Finance committee recommends DPW budget after detailed presentation by Jeff Colby

Jeff Colby, representing the Town of Yarmouth Department of Public Works, presented the department’s FY22–23 budgets and said the division has completed a new DPW building and several capital projects while facing rising maintenance and disposal costs. "We had a ribbon cutting this November, and we're in there — it's an excellent building that will meet the needs of the DPW and the town for many years to come," Colby said.

The presentation summarized work across DPW portfolios: about 17 public buildings, roughly 26 parks and beaches, seven cemeteries, and some 19 miles of annual pavement maintenance. Colby highlighted major and recurring expenses, including a roughly $3,000,000 police-station HVAC project (about halfway complete), ongoing pump-station rehabs, and planning and design funding for a wastewater treatment facility. He said the town completed phase 1 of the Higgins Kroll shared-use path and expects further phases as funding allows.

Why it matters: The committee must weigh limited operating funds and capital requests against growing maintenance needs and new enterprise obligations. Colby told the committee that several DPW lines were reorganized for FY23 — some positions were reclassified and payroll lines moved between funds — and he said those changes affect how numbers print from Munis rather than representing net increases in head count.

On staffing and operations, Colby said centralizing facilities and vehicle maintenance would create efficiencies. He recommended adding facility staff and additional mechanics to reduce outsourced work: "When we were building this building, Weston & Sampson did an analysis — to maintain all town vehicles in-house would take eight mechanics. We're definitely not going to have eight mechanics, but we can do more in house by adding some mechanics." He recommended a centralized approach rather than assigning a dedicated facilities person to each building.

Committee members pressed for clearer financial context. Members requested balance-sheet information and clearer enterprise fund summaries so volunteers and non-accountant committee members could understand retained earnings and buffers. Colby said the septic enterprise fund has retained earnings in the range of $4,000,000 and that septic revenues and hauler behavior cause year-to-year volatility. He also noted sludge disposal is expensive; currently septage is trucked to a landfill in Seneca Falls, New York, and staff are exploring anaerobic digestion and other options to reduce costs and PFAS-related constraints.

On recycling and sanitation, Roby Whitehouse, assistant DPW director, highlighted rising costs for C&D and mattress recycling and said he has requested permission for a fee hearing to raise those disposal fees. "A lot of these costs are really outside of our control," Whitehouse said, adding that staff are monitoring markets and plan a fee hearing with the Board of Selectmen.

On beaches and parks, Colby corrected a slide to show beach receipts of $877,000 for the year and explained that park maintenance accounts do not capture all beach-related costs (lifeguards and recreation are separate budgets).

Formal action: After questions, the committee voted to recommend the DPW budget "as presented." George moved the recommendation and it was seconded; the committee voted unanimously in favor.

What’s next: The Finance Committee’s recommendation advances the DPW budget to the town’s next review stage. Members asked staff to provide clearer enterprise fund balance sheets and to return with more detail where retained earnings, debt-service assumptions, or potential short-term borrowing might be used.