Billerica Select Board declines Shawsheen Tech vote, debates license plate cameras

BILLERICA -- February 23, 2026, Billerica Select Board punts Shawsheen Tech feasibility vote and opens license-plate-camera debate during a remote snow-night session. The board declined to act on a warrant article request from Shawsheen Valley Technical School Superintendent Tony McIntosh, who is seeking up to $554,002 from Billerica, part of a $1,498,587 district-wide total, to fund an MSBA feasibility study, with members citing unresolved audit questions involving roughly $986,000 in questioned funds and the absence of a finalized town budget. Secretary Darris-O'Connor introduced a first-reading proposal to remove Flock Safety automated license plate reader cameras from town roads, prompting Police Chief Roy Frost to defend the six-camera network, citing at least 54 documented cases resolved and data purged automatically after 30 days. A motion by Selectwoman Dina Favreau to retain a third-party investigator to examine O'Connor's conduct over a February 9 Planning Board appearance failed 2-3, with Chair Jillian Pavidis, Vice Chair John Burrows and O'Connor voting no. On a motion by Favreau, the board voted 3-2 to authorize the town manager to pursue up to $18.7 million in FY27 state grants ahead of a March 20 deadline.

Correction (Nov. 2, 2026): An earlier version of this story attributed a point by Select Board member Dina Favreau to another member and misstated three votes: the FY27 grants motion passed 3-2, not unanimously; the consent agenda was approved 3-2 as presented; and the motion for an investigation failed 2-3. It also misspelled the names of Chair Jillian Pavidis and other members.