Rehoboth: The Year in Review

Trombetta Retires
The past year was notable for a major leadership change in a town department. Sergeant Louis DiBacco has been serving as Acting Chief of the Rehoboth Police Department since January, following the retirement of longtime Chief James Trombetta. DiBacco’s appointment as Police Chief on a permanent basis is yet to be determined. “Within a year, both sides will make a decision if he’s going to continue,” Board of Selectmen Chair Skip Vadnais said in July. In 2020, the Board signed Trombetta to a six year contract which was due to expire in June 2027.   Trombetta is serving with the Police Department as a Director of Law Enforcement Operations. The position is unpaid.

By-Law Changes
A number of bylaw changes were approved at a special Town Meeting in September.

• Section 7-10C(5) was amended as indicated: A Computer Committee shall be appointed annually, effective on July 1, by the Board of Selectmen to include a member of the Board of Assessors, the Town Treasurer-Collector, the Town Clerk, the Town Accountant, the Town Administrator, the Police Chief and the Fire Chief or their designees.
• Section 175-10A was amended as indicated: The licensing authority may deny, revoke or suspend any license or permit, including renewals and transfers, of any party or agent thereof whose name appears on said the list furnished to the licensing authority from the Town Treasurer-Collector of individuals delinquent on their taxes and/or other municipal charges.

Town Moderator William Cute noted the changes to the bylaws had been a “monumental project” and said Richard Panofsky was the “driving force” behind it. Panofsky was on the bylaw review committee and also chaired the Personnel Board.

Rehoboth Against MBTA Law Update
A Facebook group called Rehoboth Against MBTA Law launched a petition drive in an effort to stop multifamily housing developments from being built in town.

The petition read: The Town of Rehoboth has until 12/31/2025 to submit an authentication of compliance via details of zoning law changes. The town, without authorization or public comment, has submitted a preliminary action plan to be in compliance with the law. The final steps, per the town’s action plan, are to determine an area for development, currently suggested as Spring Street, and finalize zoning changes in accordance with the law. 

The MBTA Communities Act requires 177 cities and towns in Eastern Massachusetts — designated as rapid transit, commuter rail, adjacent, and adjacent small town communities — to rezone near T stops to allow for multi-family housing as of right. “As of right” means multi-family housing would be allowed to go up in the rezoned areas without special permits or other discretionary processes.

MBTA requires Rehoboth to provide 250 units “in an appropriate area,” according to Jay Talerman, the town’s legal counsel. Talerman explained there was no requirement for affordable housing in the MBTA law.

Rehoboth Ambulance New Contract
Following months of negotiations, Town officials signed a new contract with Rehoboth Ambulance. Rehoboth Ambulance is a non-profit corporation under contract to the town. “We’ve just made a few more changes (to the contract),” Selectman Rob Johnson said in October. “The whole contract will benefit everyone.” The town was also awarded Bristol County ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds to purchase a new ambulance. The Rehoboth Ambulance Committee will be able to use it as they see fit.

DRRSD New Business Administrator
The Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District hired Leo Brehm to serve as the District Business Administrator. The position had been vacant since the resignation of Robert Baxter in July 2023.

 “As soon as (Brehm) joined us as Director of IT in January, he was immediately thrust into our budget frenzy,” Superintendent Bill Runey said in July. “His many years of both public school and corporate educational technology experience paid immediate dividends as he was able to assess our current situation and find us significant savings. These savings were crucial in making our budget more efficient while still keeping us running effectively.”

New Policy for Student Athletes
The Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School Committee voted at their June 25 meeting to allow coaches and student-athletes to avoid competing against teams that include athletes of the opposite sex. The policy states there will be no penalty for a coach or a student-athlete issued by the district with the loss of playing time, starting status or other penalties for the refusal to play against a team that is not single-sex.

“I applaud our School Committee for taking this step in the absence of substantive action by the MIAA (Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association),” Runey said. “Player safety must be of paramount importance, and the elevated risk of injury when boys compete against girls is a grave concern of ours. I was hopeful that the MIAA would implement additional safety precautions, but there has been no noteworthy progress on that front.”

Grant Awarded for CTE Program
Last June, the DRRSD received a $316,000 Skills Capital Grant from the Healey-Driscoll administration for its Career and Technical Education programs (CTE) at the high school.

 “Not only will this grant allow us to provide cutting-edge technology that will empower our staff to ignite the creativity in our CTE students, but it will also help us shape our vision of offering classes to the community during off hours as we continue to extend our reach and show that We are DR,” Runey noted.