Stoneham Select Board Approves Two Liquor Licenses, Narrows Override to $12-14 Million Range

STONEHAM — January 21, 2025 — Stoneham Select Board cleared two Main Street restaurant liquor licenses and heard debt and tax exemption briefings as override planning accelerated at its January 21 meeting. The board unanimously approved a seating-regulation waiver for Kin Thai at 418 Main Street — which has 20 seats rather than the required 35 — and a new all-alcohol on-premises license for Pignone's Cafe at 319 Main Street, both on 4-0 roll-call votes. Town Treasurer Paulette Gary disclosed that a $20 million high school borrowing taken in August 2024 will add an estimated $141 to the average single-family tax bill starting in fiscal year 2026, on top of roughly $6.2 million per year already being paid on the original $135 million high school issuance. Town Assessor Cheryl Kozlowski briefed the board on the new HERO Act's Clause 22J veteran exemption and a parallel senior exemption that together could cost the town's overlay account up to $130,000 if a Proposition 2½ override also passes. On the override itself, board members expressed informal consensus around a three-year ask in the $12 million to $14 million range — narrowing from six earlier scenarios — with resident Ryan Foreman of 12 Windsor Road urging the board to pair any dollar figure with a specific department-by-department spending list; the first public engagement session is set for January 28 at 6 p.m. at Town Hall.