[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6461518,"mediaKeyId","5824067-67dd088b94a0ad5d7f590948623a616f","parentId",5824067,"title","Acton to keep testing fire station pilot; winter plan would return some crews to center","audioSeconds",388,"startMs",3408858,"endMs",3797135,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5824067-67dd088b94a0ad5d7f590948623a616f&start=3408&end=3797","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5824067-67dd088b94a0ad5d7f590948623a616f/thumbnail_3408858.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6461518/Town-of-Acton/Middlesex-County/Massachusetts/Acton-to-keep-testing-fire-station-pilot-winter-plan-would-return-some-crews-to-center","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6461518-dcba39a4c462a91110a9418deab9dafb/orig.mp4?Expires=1771022053&Signature=mzRKWO~v-5s20RMJ8u84UbUcwfQGVNOnHTlAT27DLcWI3r50rd2MT9oaqUJaj5oz8UUnQwPfTBSvEzc0PSEusElxfn4Uyme9dEKQzyCSv12CPw8KvCcqGAwlKiFcP6ZF05Ow6mnGKt62NdNNjwTJV9lT4ctpSVWLfwgXHW-7p0ogD5~itLydHjCsKNQoyHgWkYQbxURNQ26pSuut2UwpsiXexFkSpjqu8rEk-EsM-3VUAVkgbDgZxOM05zHUYyPnwkhdzANzbYP3iWjSWHW1nDiChMFCQOmBPNvTGX7Wx-e9iiLSs4NhUBnF5gWv-zvcHuSFZcxJEZprmcYwafVWNA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Acton","date","2025-09-24T12:18:48.437Z","article","The Town of Acton’s pilot program to reorganize firehouse staffing into north and south zones drew questions from Finance Committee members, but town officials said preliminary data show no concerning change in emergency response and outlined a winter plan that will return some crews to the central station temporarily.

John Mandry, the town manager, said the new North Acton station addressed a “significant need” because most calls occur along Great Road and north of Route 2. The pilot initially operated out of two larger stations — north and south — and later adjusted staffing so the South and West coverage areas were split to improve space and deployment. “At the beginning of the pilot, we said, okay, we’re going to put all the people in the North Station and the South Station. That worked out really well,” Mandry said. He added that South Station “hasn’t had more than 2 people in it, probably ever,” so operating with larger crews there was space‑constrained.

Mandry told the committee the pilot’s operations and response data so far show no performance problems the town is “concerned with.” He said the town expects to do a winter operations shift: replacing major systems at the West Acton Fire Station will require moving that crew back to the center building and running three stations again for a period while the work is done.

Finance Committee members raised concerns about coverage if the central station is staffed less often and suggested alternatives such as keeping additional ambulances in the center of town. Mandry said the fire chief will decide ambulance deployment based on operational data; the pilot has already tested variants of station deployment to find workable coverage patterns.

Committee members also asked whether leasing or repurposing the West Acton station had been discussed with neighboring towns; Mandry said no formal plan to deem the building surplus has been advanced and so leasing options are not currently on the table.

Why it matters: Changes to firehouse deployment affect response times and the town’s capital and operating plans for station maintenance and replacement. The pilot and the town’s winter reconfiguration will be used to evaluate future capital decisions about station upgrades or new construction.

No formal decisions about permanent station closures or new construction were made during the meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Acton Finance Committee Meeting - September 23rd, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Town Manager John Mandry and the finance committee discussed a pilot that has reorganized fire coverage into north and south stations; town staff said response data do not show problematic impacts and that this winter crews will be repositioned to run three stations while West Acton systems are replaced.","taxTitle","Town of Acton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts","taxId",56888,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6461523,"Acton finance committee presses for clearer long-term forecast after ALG out-year dispute",4646,23805,4669844,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5824067-67dd088b94a0ad5d7f590948623a616f&start=23&end=4669","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5824067-67dd088b94a0ad5d7f590948623a616f/thumbnail_23805.jpg","/articles/6461523/Town-of-Acton/Middlesex-County/Massachusetts/Acton-finance-committee-presses-for-clearer-long-term-forecast-after-ALG-out-year-dispute","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6461523-a6b8ec394d8ddb34f22f20722782ebae/orig.mp4?Expires=1771022053&Signature=NhH6Kd7opNodiHeLwDLHysGKAxsWgTLpWDrvpYv4bzuuB4HZV7eKzvywWTAxkimSpRs2e8ElsnRv1E09aH~ShSsIZq-HQ4fJ0i3a1T~B4wQCGQ50BvuxwsWEnrf~OSVJP15YLKoS38RCwg-rV~wuF-kkUHxzQ~IvKFPM~91-EJpIy9xL9gs5qPUjA5NYQUMSlSmv-3VD0NW0VFkuMW08WqMhIYH16o~6xiwGmOUwQ8Z9eKE4Fu~2v3IAQYwDt1noLlSUDqoZZgJXDxAf8jZq7GJgk~rqB23hx1fibTdxW899b-fya5aJgbfBYOthf1ayIP6QXcOCym-D1WJIJg5qWQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Members of the Town of Acton Finance Committee spent the bulk of their meeting criticizing how the town’s ALG multi‑year forecast was prepared and published, and asking the Select Board and town manager for clearer information and a longer rollout of projected figures to fiscal 2030.

David Martin, a Select Board member who spoke during public comment, told the committee that ALG’s use of the capital improvement plan and the ALG model produced misleading signals about future tax pressure. “Using free cash does not drive tax increases,” Martin said, arguing that most capital projects are funded by grants, free cash or other non‑tax sources and that the CIP lists needs, not committed spending. He also flagged an ALG out‑year “bottom line” of $12,000,000 as “wildly incorrect,” saying the model incorrectly carries a net position forward from year to year instead of treating the net position as zero each fiscal year.

The concerns prompted multiple finance committee members to press for changes to the ALG process. Committee member Alex presented a proposed baseline approach that rolls reliable revenue shares forward and treats deviations above that baseline as the items that require detailed justification. “If the tax bill is going up some percentage that’s unexpected, what’s the driver behind it?” Alex said, urging the committee to focus inquiry on specific above‑baseline drivers such as new hires, capital additions, or excluded debt.

Members said the issue is not just technical accuracy but transparency and process. Several members said the warrant published an ALG multi‑year forecast even though FinCom representatives had withdrawn their names from the out‑years and the committee had not ratified the multi‑year projection. One member, Jason, summarized the committee’s position: “We had a full vote of the committee… and we had a unanimous message to the select board that we did not want our name associated with an ALG multi‑year plan that we did not have consensus on.”

Committee members asked for three concrete items: that the multi‑year plan be placed adjacent to FinCom’s message in the warrant (so the committee can comment directly), that the town provide a rollout of the so‑called “’26 liner” out to FY30 as soon as possible, and that the Select Board assure FinCom it will provide documents requested under the town bylaws so the committee can fulfill its forecasting duties.

FinCom members also debated the useful planning horizon. Several members favored a five‑year working window for forecasting, saying longer horizons become unreliable; others noted one ALG spreadsheet they reviewed included numbers through 2030 and asked that the town produce a consistent FY30 rollout.

Committee members raised model‑specific issues they want fixed or explained, including how ALG treats “free cash” and turnbacks, how the model aggregates net position, volatility in the Minuteman assessment, and the handling of excluded debt. Committee members said they will ask department heads and the school district to provide supporting detail for any variances that show up relative to the proposed baseline.

No formal motion changing the FinCom’s official point of view on the ALG forecast passed during the meeting; members agreed to reconvene and to have committee representatives try to bring the concerns forward at the ALG first meeting later in the week. The committee voted unanimously to approve minutes from the Sept. 9 meeting and later moved to adjourn.

Why it matters: The ALG multi‑year forecast is intended to give town meeting and residents a common framework for budget discussion. FinCom members said publishing multi‑year out‑years without committee ratification risks misleading voters and hamstrings the committee’s ability to request and analyze the documents it needs to fulfill its duties under the bylaws.

Votes at a glance: The committee approved the minutes for Sept. 9 (motion to approve minutes; outcome: approved; exact tally not specified) and later approved a motion to adjourn (motion to adjourn; outcome: approved; exact tally not specified).","Members of the Town of Acton Finance Committee raised technical objections to the ALG multi‑year forecast and asked the Select Board and town manager for a FY30 rollout and clearer placement of the multi‑year plan in the FinCom message, saying the published out‑years lacked committee consensus and contained modeling errors.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Acton to keep testing fire station pilot; winter plan would return some crews to center

Acton finance committee presses for clearer long-term forecast after ALG out-year dispute