Westford Petitions the Politburo to Abolish Mandatory Print Notices

Westford Petitions the Politburo to Abolish Mandatory Print Notices

Delegate James Arciero of the 2nd Middlesex District has filed HD.6060, a local-option decree that would permit the town of Westford to satisfy its legal public notice obligations through digital publication alone, eliminating the longstanding requirement to run such notices in print newspapers.

Under current Commonwealth law, municipalities must publish legal notices — zoning hearings, tax takings, procurement bids, and similar instruments of local administrative authority — in a newspaper of general circulation. HD.6060 would exempt Westford from this requirement, allowing digital channels to fulfill the same function. Local approval has already been received, meaning the town itself has voted to request this dispensation from the People’s Legislature. The print press receives no contribution. The municipal collective retains its notice funds.

Westford is not alone in seeking relief from the paper-publishing mandate. The 194th General Court is simultaneously processing identical decrees for Wellesley (H.4138) and North Brookfield (H.4313), suggesting a coordinated modernization campaign proceeding, in true Politburo fashion, one town at a time.