Council approves capital transfers, supplemental appropriations and tree‑committee appointments

The Braintree Town Council on Tuesday approved a package of capital transfers and supplemental appropriations and confirmed a slate of appointments to a newly established tree committee, with all motions passing unanimously.

Finance Director Mike Desmond told the council five capital motions before the body were funded from retained earnings in enterprise funds and totaled $3.6 million. The package includes a $3 million investment in water‑distribution upgrades scheduled to begin late this summer; $200,000 toward Ricciardi Reservoir pump replacement (costs to be shared with Randolph and Holbrook); $200,000 for a sewer‑system modeling study; $178,000 from the stormwater fund for catchment investigations; and $41,000 from the golf fund for a walk‑behind aerator.

“These items are funded via retained earnings in the respective funds,” Desmond said, adding that the motions form part of the larger capital improvement plan filed earlier by the mayor.

The council also approved a motion rescinding roughly $3.9 million in prior capital authorizations that are no longer needed, a cleanup item the finance office said removes completed or discontinued projects from the town’s outstanding authorization list.

On supplemental appropriations, the council authorized transfers totaling several hundred thousand dollars to close projected fiscal‑year‑end deficiencies and to seed reserves for future needs. Notable items include $274,000 moved to the Public Works snow‑and‑ice program to cover anticipated shortfalls; $110,000 for school utility accounts; $350,000 for vacation/sick‑leave payouts; and a $200,000 computer replacement reserve to replace roughly 30 percent of town laptops and desktops. The council also approved a $400,000 reserve for school master planning to support consultant work on the town’s six K–4 neighborhood schools; a $110,000 DPW equipment reserve; a $45,000 elections equipment reserve to meet ADA needs; and $40,000 for building management system controls upgrades.

Finance staff said these supplemental motions will be funded through payroll vacancies, program savings and reserves rather than free cash. The council also approved several small transfers to cover prior unpaid invoices for the fire department and a $100,000 transfer from the insurance recovery fund back to the general fund based on the current forecast.

The council confirmed seven initial members of the town’s Tree Committee — a body established under a 2023 tree protection ordinance — including a certified arborist, the conservation planner, an Electric Light Board representative and three resident members. Terms were staggered as required by the ordinance. The council also accepted a revised donation of $20,000 from the Nelson Chinn Memorial Fund for the Recreation Department’s Nelson’s Neighbors program.

All votes on the capital motions, the rescission, the supplemental appropriation motions, the appointments and the donation were unanimous.

Votes at a glance - Order 25030 (capital motions): Approved. Key items — Water distribution improvements $3,000,000; Ricciardi Reservoir pump $200,000; Sewer system modeling $200,000; Stormwater catchment investigations $178,000; Golf aerator $41,000. - Order 25036 (rescind prior authorizations): Approved. Removes ~$3,900,000 in outdated authorizations from the record. - Order 25041 (FY25 supplemental appropriation #4): Approved. Multiple transfers including snow & ice $274,000; school utilities $110,000; vacation/sick payouts $350,000; school master planning reserve $400,000; computer replacement reserve $200,000; DPW equipment reserve $110,000; elections equipment $45,000; insurance recovery transfer $100,000. - Orders 25042–25048 (Tree Committee appointments): Approved. Christopher Hayward (certified arborist), Thomas Reynolds (Electric Light Board), Rich Inglis (resident), Benjamin Hulke (Asst. DPW director/tree warden designee), Laura Morrison (conservation planner), Rachel Horak (resident); terms as set by ordinance. - Order 25049 (donation — Nelson Chinn Memorial Fund): Approved. Donation accepted at $20,000 for Recreation Department programs.

The council discussed timing of some votes but staff said the capital items are funded from enterprise retained earnings or existing reserves and do not require new borrowing. Finance staff and DPW said projects will move forward subject to procurement and scheduling. Several measures require follow‑up reporting to Ways and Means and budget staff.