Wastewater committee eyes separate DIF-area vote, authorizes up to $30,000 for consultant work

The Chair of the Town of Southborough Board of Wastewater Committee said the panel is preparing to pursue a separate development-impact-fee (DIF) area designation and is seeking consultant analysis so voters can decide at a possible Oct. 17 special town meeting.

The committee discussed a recent legal check suggesting the town can vote on the DIF area separately from the full DIF plan, which would allow the town to capture an assessed-value benchmark of Jan. 1, 2026, if adopted at a fall meeting. "We can do the diff area separately if we choose," the Chair said, presenting the legal option that keeps earlier assessment dates available.

Why it matters: establishing a DIF area earlier can accelerate the tax-assessment baseline used for financing sewer and wastewater projects. Committee members said a timely, externally produced financial analysis would strengthen community outreach and provide clearer revenue and cost estimates before asking town meeting voters to act.

The Select Board recently approved shifting unused economic-development funds so the wastewater committee can use up to $30,000 to hire a consultant through MassDevelopment, the Chair said. The Chair summarized the funding source: "there was about 50 or $60,000 in salaries that were not used for FY26 and something like $11,000 worth of services money," and the Select Board authorized reallocating up to $30,000 for consulting work.

Committee members emphasized the timeline limits. MassDevelopment must identify a consultant with the bandwidth to deliver meaningful parcel-level financial analysis within a tight schedule — the group discussed the need to have a signed scope and consultant in place quickly to beat an end-of-June encumbrance window. One Committee member said MassDevelopment's turnaround target would be roughly 2.5 months so feasibility results could arrive by mid-September and support an education "blitz" before an Oct. 17 special town meeting.

On approach and scope: members agreed to supply MassDevelopment with previous work (parcel mapping and preliminary slides) and to ensure any consultant coordinates with local experts. "We have the DIF mapped out. We have all of these things done," one Committee member said, urging that local knowledge be combined with the consultant's analysis. The committee discussed parcel scenarios focused along Route 9 and the town's west end, and noted prior, rough sizing exercises (one member referenced a 500,000-gallon-per-day figure as a high-level reference) should not substitute for a formal feasibility study.

AI tool and site scoring: the Chair described a pro bono, AI-assisted first pass at site scoring that an outside firm offered, calling it a useful marketing-grade tool but urging verification. "You take it with a grain of salt," the Chair said, asking the group to have planning and conservation staff check conservation restrictions and other local records before relying on those automated results.

Next steps: Claire will draft an initial scope of services and forward it to MassDevelopment's DIF coordinator. If MassDevelopment can match a consultant with capacity and an acceptable fee (the committee hopes for a cost below $30,000), the committee plans a short special meeting within days to vote to approve the contract. The committee also discussed meeting availability for a quick follow-up (options included a Monday or Tuesday morning Zoom meeting) and agreed to post a meeting once timing is confirmed.

Votes at a glance: the committee approved the May 21 minutes with one change (motion carried by roll call) and later moved to adjourn; the committee recorded roll-call votes and adjourned at about 7:43 p.m.

The committee will reconvene or convene a short special meeting if MassDevelopment identifies a consultant able to begin work; otherwise the group will await further updates and continue preparation for possible fall town-meeting action.