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Select Board agrees to pursue part‑time on‑call conservation agent for FY27 budget
Summary
Conservation commissioners asked the board to add a part‑time on‑call or shared conservation agent to strengthen wetlands enforcement and permitting; the board moved and voted to include a request in the FY27 budget and asked administrators to explore sharing arrangements with neighboring towns.
John Stedman and Conservation Commission Chair Jim Letter described recurring enforcement needs, the technical limits of an all‑volunteer commission, and cases where earlier agent involvement could have prevented wetland fill or sped title clearance. They asked the Select Board to include a part‑time on‑call conservation agent in the FY27 budget and to explore shared‑agent arrangements with nearby towns (Sherborn, Norfolk) to gain proactive capacity beyond reactive weekend site visits.
Board members queried cost allocation (what activities could be billed to applicants versus town-absorbed work) and whether consultant (Beta) workloads would be reduced. A board motion to include the request in the FY27 budget and to have the town administrator consult surrounding towns was moved, seconded and approved unanimously. Staff said detailed cost estimates will follow for FY27 budget consideration.
