Pride Month Resolution was interrupted.

Acadia Avenue parking issues [0:22]

Deputy Christine Amendola detailed the severe parking issues caused by Austin Prep students near Barrows Elementary School. Key points included:

Austin Prep plans to add 94 new parking spaces, potentially by Spring 2026.
The school still anticipated a parking shortfall of 37 spaces.
Serious safety issues were reported, including blocked crosswalks, drag racing, and unsafe U-turns.
Two parking solutions were discussed:

A resident-only permit parking system with placards during the school year.
A time-restricted parking ban from 6:30 am - 3:00 pm on school days, which would impact residents, guests, and Barrows staff.

Residents shared emotional stories about daily confrontations with Austin Prep students and fears for their children’s safety. There was strong neighborhood support for the permit parking system as the most enforceable and least disruptive option.

Public hearing: FY26 water and sewer rates [1:26]

Consultants and the Department of Public Works presented updated financial projections and meter installation data. After considerable discussion:

The Board voted for a 0% rate increase for both water and sewer for FY26.
The Board considered a sewer rate reduction but opted to maintain reserves in case of emergency infrastructure repairs.
Board member Karen Rose-Gillis proposed creating a Water and Sewer Committee to study the issue long-term.

RCTV grant agreement [2:48]

The debate over the RCTV grant agreement dominated the meeting, continuing tensions from the May 27 discussion.

Chief Information Officer Kevin Furilla presented historical memos and concerns over equipment security at town facilities. Chair Chris Haley showed a video he personally recorded of his television at home, which displayed footage of the Select Board meeting room after a meeting had ended. The footage shows a cleaning staff member working in the room while the video feed was actively broadcasting on RCTV’s public channel. Mr. Haley emphasized that no “on-air” indicator light was visible in the footage, raising concerns about the possibility of the room being recorded without proper notification or consent. His concern was that the equipment was bypassing the intended shutdown process, potentially leaving microphones or cameras active outside of public sessions.

Board members were divided:

Vice Chair Melissa Murphy advocated for a leadership change at RCTV and suggested a 3-month extension.
Karen Rose-Gillis argued RCTV is vital to the community, and the issue Mr. Haley raised does not warrant leadership changes.
Karen Herrick supported a 6-month extension and emphasized the need to improve policies and accountability on both sides.
Carlo Bacci insisted on leadership changes as a condition for any further agreement.

The Reading Observer fact check: The Select Board does not have legal authority over hiring decisions at RCTV. From the meeting, it is unclear why Select Board members Haley, Murphy, and Bacci are attempting to intervene in RCTV staffing decisions when those decisions are legally under the authority of the RCTV Board of Directors.

Residents spoke overwhelmingly in favor of RCTV, many criticizing the Board’s conduct:

Several residents questioned Mr. Haley’s potential personal conflict, and called for his recusal given that he owns and operates The Reading Recap, a direct competitor to news and video coverage provided by RCTV and The Reading Post.
Multiple residents pointed out that Mr. Haley had presented the video without fully understanding the technical circumstances or verifying if the situation posed a real privacy threat.
One resident asked why the Board did not seek assistance or clarification for this and other concerns from the RCTV Board instead of using it as a strong-arm tactic during a standard contract renewal.

The Board ultimately voted 4-0 to approve a 3-month extension of the grant agreement to allow continued negotiations. Ms. Murphy was appointed as lead negotiator over Ms. Herrick’s objections regarding impartiality.

Other agenda items

Due to time constraints, the Board did not cover:

Liaison Reports
Future Agendas
Approval of Meeting Minutes
Executive Session regarding public employee health insurance agreements

This meeting demonstrated the ongoing complexity of balancing resident concerns, town operations, and community partnerships. Stay tuned to The Reading Observer for continued updates on these discussions.