Wakefield Council Backs Dog Waste Crackdown

Select Board · Meeting of January 12, 2026

Wakefield's Town Council backed signage targeting dog waste and off-leash pets at town ball fields after officials said some fields are "absolutely covered" in droppings. Parks and Cemetery Supervisor Dennis said grooming crews now spend twice as long clearing damaged infields, and that a patron and a staff member were each bitten by a dog this year. Councilor Butler said "the not picking up is the problem," not off-leash behavior.

The town currently has no animal control officers after both resigned to work solely for Reading. Separately, a Massachusetts Municipal Association report projected Wakefield could face a roughly $1 million structural deficit, with Councilor Carney saying "they're beating us down on local aid." The council also voted 6-1 to appoint Alfred Rosenthal and Robert McGuire to the Economic Development Council and voted 7-0 to disband its Housing Production Plan Advisory Committee after state approval of the plan through 2030.

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Source: the Select Board meeting of January 12, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.