West Newbury Select Board Bans Anticoagulant Rodenticides on Town Property

WEST NEWBURY -- April 30, 2026, West Newbury Select Board adopts anticoagulant rodenticide ban and clears nine other votes in wide-ranging session. The board, consisting of Chair Wendy Reed and members Barry Fogel and Christopher Wile, unanimously passed a new policy prohibiting anticoagulant rodenticides on all town-owned property, with an emergency 14-day waiver provision for extreme circumstances. The board also authorized a one-year ChargePoint EV charging station support plan at approximately $6,280 from the town's EV revolving fund, with Wile noting a concern that "the town is subsidizing these charging stations" because electricity costs of roughly 26 cents per kilowatt hour approach the 35-cent user rate. Outgoing Town Manager Angus was authorized to take up to 15 vacation days before a July 31 departure, following which he stated he would submit a formal resignation letter. Three members, Fire Chief Dwyer, Cooper, and Ben, were reappointed to a reconstituted three-member Board of Fire Engineers for one-year terms, and conditional approvals were granted for special event permits covering the Myopia Hunt Club on May 5 and the New England Equine Rescue Near North Open House on May 16.