Worthington Voters Pass Four Solar and Battery Storage Moratoriums in One Night

WORTHINGTON -- February 24, 2026, Worthington special town meeting approves four overlapping solar and battery storage moratoriums. Voters Tuesday passed Articles 6, 7, 8, and 10, covering large-scale ground-mounted solar photovoltaic installations and large-capacity energy storage systems, with measures ranging from a citizen's petition signed by 258 residents to a Planning Board-drafted pair of zoning amendments and a home-rule petition to the state legislature inspired by state Sen. Paul Mark and state Rep. Lindsey Sabadosa. Planning Board Chair Bart Neiswonger warned that blanket town-wide moratoriums have been rejected by the attorney general's office in every case since the Supreme Judicial Court's 2022 Tracer Lane decision, and said the board's Articles 7 and 8, which exclude solar from roughly 53 percent of the town and batteries from roughly 87 percent, were drafted specifically to survive that review. Police Chief John Scobie also secured voter approval of a $7,110.10 budget transfer to cover the gap between a $9,800 canine grant and a $10,500 dog purchase price, plus Boston Police Academy training travel costs for a 14-week certification program.