NSTAR, Route 9, Pedestrian Safety and Taxation on Legislative Priority List

Framingham Selectmen met with three of the four members of its local state legislative delegation Tuesday night. State Sen. Karen Spilka was not in attendance, but representatives Chris Walsh, Tom Sannicandro and Tom Conroy were.

Selectmen laid out a number of concerns they wanted lawmakers to take back to Beacon Hill, including: 

* Tools to address blighted properties. A bill, filed during the last session  to enable Framingham to use municipal liens to help reclaim and restore properties being ignored by owners, and a proposal to establish a Housing Court in Framingham, will be pursued again in the upcoming session.

"We need a housing court, we need a place to hear those issues that has that knowledge and can give us some enforcement teeth," said Selectman Dennis Giombetti.  

* Possible taxation of large apartment complexes under the commercial tax rate 

* Counting of Section 8 housing vouchers towards the town's 10 percent affordable housing level under the state's Chapter 40B law. 

* Issues around pedestrian safety on Route 9, especially in the area of Maynard Rd., where a Framingham State University senior -- and former student-teacher in Framingham schools--was struck and killed last month. 

* Improving communication and response from NStar and other public utilities.