Select Board Authorizes Court Action on Water Scofflaws

Select Board · Meeting of September 15, 2026

Chatham's Select Board voted 4-0 to authorize Town Counsel to pursue Superior Court injunctions against property owners who ignored fines for illegal irrigation hookups. DPW Director Rob Fahey said five owners were fined $1,500 weekly for lacking separate irrigation meters; three complied, but one case ended when a district court judge dismissed charges after a $50 payment on fines that had reached roughly $90,000. Town Counsel Jay Tellerman called district-court results "uneven" and recommended Superior Court relief instead.

Separately, the board learned the town's IT director, not the town manager, had already signed a contract to replace its MyTownGovernment.org meeting software with Civic Plus, at $5,300 annually plus possible added licensing. Member Stuart Smith objected, saying "process has been eroded," and the board voted to invite MyTownGovernment's owner to a future meeting before any final decision.

In the full story:

• Minutes and Opening Business
• Public Announcements and Agenda Requests
• Public Hearing: Chatham Wayside Inn Liquor License
• Water Enforcement and the PFAS Report
• Business Agenda: Licenses and Property Uses
• Chase Park Flagpole Garden Donation
• Yankee Ingenuity Town Property License
• Center for Active Living Construction Update
• Agenda Management Software: Civic Plus Demonstration
• Community Survey Review
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 3,180 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of September 15, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.