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Town attorney flags long-term water agreement as major upcoming legal work
Summary
Town counsel reviewed the FY27 legal budget and said past spikes were driven by a regional sewer agreement and a data-center negotiation; he identified an upcoming multi-decade water agreement as the next large legal priority that will involve the utility commission and require approval by multiple town bodies.
Town counsel summarized the legal budget and recent drivers of higher spending, noting two prior projects: the regional sewer effort and a multi-month data center host-fee negotiation. He said those one-time efforts explained spikes in prior fiscal years and that going forward the single largest anticipated legal workload will come from negotiation of a long-term water agreement led by the utility commission.
Counsel described the water agreement as a large, multi-decade contract that will affect the community's water security and rates and said the utility commission will lead negotiations and recommend terms to the board of selectmen, the board of finance and the RTM for approval. "Whatever deal is struck is going to be a deal that serves the entire community," he said, and the board was briefed that the work could require substantial legal effort. The board approved the legal budget.
