REPORTBACK: 3/24 City Council
Mar 26, 2025
Filed under: Local Government
City Council Public Hearing and Public Forum
City Hall, Leominster Massachusetts
Before the City Council Meeting on the evening of March 24, 2025, over 20 people braved the cold and rain to stand outside Leominster’s City Hall. Many held signs opposing a proposed local horsetrack, and were there to show their support for an agenda item that could go a long way towards ensuring it would not be successful.
Public Hearing
Two items were heard in the public hearing portion of the meeting, the first item being an amendment to the zoning ordinance pertaining to the floodplain and the second discussing the installation of two poles for placement of permanent speed feedback signs on Mechanic Street. Several residents spoke in favor of permanent speed signs, citing traffic and speeding that seemed to have worsened in the past few months. A few speakers expressed frustration at the length of time it was taking to meaningfully address traffic issues on Mechanic Street, which they perceived to be excessive. There was some discussion regarding contradictions between resident perceptions of traffic speed and the results of police traffic studies.
A representative from the Leominster police department addressed some concerns, stating that a MassDOT traffic study could not be scheduled until 2026 and that a private traffic engineer may have to be hired if it needed to be completed in a more timely fashion. He also stated encountering some difficulty in purchasing more advanced speed monitoring equipment due to communication issues with vendors, and suggested the less permanent traffic calming strategy of installing rubber speed bumps along Mechanic Street. The police representative was receptive to suggestions from the city council to increase efforts to contact vendors and find out more about the speed bumps.
Public Forum
The public forum is an opportunity for any member of the audience to speak on a matter listed on the Council Agenda. Speakers are allowed two minutes to address the City Council. Item 41-25 was brought to the Council as the result of a citizen’s petition, which requires a minimum of 10 signatures from registered voters who reside in the city. The petition received over 240 signatures, and despite some confusion and delays with regards to adding the item to the agenda, the Council elected to suspend certain rules in order to ensure item 41-25 was added to the public forum to allow all those present to speak. The vast majority of attendees, who filled nearly every seat in the Council meeting room, were in attendance to show support for petition 41-25, either through their presence or their spoken comment.
Text of Petition 41-25
Leominster City Council (2025, March 24) Amended Agenda, Item 41-25, section VI pg 13.
Amend Article I: Section 22-4. Definitions, by adding the following definition: “Race track. Any tract of land where horses or dogs are raced and where any form of betting or wagering on the speed or ability of horses or dogs are permitted or conducted.
Amend Article III. Section 22-17. Underlying Districts Table of Uses, under Business Uses, to add “Race track” as a listed use, and to add the letter “N”, for not allowed, in each and every column for each and every district.
Amend Article III. Section 22-18. Overlay Districts Table of Uses, under Business Uses, to add “Race track” as a listed use, and to add the letter “U”, for underlying district, in each and every column for each and every Overlay District. The purpose of this zoning amendment is to prohibit commercial horse or dog racing anywhere within the City of Leominster.
Submitted by local activist Lisa Nugent, the petition would prohibit all horse and dog racing, and any associated betting or wagering, anywhere within the Leominster city limits. It would do this by amending Articles I and III of the Leominster zoning ordinance, adding “race track” as a listed use and “N”, for not allowed, in every zone. Though dog racing has been banned in Massachusetts for over a decade under the Greyhound Protection Act, horse racing is still allowed and is partially subsidized through state funds. Nugent clarified later that Petition 41-25 includes dog racing so that in the unlikely event the Greyhound Protection Act is ever overturned, the city of Leominster would not have to revisit the issue.
Many residents made public comments regarding the petition, some reading prepared statements and others simply speaking from their heart. Several individuals who had not planned to speak expressed their support for the petition after being moved to do so by other residents. Comments universally supported the petition, and the atmosphere in the room was positive, respectful, and supportive. A majority of speakers received applause after their comments, and the City Council (while unable to comment, per the public forum rules) appeared very engaged and attentive. A few themes dominated the comments, seemingly shared by most of the attendees. These included:
- Preserving Leominster as a family-oriented community, which residents see as at odds with racetracks and gambling.
- The socio-economic consequences of close proximity to gambling facilities. Residents repeatedly emphasized that gambling is extremely addictive and dangerous. There was concern about the exploitative tactics of gambling facilities and the increase in crime and poverty such a facility could bring. They also cited any economic returns being outweighed by new and worsening problems.
- Deep concerns with animal welfare. Residents cited the poor treatment of racing animals, the frequent catastrophic injuries of racehorses, the number of animals euthanized per year, and their unwillingness to cosign or profit off what they saw as needless cruelty and suffering.
Leominster state representative Natalie Higgins also made a statement in support of 41-25, reminding the Council and attendees that horse racing and wagering in Massachusetts is set to “sunset” on December 15th of this year, 2025. The Massachusetts State Legislature has continually passed extensions of a few years at a time, but the one currently before the legislature only extends it for two additional years. Additionally, Higgins stated that horse racing and wagering in the state has been consistently and dramatically less profitable over time, citing the 35 million dollars in profits that Suffolk Downs lost from 2007 to 2010.
After all registered speakers had finished, the City Council President opened the floor for additional comment. The public hearing portion of the City Council meeting then ended and most attendees left the meeting room.
The petition next goes to the Planning Board for discussion. The Planning Board will meet on May 5th 2025 to review any zoning changes and make recommendations to the City Council. The City Council will then review the Planning Board’s recommendations and vote on the proposed amendments after a public forum. The next City Council Meeting and public forum after the Planning Board’s review will be May 12 2025. Residents are encouraged to attend both meetings and will once again have the opportunity to speak.
You can watch the full proceedings on youtube (https://www.youtube.com/live/4Wk0aH74kMc) or facebook (https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18mjEaFQER/)