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Millis Select Board reviews goals; discusses affordable housing, sewer capacity and Tri County school funding
Summary
At its June 1 meeting the Town of Millis Select Board reviewed last year's goals and debated priorities for FY'28, focusing on affordable housing planning, regionalization of services, PFAS remediation funding, sewer capacity options, and setting aside free cash to blunt Tri County school construction costs.
The Millis Select Board devoted the bulk of its meeting on Monday to reviewing last year's goals and shaping priorities for the coming year, touching on housing, infrastructure, PFAS remediation, and the town's share of regional school construction costs.
Chair Craig Schultz opened the discussion by noting the town produced a balanced FY'27 budget and added a public-safety position within existing constraints. The board reviewed goals ranging from consolidating town services with neighboring communities to expanding enterprise-fund transparency and pursuing grants and settlements to address PFAS contamination.
Affordable housing and sewer capacity drew sustained attention. Schultz said the town has been exploring MBTA zoning, state senior and family housing programs, and an RFP-driven process to identify suitable sites and scope. On legal eligibility and residency the chair noted program limits: residents would need legal status to qualify in certain housing programs and the RFP will be location-agnostic until a site is chosen.
On sewer capacity and economic development, the board discussed options such as purchasing capacity from neighboring towns and using an enterprise advisory committee to review projects. Town Administrator Mike Kaczynski described limited funding to add a part-time conservation agent and ongoing talks with area towns about shared services.
A central financial conversation concerned Tri County school construction. The chair proposed setting aside excess free cash to cover the town's construction share as a short-term measure while seeking a permanent revenue solution. Kaczynski described the regional contract structure as "unusual" and observed that Millis had been "22 votes short" of a debt-exclusion approval in the regional vote, a detail the board cited as a reason to seek stopgap funding instead of immediate cuts or an override. "We were 22 votes short of the debt exclusion approval," he said, describing the regional vote outcome and the town's resulting obligations.
Board members asked finance and administrative staff to model scenarios and identify which services would face cuts should revenues not improve; members noted the proposal would buy roughly two years of breathing room. The board also discussed creation of advisory committees for housing work, but some members said they preferred board‑led public meetings to avoid elongating the process.
The board agreed to continue refining the goals and carry several items—PFAS grants and settlements, sewer capacity negotiations, affordable housing RFP draft and site search, and enterprise reporting—into the FY'28 budgeting process and future agendas.
Next steps: staff will provide more detailed fiscal scenarios for Tri County obligations, pursue grant and settlement opportunities for PFAS remediation, and prepare an affordable-housing RFP draft for future public review.
