Mansfield Select Board Raises Xfinity Fees, Shifts Retiree Health Costs

MANSFIELD — May 6, 2026 — Mansfield Select Board approves renegotiated Xfinity Center license and shifts retiree health costs. The board voted unanimously May 6 to approve a new annual Xfinity Center license agreement raising the administrative fee from $25,000 to $30,000, adding mandatory preseason and postseason meetings, and adopting FEMA-based fee rates for next year — changes Town Manager Mallory Aronstein described as "a great deal for Mansfield" following multiple joint sessions with police and fire leadership and General Manager Deirdre Kelly. The board also extended entertainment and alcohol licenses to 11:30 p.m. for five sold-out summer concerts including Dave Matthews Band and Pitbull, in an effort to ease post-show traffic on Route 140. On healthcare, the board unanimously voted to move the retiree PPO contribution ratio from 75-25 to 60-40 effective July 1, 2026, and then to 50-50 effective July 1, 2027, with projected annual savings of up to $182,000 — and separately voted to set a 70-30 split for all new retirees beginning January 1, 2027. Evan Benson of Mansfield Firefighters Local 1820 urged the board to move gradually, warning that benefit reductions for retirees "are never coming back."