Town Manager John Mandurite presented a $40,940,000 recommended municipal operating budget for fiscal 2026 — a 4.79% increase over FY25 and a 4.56% net increase after offsets — and outlined a plan that would borrow for five capital projects including a proposed $43,000,000 replacement for the town’s Department of Public Works facility.

The recommendation includes $1.9 million for building electrification and HVAC replacement at town hall; $1.9 million for complete streets and sidewalk work; a $1.5 million fire engine; $850,000 for stormwater work; and continued replacement of the public safety radio system. Mandurite also proposed adding one administrative lieutenant in the police department and two firefighters to the roster, and recommended funding a fire prevention position via a revolving fund.

Why it matters: The DPW facility proposal, presented as a single-project replacement to address safety, vehicle storage, personnel facilities and code compliance, is the largest capital ask in the package and has become the focal point of public and Finance Committee scrutiny. Finance Committee members said the budget’s operating increase and the DPW project size are politically sensitive after last year’s override and sought more time and joint discussion to narrow differences.

"This is my seventh budget presentation," Mandurite told the Select Board, explaining the budget framing, revenue mix and how the 2024 override affected available levy capacity. "When we're buying a fire truck or we're replacing a building or other things that are going to be benefiting the community for the next 20 to 30 years, what we do is we borrow for it."

Finance Committee members repeatedly pressed for a lower operating increase and questioned the DPW project's scope. Finance Committee member Kristine requested a moderated joint meeting: "I would like to request that the Finance Committee and the Select Board get together and have a potentially moderated discussion because I can tell you we all are talking about completely different things here." Other committee members urged stricter limits on the recommended operating increase, citing a 3% target the committee has favored.

Mandurite and staff defended the projected capital borrowing and the building design work already under way. He said the $43 million estimate does not include ongoing value-engineering, and that incentives and federal tax rebates could reduce net borrowing. He also pointed to rising replacement costs if the town delays: "If you take a $43,000,000 estimate in 2025 and you decide to just kind of put on the shelf and revisit it in 5 years, the number goes up substantially."

Board members and Finance Committee members agreed on the need for more outreach. The Select Board set multiple opportunities for public review and said staff would post project materials and hold an open house. Mandurite and DPW staff also published an open-house date and a DPW Building Committee public meeting to discuss design and value engineering.

Votes at a glance: during the meeting the board approved several separate items unrelated to the DPW project. Among them, the board unanimously approved a plan to construct a wastewater equalization tank for the Powder Mill sewer extension (see separate article). The board also approved an intermunicipal agreement for shared transportation dispatch services, and acted on routine consent items.

The Select Board and Finance Committee agreed to continue budget workshops and to schedule a joint, moderated forum to focus specifically on the DPW facility scope, cost-reduction options and timing.

Looking ahead: Mandurite said department-level budget workshops start the week following the presentation and that final recommendations to the Finance Committee will reflect ongoing feedback. The DPW design development and value-engineering work will continue through the winter with a planned construction start roughly a year from the presentation if the project moves forward.