Town manager presents FY27 capital plan: $104.1M for FY27, 10‑yr CIP totals $887.9M; police station, library and outfall drive increases

Town Manager Wrenshaw delivered the first review of the proposed FY27 capital budget and the town’s 10‑year capital improvement plan on July 27. The FY27 proposal totals $104.105 million across all funding sources and the 10‑year plan (FY27–36) sums to roughly $887.95 million. Wrenshaw stressed the effect of three large borrowing projects—police facility, East Falmouth Library and the wastewater outfall—on the year‑to‑year spike in spending.

Key funding points included heavy reliance on bond proceeds (approximately $78.5 million in FY27), a reduced use of free cash compared with prior years (management proposed limiting free cash draw to preserve a $3 million reserve), and an emphasis on grants and donations where feasible (the East Falmouth Library has a provisional state grant and potential private donations reducing net town cost).

The manager highlighted the police facility schematic estimate (about $65M remaining) and its tax impact estimates to the median single‑family homeowner. He also noted the East Falmouth Library schematic estimate of $16.7M, with state grant support of roughly $7.2M and potential $3M in local donations, which would lower the town’s net cost. For a proposed wastewater ocean outfall design item (~$7M), staff discussed potential necessity of a debt exclusion ballot given levy and borrowing constraints.

Wrenshaw and staff recommended deferring several items where policy or planning is incomplete (e.g., denitrifying septic mitigation) and proposed a community prioritization workshop to align the 10‑year plan with public values and the Select Board strategic priorities. Board members asked questions about operating cost impacts for major new facilities, timing of debt exclusion votes, and opportunities to pursue additional grant funding and grant‑writing support.