North Brookfield Town Meeting Approves $620,000 in Transfers, Rejects Nip Ban

NORTH BROOKFIELD -- December 10, 2025, North Brookfield special town meeting rejects nip bottle ban and approves $620,000 in transfers. Residents at the December 10 special town meeting voted down a citizen-petition bylaw that would have banned the sale of miniature alcoholic beverage containers of 100 milliliters or less, with supporters citing nanoplastic contamination and drunk driving and opponents, including local store owner Yogesh Patel of Bas Delhi, warning the ban would eliminate roughly 40 percent of some retailers' revenue. Town Counsel Brian Riley cautioned that a proposed amendment imposing a 15-cent deposit on nip bottles would likely fail attorney general review because bottle deposits are governed by state law; that amendment also failed. On routine business, the meeting approved 25 warrant articles including a $300,000 transfer to general stabilization, a $95,348 sewer-department truck purchase, $87,638 for school expenses, and a zoning map change that passed 44 to 21, one vote above the required two-thirds threshold of 43, opening a corridor along Bigelow Street and Summer Street to up to four-family housing.