Mayor Hedland says town must scale back paving as budget tightens

Mayor Robert Hedland said the town’s ambitious paving program will be reduced this year because of tighter municipal finances and only modest state road aid. “We’ve been doing about 8 million annually in paving and getting caught up,” Hedland said, adding the state Chapter 90 allotment rose only slightly to about $1.65 million. He said the town cannot sustain the full $8 million target in the current budget year.

The mayor framed the change as a painful but necessary rebalancing driven by broader fiscal pressures and school funding shortfalls. Hedland said state education aid (Chapter 70) and other funding streams have not kept pace with inflation and teacher pay, forcing the town to shift resources. “This is going to be our worst budget year in 10 years,” he said, and officials are working with the school department to finalize a budget.

Hedland described how the town increased its paving activity under his administration after years of underinvestment, noting that historically the state provided about $1.2–1.5 million annually while the town raised its own contribution. He said an increase in the town’s recognized road miles—through acceptance of previously private ways—slightly boosted Chapter 90 aid but will not offset the reduction in local contribution.

The mayor also addressed resident concerns about specific streets, private unaccepted roads and the timing of repaving tied to utility work. He said some roads are state-controlled and require coordination with the state and utilities before repaving can occur. Hedland repeated a commitment to prioritizing heavily used corridors and urged residents to review forthcoming details from the town’s paving schedule.

The discussion closed with Hedland promising to provide more information as the town finalizes its numbers and to continue working with state partners and the school department on budget balances.