Auburn brief: Sunday, September 20, 2026
Auburn schools close a two-year state compliance review and finalize immigration enforcement guidance for principals
Auburn schools close a two-year state compliance review and finalize immigration enforcement guidance for principals.
From Auburn News
- Auburn records 10 property transfers in latest filing. Auburn logged 10 property transfers in the latest roundup, with August sale prices still awaiting filing at the registry of deeds.Auburn News
- School Committee closes DESE review, finalizes immigration guidance. The state confirmed Auburn met all criteria in a two-year compliance review, and new Superintendent Dr. Scazza said immigration-enforcement guidelines built under the state's PROTECT Act have been reviewed with every principal.Auburn News
- Fire station panel approves $264,946 change order. The Fire Station Building Committee approved $264,946 in site-work change orders and is weighing a roughly $450,000 fix after design cuts left the mechanic's bay too narrow to lift the ladder truck.Auburn News
- Select Board won't reopen warrant over fire engine damage. The Select Board declined to reopen the town meeting warrant after the fire chief said a fire-damaged engine appears repairable and mostly covered by insurance. The board also approved a Hyundai dealership ownership change on Southbridge Street.Auburn News
- Board of Health continues tobacco hearing to October 5. The Board of Health voted 3-0 to continue a permit revocation hearing against a Southbridge Street tobacco retailer and closed out a Dunkin's grease tank matter after the company scaled back its renovation plans.Auburn News
- Planning Board backs one-year data center moratorium. The Planning Board recommended a temporary moratorium on data centers over an outright ban, and approved a scaled-back 75,200-square-foot warehouse project on Washington Street.Auburn News
- Conservation board delays Dunkin' drive-thru decision to Sept. 23. The Conservation Commission continued a hearing on a proposed Dunkin' drive-thru at a former gas station site on Washington Street after the vice chair said he wasn't ready to decide without the chairman present.Auburn News
- Library trustees adopt new programming, use policies. Trustees voted 6-0 five times, adopting a new programming policy and an appeals process for use-ban disputes, while the director cited a new state law shielding librarians from legal threats over book challenges.Auburn News
- School Committee fast-tracks immigration enforcement policy. At incoming Superintendent Dr. Scazza's first meeting, the School Committee bypassed its usual review process to adopt Policy ACL, barring civil immigration enforcement from school property without a judicial warrant.Auburn News
- Conservation board approves golf simulator, sidewalk projects. The board approved an amended site plan for a golf simulator at 615 Southbridge Street and cleared a Bryn Mawr Avenue sidewalk and drainage project, while pressing the DPW for a full list of its road projects.Auburn News
- Sewer board previews $269,000 in fall meeting requests. Sewer Commissioners previewed requests for a new sewer truck and a Pinrock pump station replacement, both to be funded from sewer retained earnings ahead of the Special Town Meeting.Auburn News
- Economic panel previews new business permitting guide. The Economic Development Committee reviewed a draft business permitting guide due by late September and learned the Planning Board is weighing a data center ban versus moratorium ahead of a Sept. 8 hearing.Auburn News
- Select Board sends fall warrant to counsel, hears camera questions. A resident pressed officials on whether the town's Flock Safety license plate camera contract required town meeting approval, as the board advanced its draft fall warrant and heard the Water Street culvert won't be rebuilt before 2028.Auburn News
- Conservation board orders outside review of road erosion. The board voted to hire a consultant to assess wetland damage after a contractor skipped required erosion filings while rebuilding South and Church streets, with any fines to wait for that report.Auburn News
- Fire station panel approves $1.26 million in payments. The Fire Station Building Committee approved $1.26 million in contractor payments as footings near completion, while the chief pursues a cheaper GPS-based traffic system to avoid a costly MassDOT intersection overhaul.Auburn News
- Planning Board revisits stalled Dunkin', parking hearings. The Planning Board is set to resume hearings on a proposed Dunkin' Donuts and a retroactive parking expansion on Washington Street, both continued amid unresolved traffic and wetland-buffer questions.Auburn News