Top credit rating continues

Standard & Poor's, a major bond-rating service, has given Needham its highest credit rating, according to David Davison, assistant town manager and director of finance. The coveted AAA rating will translate into lower interest rates for the town's municipal bonds, which means the town won't pay as much to borrow money, he said. Needham has received AAA ratings since 2000 because the town has been able to manage its budgeting process in a way that keeps plenty of cash reserves on hand, according to Davison. -Laura Colarusso

ASSESSMENTS DOWN, TAXES UP - Homeowners will pay more this year in taxes, despite a $10,500 drop in the average assessed value of a home, but the City Council has moved to partially offset the increase by using free cash from the city's treasury. The average assessed value of a Waltham home went from $419,600 in 2006 to $409,100 this year. On Monday, the council approved a residential tax rate of $10.55 per $1,000 of assessed value and a commercial rate of $23.21 per $1,000 of assessed value for the current fiscal year. After accounting for Waltham's 20 percent residential tax exemption (designed to shift more of the tax burden to commercial and multifamily housing owners), the owner of a home with the average assessed value will pay $3,381.20, a $108 increase over last year's bill. Board of Assessors chairman Joseph R. Goode said the increase would be $50 more if the city was not transferring $1.6 million from its surplus reserves to the operating budget. - Stephanie V. Siek

COOLIDGE TO HOUSE APARTMENTS - The Town Council has approved a 50-year lease with developer Bart J. Mitchell for his project converting the former Coolidge School into age-restricted apartments. The 6-2 vote Tuesday allows his company, Mitchell Properties LLC, to move ahead with plans to turn the long-vacant building in Watertown's East End into 38 rental units for tenants 55 and older. Fifteen of the units will be set aside as affordable housing. Councilor Angeline Kounelis voted against the lease, saying the deal is too optimistic financially and could end up costing the town if Mitchell isn't able to rent out most of the units at his projected rates. Council president Clyde L. Younger also opposed it, calling it a "sweetheart deal" that didn't favor the town, while Councilor Marilyn Petitto Devaney abstained. The council turned down a proposal by Mitchell to allow him to rent 20 percent of the market-rate units temporarily to people younger than 55 if he wasn't able to fill the apartments. The council also rejected a plan to charge residents a fee for using the building's community room. Mitchell told the council that the building will undergo a yearlong, $10 million renovation before opening. - Christina Pazzanese

REPORT CARD FOR TOWN MANAGER - The Town Council plans to hand out its annual report card for the town manager by year's end, before the current council disbands. Council president Clyde L. Younger said once he receives completed evaluation forms, which were due Friday from each councilor, he'll assemble a composite report and meet privately with Town Manager Michael Driscoll to discuss the scores. Younger said he'll bring the topic before the full council as early as its Dec. 11 meeting to talk about Driscoll's overall performance and whether the council feels he deserves a raise. Younger said it's important the evaluation process is completed before the new City Council, which includes two members elected last month, takes office early next month. This will be the first evaluation for Driscoll since the council gave him a three-year contract this fall. - Christina Pazzanese

DELAY ON THE FIELD - A special task force charged with finding a way to remedy the contamination on a section of the playing fields next to Sprague Elementary has postponed its public hearing scheduled for this week. Selectman Greg Mills told the Board of Selectmen on Monday that the task force has decided to give more attention to the conceptual plans it has received before presenting them to the public. Mills said the task force also wants to visit a number of recently renovated recreation fields in town as well as a newly installed synthetic field at Weston High School. The state has given Wellesley until June 2009 to clean up the field, where debris from its previous incarnation as a dump has been emerging. Mills said the public hearing slated for Thursday will take place after the first of the year. - Lisa Keen

REGISTER TO RUN - The deadline is fast approaching for candidates for local government seats to register with the town clerk and begin circulating petitions to get their names on the March 4 ballot. The annual election will have two selectmen seats and two School Committee seats up for renewal, as well as 12 seats on nine other town boards, including the Planning Board, Recreation Commission, and Board of Library Trustees. Candidates for the elected positions must pick up their nomination papers by Tuesday, and return them by Jan. 14. For more information on running for office, consult the town clerk's page on the municipal website, wellesleyma.gov. - Lisa Keen

PROMOTION TO TOP SPOT - It's official: Cheryl Maloney, the Weston school system's assistant superintendent, will take the helm as its superintendent July 1. The School Committee unanimously voted to appoint her to succeed Superintendent Alan Oliff, who will retire June 30. School Committee chairwoman Maryanne Rogers said Weston is fortunate to have Maloney working for the district. "She is a proven leader who is inclusive of all viewpoints and a real consensus builder," said Rogers. Maloney has worked for the district since 1985, starting as a history teacher and working her way through the ranks, and has been its assistant superintendent for five years. - Stephanie V. Siek

AROUND THE REGION

RETIREES MUST CHOOSE MEDICARE - Retired town employees who are older than 65 will now have to switch to Medicare, which they can supplement with a senior health plan through the town. This is a switch from previous policy that allowed retirees to stay on "active" insurance plans. Residents approved the change by a 65-22 vote at Monday's Special Town Meeting, after a lengthy discussion in which some retirees said they hadn't been given enough time to make an informed decision. Selectmen and Town Manager John Petrin explained that the switch will provide roughly $30,000 in savings in the first year, and about $8 million over the next 30 years. The state adopted a law in 1991 allowing municipalities to enact this requirement, but Ashland had kept its old system. Seniors will still have "comparable" coverage, which means coverage within 10 percent of what they have been receiving, Petrin said. He added that of the town's 120 retirees, about two-thirds have already chosen to use Medicare. The other third will now be required to do so. - Alexandra Perloe

MOTORCYCLE MINISTERS - Members of the Glory Riders, Franklin's chapter of the Christian Motorcyclists Association, are continuing to meet through the winter and hope to expand their ranks. The group is a "motorcycle ministry," said John Rainone, the chapter's vice president. The Glory Riders reach out to the motorcycling community, which includes "some people who are on the fringes of what most people would consider the norm," Rainone said. For more information about the Franklin group, call Rainone at 508-353-3010 or e-mail GloryRiders@cfaith.com. - Alexandra Perloe

COMMUNITY BOOK CHOSEN - The Friends of the Holliston Public Library has chosen "Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919" as the group's selection for next year's "One Book, One Holliston" community reading program. Copies of the book will be available at the library later this month, and author Stephen Puleo will speak at the library Feb. 4. - Calvin Hennick

SYMPHONY LOOKING FOR YOUNG ARTISTS - The Metrowest Symphony Orchestra will hold auditions for its annual Young Artist Competition on Dec. 15 beginning at 9:30 a.m. at M. Steinert & Sons Piano, 1 Gold Star Blvd. in Worcester. The symphony, headquartered in Hopkinton, is looking for a student musician for its annual family concert in February. Interested students should submit a letter of recommendation from a music instructor along with an application, which can be downloaded at the symphony's website, metrowestsymphony.org. In addition, contestants must submit a non-refundable application fee of $20. Send application materials to Metrowest Symphony Orchestra, PO Box 260, Hopkinton, MA 01748, Attn: Katie Tibitts. For further information, e-mail Tibitts at katieobo@aol.com, or call the symphony's offices at 508-791-8898. - David Cogger

BREAK-IN SUSPECT ARRESTED - Police arrested a car break-in suspect Tuesday after a tip from Concord police that a man driving a white Cadillac had reportedly been seen breaking into a car. Based on the alert, Lincoln police, assisted by Concord and Bedford officers, arrested Brad Ouellette, 26, of Malden. Ouellette was charged with breaking and entering into a motor vehicle, larceny, possession of burglary tools, and malicious destruction of property. He also was charged with carrying a dangerous weapon, based on a set of brass knuckles allegedly found in his car, police said. Officers also reported recovering a portable global-positioning unit and a lead pipe from the car, Concord Police Lieutenant Barry Neal said. - John M. Guilfoil

WARNING ON E-MAILS - The city is warning residents to be wary of fake e-mails that appear to be official messages from Marlborough regarding their taxes. Mayor Nancy Stevens forwarded to Globe West an e-mail that she received from a resident containing the subject line "City of Marlborough Income Tax Memo." The body of the e-mail offers services related to settling with the Internal Revenue Service on back taxes. The city is reminding residents that official correspondence from the city is sent only through the US Postal Service. - Lisa Kocian

PLOWING RATES LIFTED - The Highway Department will be raising its snowplowing rates for private contractors this winter in order to stay competitive with area communities. The rate increases were approved by selectmen Nov. 20. Highway Department head Gary Kellaher said he requested bids from contractors under the old rates in September, and received no responses. Rates vary according to the equipment being used but the increase will raise the rate for a 10,000-pound 4x4 truck from $51 an hour to $56 an hour. The old rates have been in effect for four years, Kellaher said. He said Ashland, Natick, and Dover pay $58 an hour for comparable equipment. - Nadia Salomon

ARTISTS TO MEET, EAT - The Artist Guild of Shrewsbury is holding its monthly meeting tomorrow at 7 p.m., at Southgate at Shrewsbury, at 30 Julio Drive. Unlike most meetings, tomorrow's gathering will be a holiday potluck meal, where members are also encouraged to bring a piece of artwork for an informal critique, according to organizer Shari Fox. Normally the meetings, held the first Monday of every month, feature a guest artist who shows their work and holds a demonstration or workshop. The community arts group is open to all ages and includes hobbyists and professional artists. Members pay annual dues of $25, or $15 for students. Programs are open to the public with a requested donation of $5 to $10. - Lisa Kocian

HIGH SCHOOL CONCERTS - Westborough High School will present a series of concerts this month that will highlight several of its student performing groups. A jazz ensemble and an a cappella group will perform on Tuesday; string and wind ensembles will perform on Dec. 17; and the high school choir and orchestra will perform Handel's "Messiah" on Dec. 20. Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. performances at the high school cost $5. For more information, contact David Jost at 508-836-7716. - John Dyer

TOWN NEEDS DPW DIRECTOR - Town Administrator Jack McFeeley said he hopes to find a replacement for outgoing Department of Public Works director Robert Reardon by February. Reardon is leaving next month to take a job in Florida. Selectmen will likely choose a replacement themselves, rather than appoint a committee, McFeeley said. - Calvin Hennick