North Reading Select Board approves liquor license, water ban, and purchasing policy in busy session

NORTH READING — May 18, 2026 — North Reading Select Board approves liquor license, Level 2 drought restriction, and new sustainability policy at May 18 meeting. The three-member quorum — Chair Michael Wanner, Clerk Charles Tyler, and Vice Chair Joseph O'Leary — voted 4-0 to approve an all-alcoholic beverages license for Santa Fe Burrito Grill at 109 Main Street, with manager of record Carlos Andres Ocampo. The board voted 3-1, with member Paul Massey opposed, to ban all non-essential outdoor watering effective immediately under a state-issued Level 2 drought declaration, and also designated the Director of Public Works to adjust restrictions without a full board vote as conditions change. Finance Director Laurie Galvin reported Moody's upgraded the town's bond rating from Aa2 to Aa1, generating an estimated $45,000 in savings on the town's $5.61 million general obligation bond issuance, which sold at rates between 3.2 and 3.35 percent against a pre-sale forecast of roughly 4.25 percent. The board voted 3-1, again with Massey opposed, to adopt a new Sustainable Purchasing Policy replacing the former Buy Recycled policy, a move required by June 1 to remain eligible for state DEP grant funding.