Public Works Director Ben Berthia presented the department’s proposed budget and line-item changes to the committee, identifying the DPW request as $5,736,333 — an increase of $134,868, or roughly 2.41 percent over the prior year. "Yes. Thank you. Ben Berthia, public works director," he said as he opened the division overview and explained the major elements of the request.

Berthia said the highway division will receive a partial restoration of paving funds: the proposed paving/resurfacing line is $650,000, up $50,000 from the $600,000 level used during recent default budgets but below a previously recommended $900,000 funding level from a 2020 pavement analysis. The department asked for an additional $10,000 in professional-services funds to commission a new road-condition analysis to guide longer-term funding decisions.

The presentation outlined several pavement-preservation options the town may test, including fog sealing, micro-surfacing and expanded crack sealing to extend roadway life and use limited paving dollars more effectively. Berthia noted that those preventive measures can delay the need for full-depth reclaim-and-repave work when applied strategically.

Operational line items discussed included: salt and sand (the town budgets for about 3,000 tons of salt annually; quoted prices moved from about $74 per ton to $77), fleet fuel and bulk diesel storage (the DPW maintains a 10,000-gallon underground diesel tank that is typically refilled when levels reach about 3,000 gallons), and a request for a Bobcat sweeper attachment to replace an aging unit.

The recycling and transfer operation — budgeted at $1,575,226 with a proposed $12,813 (0.82%) increase — prompted discussion about Saturday hours. The committee reviewed the previous decision to operate every other Saturday to reduce costs; staff said they will compile usage data through December to assess whether closures reduced recycling volumes and whether restoring full Saturday service would be justified. Staff also noted that removing a condominium reimbursement previously in place reduces ongoing disposal costs to the town by about $75,000 compared with earlier years.

Other items: Parks and Recreation requested restoration of Old Home Day support after cuts during default years; pest control, building maintenance and telephone-consolidation savings were noted across multiple municipal buildings.

Committee members asked for follow-up information on cost savings tied to the every-other-Saturday schedule, the pavement-analysis timetable, and whether the DPW’s bulk fuel station could be made available to other diesel users to reduce townwide fuel costs. Berthia said the department will provide the requested usage and cost data and that the pavement analysis will be used to refine multi-year funding needs.

The committee did not adopt the DPW budget at the session; staff will return with the requested analyses and with any contract- or insurer-driven changes to benefits that affect DPW salary and benefits lines.