After a lengthy presentation and discussion on reserves, OPEB and growth scenarios, the board voted to adopt amended financial management principles and directed administration to use a combination of limited free-cash support plus targeted cuts to cover a projected $800,000 FY28 shortfall.

Matt Gardner of the Conservation Commission asked the Select Board to press MassDOT for more design work on a Route 9 bridge/interchange project, saying MassDOT's own numbers show an estimated increase in discharge toward Camp Mary Bunker and that a post‑construction monitoring plan is not adequate.

Assistant Town Manager/Director of Finance Ari Skye told the Select Board that FY26 closed slightly above revenue expectations and laid out three five‑year forecast scenarios showing tradeoffs between OPEB funding, capital capacity and bond‑rating risk. The board asked for actuals vs. budgets, peer comparisons and a debt schedule before setting formal guardrails.

After hours of debate about bike lanes, emergency staging, parking and snow storage, the Natick Select Board voted to move the hybrid Main Street concept into 25% design to pursue roughly $11 million in TIP/state funding, while asking staff to address specific mitigation items.

Recreation and Parks Director Lauren Moyer briefed the Select Board on Kohl Center capacity limits, storage and a small gym; staff outlined field overuse (many fields exceed recommended hours), described compaction and wear, and asked to use funds for a feasibility study and a master-plan update to identify additional acreage or weatherproofing options.

Local business owners warned a shift to a split tax classification could raise commercial bills sharply and be passed through to tenants; the Economic Development Committee chair said tax rate is only one factor and urged the Select Board to request comps and data on commercial/residential mixes, transit access and development capacity.

NADIC 180 staff presented a year‑in‑review of opioid‑abatement spending and proposed FY2027 uses focused on prevention, naloxone distribution, harm reduction and recovery supports; the Select Board endorsed the FY2027 plan.

Members described the project as largely TIP-funded (about $11 million) but flagged nonparticipating costs — from utility undergrounding to winter operations — that the town would likely need to cover and which complicate long-term budgeting.

The Natick Select Board spent Aug. 19 reviewing four Main Street design concepts and agreed to collect more data and conditions before deciding whether to advance a concept to 25% design; members emphasized safety, parking data and easement/legal reviews and did not take a construction vote.

Board members emphasized pedestrian and cyclist safety when reviewing Main Street options, citing crash maps that put part of the corridor in the state's top 5% for pedestrian crashes and stressing the need for design features and e-bike regulations to protect seniors and children.

The board voted 5–0 to authorize an intermunicipal agreement with Walpole and about 34 communities to let Walpole negotiate a municipal solid-waste/incinerator contract on Natick's behalf; the IMA does not bind the town to a final contractor.

An extended public hearing on the Main Street improvement project drew dozens of speakers debating four design concepts (from mill-and-overlay to enhanced bike lanes), grant requirements tied to bike facilities, and potential trade-offs for parking, trees, snow removal and emergency vehicle access.