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New from CommonWealth Beacon COMPLIANCE VOTE: At a special Town Meeting, Milton voters decided to pass a rezoning plan that would comply with the controversial MBTA Communities housing law. Jennifer Smith has the details. CANNABIS CHANGES: The Cannabis Control Commission is aiming to release final social consumption regulations by October of this year – later than the “mid-2025” goal that the agency had previously indicated. Bhaamati Borkhetaria has more. OPINION: Garth Griffin, a descendant of abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison who sits on the board of directors of the Museum of African American History, expresses outrage that the federal government is terminating Institute of Museum and Library Services grants, an essential source of funding for arts and educational institutions that preserve and elevate historical connections. OPINION: Colette Phillips outlines why we shouldn’t give up on civility in our public discourse, despite the polarized times we live in.

MBTA Communities fight lingers in courts, on Beacon Hill June 20, 2025 By Jennifer Smith With several towns opting this week to finally get into compliance with the MBTA Communities housing law, some municipalities who claim the law asks too much of them are still looking to the courts and the Legislature for relief. Milton and Duxbury voters at special town meetings approved zoning that would meet the requirements of the housing law that requires cities and towns served by the MBTA system to rezone to make it easier to build multi-family housing. Ipswich special Town Meeting voters rejected a citizen’s petition to overturn the town’s compliant zoning plan.   Before 69 percent of Milton voters decided to adopt new zoning, state Rep. Richard Wells, of Milton, told Town Meeting that it’s time now for elected officials and the courts to consider the matter.  There are no less than 40 bills on Beacon Hill right now addressing MBTA Communities from a multitude of perspectives, Wells said. It’s likely, he said, that “either judicially or legislatively, there will be changes to MBTA Communities going forward.”

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Superior Court Justice Mark Gildea, who is overseeing many of the suits challenging MBTA Communities regulations, dispensed with a core argument and a bundle of nine complaints in early June. Despite a determination from the state auditor’s office that the housing law was an “unfunded mandate” – imposing direct costs on cities and towns without including a proper funding mechanism – Gildea found that the supposed costs were too speculative and noted that there are fundings sources available from the state to help reduce the burden of increasing housing supply.  Gildea is currently considering a lawsuit brought by 16 Milton taxpayers challenging the town’s classification as a “rapid transit community.” The group of residents argue that the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities incorrectly tethered the town’s transit status, and therefore its rezoning requirements, to the quaint single-car Mattapan High-Speed Trolley rather than the more distant commuter rail and MBTA subway stations.  READ MORE

More from CommonWealth Beacon TARIFF SOLIDARITY: Five northeast US governors and six Canadian premiers and ministers grappling with tariffs have pledged to work together. Gintautas Dumcius has more. OPINION: When the MBTA moves to electrify its buses, the agency should make its bus garages into “energy hubs” that could power the grid, argues Seth Kaplan, an energy policy consultant who formerly worked at the Conservation Law Foundation.

What We're Reading HEALTH: US Sen. Ed Markey wants to know where Verizon’s old lead-sheathed telephone cables are and what the legacy phone company is doing to protect its workers and the public. (MassLive – paywall)  MUNICIPAL MATTERS: In a repeat of last year’s outcome, the Northampton City Council on Wednesday failed to approve Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra’s budget for next fiscal year, owing in large part to the council president’s legal inability to cast the deciding vote. (Daily Hampshire Gazette – paywall)  MEDIA: Through a new partnership, The Boston Globe would be compensated by an AI search engine that uses licensed content to answer user questions. (Boston Business Journal – paywall)  EDUCATION: The Worcester Public Schools will expand its driver's education program to reach more students who otherwise would struggle to get their driver's licenses. (Worcester Telegram – paywall)  MUNICIPAL MATTERS: The Attleboro City Council approved a $193 million fiscal 2026 operating budget, an increase of $6.3 million, or 3.4 percent, over the fiscal 2025 figure. Of that, $113 million is for schools. (The Sun Chronicle – paywall)

The Codcast: Doug Howgate discusses key takeaways of the Massachusetts 2026 state budget Senior Reporter Jennifer Smith talks to Doug Howgate, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, about the Fiscal Year 2026 state budget. They break down differences between the House and Senate plans, discuss why some parts of the process always happen behind closed doors, and consider the future of the wealth surcharge split between education and transportation. LISTEN NOW

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