Billerica Select Board Adopts Internal-First Police and Fire Chief Hiring Policy 3-2

Select Board Meeting · Meeting of July 20, 2026

Billerica Select Board voted 3-2 Monday to require internal candidates be considered first for police and fire chief vacancies, brushing aside a town counsel opinion that the policy conflicts with the town charter. Select Board Member Mike Rosa introduced Policy 4.4, which mandates that only after internal candidates are interviewed, or if none exist, may Town Manager Chris Dillon open an external civil service search; Dillon told the board he had already initiated such a process for the retiring Fire Chief Robert Cole's position and expressed reservations about restricting the search. Town Counsel, appearing in person, said the policy is not legally binding on the town manager and that he remains free to run the process as he sees fit.

Members Rosa and Dina Favreau and Chair Mike Riley voted yes; Vice Chair Jillian Pavidis and Secretary Daniel Darris-O'Connor voted no. In a separate 2-3 vote, the board declined to rescind its code of conduct. Favreau, who made the motion, cited a third independent legal opinion, from the firm Harrington Heep, confirming the policy is unenforceable, adding that two prior firms, KP Law and Brooks and DeRensis, had reached the same conclusion. The board also unanimously approved a water and sewer administrative abatement policy, authorized a $1,055,958 sewer rehabilitation bond from the Mass Clean Water Trust, waived a $32,000 conservation fund fee for local restaurant Wicked Good Wings, accepted a $120,000 DCR trails grant for the Yankee Doodle Bike Path, and set fall Town Meeting for October 6, 2026.

In the full story:

• 250th Anniversary Committee Recognition
• Water and Sewer Administrative Abatement Policy, Second Reading
• Host Community Agreement, Community Care Collective
• Policy 4.4, Internal-First Appointment of Police and Fire Chief
• Liquor License Hearings
• Sewer Inflow and Infiltration Rehabilitation Bond
• National Grid Pole Installation, Lexington Road
• Poll Workers, Town Meeting Vacancies, and Election Schedule
• Shawsheen Tech Revised Budget
• Wicked Wings Conservation Fund Fee Waiver
• Sign Bylaw Amendment, Possible Warrant Article
• Yankee Doodle Bike Path Grant
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 4,401 words

Source: the Select Board Meeting meeting of July 20, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.

Correction (Nov. 2, 2026): An earlier version of this story attributed several statements by Select Board member Dina Favreau to other members and misstated two votes. Favreau moved to rescind the board's code of conduct, Member Michael Rosa seconded, and the motion failed 2-3. On Policy 4.4, Chair Michael Riley voted yes and Secretary Daniel Darris-O'Connor voted no. The story also gave Favreau's statements on the abatement policy, Policy 4.4 and the Wicked Wings fee to other members, and misspelled Rosa's name.