Douglas Board of Selectmen approves military leave MOU, $20,000 grant, holiday licenses

DOUGLAS -- November 4, 2025, Douglas Board of Selectmen votes unanimously on military leave, holiday licenses, and a $20,000 state grant at November 4 meeting. The board approved a fire union contract amendment allowing a National Guard member's military training time that coincides with scheduled shifts to count as hours worked for overtime purposes, a change Deputy Chief Manning said "management supports" given the member's role as a flight critical care paramedic. The board also approved a one-day liquor license for St. Dennis Church's November 15 pasta dinner and a one-day entertainment license for the Douglas Common Preservation Society's November 29 Holiday Lights Celebration on the town common, which will feature a school bus shuttle from the Highway Department lot, a 5:15 p.m. Santa arrival by fire truck, and microphone-amplified carolers from 6 to 7 p.m. Town Administrator Matt Wojcik said 608 Douglas residents, about 7 percent of the population, are enrolled in SNAP and that courts have ordered release of federally withheld benefits, while separately projecting the BBT regional school lottery could reduce Douglas's assessment pressure by fiscal 2029 but warned of a budget gap requiring a financial bridge through fiscal 2028 that could involve joining a regional service consortium worth close to half a million dollars annually.