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.