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Finance committee raises staffing, change-order and bonding questions on $207M wastewater project
Summary
Committee members discussed staffing options, change-order oversight, bond restrictions linked to tax-exempt financing and procurement concerns for the town's $207 million wastewater project, and flagged the need for more detailed reporting ahead of final FY26 budget votes.
Members of the Town of Yarmouth Finance Committee spent a large portion of their Feb. 12 meeting reviewing the town's major capital work, particularly the wastewater treatment project and related staffing and contracting issues.
Committee members described the borrowing authorization for the wastewater program as $207,000,000 and asked staff about how the town will staff and operate the new facility once it is complete. Rafael, a committee member, recommended planning for contracted operation or a hybrid model rather than relying solely on direct municipal hires. "I think the first path should be for this wastewater treatment facility, for it to be staffed and operated from an outsourced perspective," Rafael said, noting recruiting will be difficult.
Jennifer Mullen, a town staff member, cautioned that the town’s use of tax-exempt bond proceeds from the Clean Water Trust carries restrictions that complicate fully outsourcing plant operations. "We have to be careful of bringing in a private company to come in and run something that we've issued tax-exempt bonds for because they're making a profit," she said, adding the town is discussing hybrid approaches with bond counsel.
The committee also asked about change orders and contingency on the project. Staff outlined the typical process: contractors raise RFIs (requests for information) and PCOs (proposed change orders) with the engineer and DPW; the department and town accounting review costs and available contingency; the town administrator and state reviewers (DEP and the trust) sign off before payment. A committee member said they had seen notes indicating roughly $6,000,008 in proposed change orders in some meeting minutes and asked for clarification; staff said the project remains within budget and that change orders and payments go through multiple approvals before funds are released.
Beyond wastewater, members discussed broader FY26 themes: public-safety staffing and a likely override request for the fire department; the need to preserve free cash to handle capital and unexpected costs; aging facilities and potential property consolidation; and community services capacity (recreation space and staffing). The committee set follow-up tasks for staff to provide more complete change-order and contingency reporting and to return with staffing plans that reflect recruiting realities.
