Lexington Select Board votes to move legal notices from print to town website

LEXINGTON — March 10, 2025 — Lexington Select Board unanimously approved shifting legal notice publication from print to the town's website, effective March 31. The five-member board, chaired by Doug Lucente, voted five to zero at its March 10 meeting to designate lexingtonma.gov as the primary venue for all legally mandated public hearing notices, with the Lexington Minuteman, Lex Media, and the Lexington Observer retained as optional secondary outlets — a change made possible by a state law, House Bill 4560, that took effect in January 2025. In a separate action, the board unanimously endorsed a joint civility statement co-signed by MBTA zoning compromise proponents Dawn McKenna and Carol Sassardet and the Planning Board, as the town heads toward a Special Town Meeting vote on March 17 on a revised zoning article that reduces the district's theoretical housing capacity from roughly 12,546 units to an estimated range above 7,000. Three board members stated they are a yes on the zoning article; Lucente and Mark Sandeen are waiting for input from the Center Committee and the Affordable Housing Trust. The board also received but did not vote on a presentation regarding disposal of 116 Vine Street for affordable housing development, with Lucente stating he remains "not comfortable" moving forward without clearer details on the project scope, neighbor outreach, and financing.