MassDEP updates committee on FY26 budget prospects, hiring freeze and leadership changes

At the Wayside Cleanup Advisory Committee meeting, Millie Garcia Serrano, assistant commissioner for the Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup, briefed members on state budget developments, the administration's hiring freeze and recent leadership changes within the bureau.

Budget and hiring freeze: Garcia Serrano said the commonwealth's FY25 general appropriation was approximately $57.8 billion and that MassDEP was allocated about $87 million for FY25. She said FY26 budget proposals under consideration (governor, House, Senate) have suggested an allocation near $85 million for MassDEP, and that MassDEP is monitoring the reconciled appropriation process. She also reported that the Administration and Finance office issued a hiring-freeze memo effective May 27, 2025, as a proactive fiscal-management step; Garcia Serrano said some positions could still be permitted depending on agency prioritization and that the freeze is likely to be revisited after the FY26 general appropriations act is finalized.

Staffing changes at BWSC: Garcia Serrano announced several internal promotions and retirements: Andrew Clark is serving as deputy regional director and interim PR chief following Steve Johnson’s retirement; Andy Jones is the new ER section chief for the HERO unit; Derek Bruce is the Western Region ER section chief; and David Slowick (Western Region) will retire at the end of the fiscal year but has agreed to stay on for onboarding.

Why it matters: Budget allocations and hiring freezes affect MassDEP’s ability to staff response work, process permitting and guidance updates. Leadership changes are intended to preserve institutional knowledge and maintain continuity during transitions.

Ending: Garcia Serrano said MassDEP will continue to share budget developments and administrative guidance with stakeholders and that the hiring-freeze status will be reassessed after final appropriation action.