Municipal budgets—which fund the services residents rely on—depend heavily on multiple sources of revenue, from property taxes and state aid, to local receipts, such as property and excise taxes, hotel and meals taxes, as well as license and permit fees.
But with costs going up and a documented decline in state aid over the years, finding creative ways to bolster revenue—combined with efforts to trim expenses—is becoming all the more important.
In that search, some proposed solutions are complex and can be hard to conceptualize. Zoning overlays, for example—such as the ones proposed in Belmont Center and the Brighton Street corridor—are conceived in part to encourage more commercial development and ease the residential tax burden. Those changes, however, take time, hours of conversation and debate, public hearings, and ultimately, approval by the town’s legislative body, Town Meeting.
Other solutions, meanwhile, are a little easier to understand and enact, such as changes to longstanding policies like those governing alcoholic beverages. Until a vote last week to amend it, the town’s policy, adopted in 2004, required license holders to serve food with drinks—gratuity-free snacks are not enough—provide seating for customers because standing at a bar is not allowed, and to serve food on washable dishware. Seating minimums were also in place.
“A number of these requirements are not seen in our peer towns…and are unique to us,” said Wendy Etkind, a member of the Economic Advisory Committee, which was asked by the Select Board to review the town’s policy. “We also heard, and this is more my informal research, that there’s a number of businesses people would like to see that we don’t have because of our bylaws, like a wine bar that serves appetizers…or a small neighborhood restaurant, like Belmont Pizza, where you go and get a pizza and a pitcher of beer… or an activity-based venue like bowling and beer and pizza, that kind of thing.”
Now, under the amended policy, restaurants with disposable plates, silverware, or drinkware will be allowed to purchase an alcoholic beverage license, and while food remains a requirement in an establishment where alcoholic beverages are served, it is no longer required that a full meal be purchased with an alcoholic beverage. Additionally, two beverages may be served before a food order is required. Gratuity-free snacks, however, such as popcorn, nuts, or chips, do not count as a food order.
“We have people in town who want this choice and either we allow it to happen in town or we lose that revenue as part of our massive leakage that was identified in the market study we had done in June 2024,” said Select Board member Elizabeth Dionne. “Given this is legal, it is tightly controlled by the state, I’m not interested in adding another layer of restriction on top of it that causes us to lose businesses and customers and spending to our neighboring towns.”
The review of the town’s policy follows a Town Meeting vote in July 2025 authorizing the Select Board to file a Home Rule petition with the state that would allow the town to ease its seating capacity requirements for establishments that wish to obtain a liquor license. The proposal initially came in the form of a citizen petition, filed by residents Carol Berberian and Max Colice.
According to Select Board Chair Matt Taylor, the Home Rule petition has been submitted to the state. If it is approved by the Legislature, Belmont will have removed the seat minimums and maximums for restaurant liquor licenses.
Hovannes (John) Janessian, owner of Ani Catering & Cafe on Belmont Street, described the efforts to revise the policy and also to ease seating capacity requirements as a good step forward for Belmont. Ani Catering, which opened as a catering business in 2006, has expanded to include indoor dining for about 15 patrons. But while his catering license allows him to serve alcohol, he isn’t allowed to sell alcohol to customers who dine in.
He said the ability to offer his customers alcoholic beverages will hopefully add more demand for food, but also increase outside business interest in opening in town.
“A lot of people prefer to stay in the area,” he said. “I think it will be a good source of income for the town. A lot of restaurant owners, the first thing he thinks is, ‘Can I get a liquor license?’”
Straddling the Belmont-Watertown line, Janessian has seen the number and type of restaurants in neighboring towns grow.
“Why not Belmont, too?” he said.