Carver Approves Regional Mental Health Clinician Deal, Welcomes New Select Board Member

CARVER -- May 5, 2026, Carver Select Board approves five-town mental health clinician sharing deal and briefs on 130 North Main Street housing plan. The board voted unanimously Tuesday to join an inter-municipal agreement with Kingston, Hanson, Halifax, and Plympton for a shared co-response clinician program fully funded through a state Department of Mental Health grant, under which two clinicians stationed in Kingston are available to all five towns from 2 to 10 p.m. daily. Chief Frank reported Carver officers had already used the arrangement twice informally and had handled 23 mental health and Section 12 calls over the prior six months. The board also received a briefing from Town Planner Sean Lewis on a proposed 40R Smart Growth overlay district at 130 North Main Street that could allow up to 298 units by right, bring Carver into compliance with the MBTA Communities Act, and generate up to $1.244 million in state incentive payments, though Lewis said no vote was sought yet, with public outreach sessions still ahead. In a 4-1 vote, with member John Carter dissenting, the board approved personnel code updates for non-union staff including adding Juneteenth as a paid holiday, raising maximum vacation to five weeks, reducing vacation carryover to two weeks, and codifying a 75-25 town-employee health insurance split, at an incremental longevity cost of $1,400 across all affected employees.