Concord advisory board asks town for $250,000 for FY26, seeks state permission to carry FY25 earmark into next year

The Concord MCI Advisory Board voted to recommend that the town set aside $250,000 for fiscal 2026 to continue planning work on the former MCI site and asked that state officials allow unspent fiscal 2025 earmark funds to be carried forward to FY26 while the town seeks additional state earmarks.

Megan (Town staff) told the advisory board that the project’s fiscal 2025 earmark spending ran into a timing problem: the Office of Economic Development and the Office of Administration and Finance have said they will not authorize access to the second-year $250,000 tranche until the first-year funds are fully spent. "This was disappointing me here because there's so much work to do," Megan said, describing how the sequencing is straining consultant payments and on‑site work.

The nut graf: The recommendation is designed to give the advisory board and town officials a predictable funding floor for zoning, community engagement and other planning work next year while the town pursues legislative relief or additional earmarks. Board members and town staff said the proposal aims to avoid interruptions to consultants already under contract and to preserve progress on wastewater planning that is tied to the site's redevelopment.

Advisory board members stressed three linked priorities: (1) maintain momentum on consultant-led planning and community engagement, (2) ensure wastewater-treatment planning continues so redevelopment remains feasible, and (3) seek state-level flexibility to move earmarked dollars across fiscal years. Paul (DCAM staff) reported that DCAM remains engaged and has repeatedly emphasized state interest in green redevelopment and mixed-income housing on the site. He said DCAM staff and the consulting team remain aligned on those goals.

Megan outlined current funding components: a $4.75 million state earmark (first tranche largely committed under contract), a $250,000 second‑year earmark that is currently constrained by state timing rules, and $100,000 in federal ARPA funds that must be spent by the end of calendar 2026. The board heard that the agency contract for planning work is $400,000 and that the town has contracted roughly $725,000 of services in FY25 across multiple vendors.

Alan (Town water/sewer staff) described the wastewater planning work and the contractor situation: "The real challenge that we actually reduced it to allow for more planning, but we have — I'm sure what allowance our real challenge is getting on campus right now. So we're working through some of the details on the license agreement to actually get in and do work," he said, referring to the town’s effort to finalize a license agreement that will allow field work. Alan also confirmed the town has retained engineering consultants to assess wastewater capacity and that the town has reserve funds (the sewer improvement fund) it can draw on if state timing prevents immediate reimbursement.

Board members discussed options to manage timing risk. Suggestions included preparing a one‑page cash‑flow schedule for legislators that shows expected payments to consultants, adjusting FY25 budget line items to reflect near‑term commitments, and pursuing a legislative vehicle (described as a "pack" by one legislator’s office) that would allow use or extension of the earmark into a future fiscal year. Megan said she and town representatives had spoken with Representative Patel and Representative Gentile, who indicated support for working through the timing issue and for considering options that would permit funds to be used across years.

After discussion, a member moved that the advisory board recommend that the Town of Concord (a) allocate $250,000 from town funds for FY26 to support the board’s work, (b) request that any unspent FY25 earmark funds be authorized to carry forward into FY26, and (c) ask the town’s legislative delegation to pursue a state earmark for FY26 to cover zoning and wastewater planning. The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.

Votes at a glance: Motion to recommend a $250,000 FY26 request, and to seek state authorization to carry forward FY25 earmark funds — approved (voice vote; members recorded as voting "aye": Erin; Patrick; John; Peter; Linda; Dan; Emily; Lee; Elizabeth; Mark).

Board members and staff said the next steps include: preparing a short cashflow/schedule document for legislators; asking the consultant (referred to in the meeting as "agency") to produce cost estimates for the next one-to-two phases (zoning and community engagement); coordinating with DCAM on which studies the state will fund; and presenting a town‑meeting warrant article later this spring if town funding is needed. Several members urged the advisory board’s legal and government affairs subcommittee to refine the recommendation and to meet with legislative staff quickly because state budget timelines are near.

The meeting also included scheduling discussions for consultant workshops and public visioning sessions in late April and May; the board asked that those sessions be consolidated on Mondays where possible and that the advisory board be updated with an agency-provided schedule.

Ending: The advisory board’s recommendation now goes to Town officials and the town’s legislative delegation for follow-up as the project team works to align consultant schedules, on‑site work and state funding timing.