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Committee clears several budget and contract requests, including fire retro pay and design funds
Summary
The finance committee recommended transfers and approvals tied to budget transitions: a proposed retro payment for the settled fire union contract (≈$175,000), salary/expense transfers to cover contract support for finance‑office transition, new salary line for the landfill, and staff plans to seek design funds for the community center and golf club building at the fall town meeting.
At its Sept. 19 meeting the Town of Westborough Advisory Finance Committee reviewed multiple budget adjustments and contract authorizations and moved to recommend several items to town meeting.
Key financial items: Finance staff said salary savings from vacancies will be transferred to expense lines to cover contract work (bringing back a former finance director to support the transition and tasks such as net‑metering credits). The landfill budget will receive a salary and wages line (it previously included only expenses). The staff presented an approximate retroactive payment for a newly settled fire union contract covering 7/1/2023–6/30/2026 and estimated the retro payment at about $175,000 for fiscal 2025; staff said final numbers are still being calculated and expected early next week.
Design funding: For two recently acquired buildings (the community center and the Golf Club building), the Select Board decided to seek only design funds and owner’s project manager (OPM) costs at the fall town meeting; the golf‑club request will include funds for a restaurant consultant as part of the design phase.
Administrative staffing and CPA administration: Committee discussed Community Preservation Act administrative funds and the creation of a community development assistant position that consolidates existing board‑secretary hours (ZBA and Historic Commission) and provides additional hours to support CPA administration; the net increase was described as under 20 total hours and budgeted across the affected accounts.
Fire union item: Staff said the fire settlement will be presented as a single warrant article requesting transfer from free cash to cover retroactive pay; numbers were described as approximate and will be finalized before a committee vote.
Quote: “We have a savings because we've had some vacancies in the finance office,” a staff presenter said, explaining transfers to cover contracted transition support.
What’s next: Staff will finalize retro pay calculations early next week and provide updated appropriation figures so the committee can vote on the fire contract transfer when final numbers are available.
