The Millis Select Board on April 7 voted unanimously to recommend a fiscal year 2026 town budget that allocates a 6% increase for both municipal and school budgets, and to add two articles to the upcoming May 5 town meeting warrant: a Tri‑County debt reserve and a $300,000 account for unanticipated repairs at town and school buildings.

The board’s recommended budget keeps the school department at a level‑service position plus $72,342 (a roughly 6% increase for the schools) and makes modest municipal increases to cover staffing and operating needs. The town administrator and finance director told the board the package funds one additional full‑time highway laborer in the Department of Public Works, adds a new human resources program (two full‑time HR positions and supporting hours for a benefits/generalist role), increases hours for the IT and recreation directors, and funds an additional firefighter position to be paid from ambulance receipts. The board also included modest capital and operating requests such as authorization to lease two police cruisers; the lease authorization is funded within the police operating budget.

Why it matters: town officials said the budget balances rising cost drivers — including an approximately 11% increase in health insurance and a larger pension assessment — against shrinking “new growth” revenue expectations. The town’s finance director estimated new growth at roughly $600,000 for FY26 (down from prior estimates), and recommended a more conservative local‑receipts projection than the recent historical peak so free cash is not depleted next year.

Key warrant changes and funding moves:
- Tri‑County debt reserve: the board voted to create a special article to establish a reserve to cover Millis’ debt portion tied to the Tri‑County school project. The transcript identified the town’s annual debt obligation for the project as $343,075; the board directed that an additional $250,000 be placed into a reserve to build a multi‑year cushion. The sums were discussed as being combined so the reserve would total about $593,075 to cover the first payment and provide a planned multi‑year reserve for future payments.
- Unanticipated building repairs: the board approved adding an article to transfer $300,000 from available funds to a one‑time account for emergency/unanticipated repairs at municipal and school buildings (examples cited include HVAC and drainage failures that cannot wait for the next town meeting cycle).
- Road paving allocation: a proposed $250,000 transfer for road and sidewalk paving (previously proposed as Article 10) was removed from the spring warrant; board members discussed preserving flexibility for Tri‑County obligations and considered funding paving in the usual November allocation instead or from fall free cash.
- Other recommended transfers the finance director listed for the warrant included $40,736.55 to the unemployment insurance fund, $300,000 to the Chapter 41, Section 111F injury leave indemnity fund, $50,000 to the Other Post‑Employment Benefits (OPEB) fund, and an initial plan to add $100,000 to stabilization; the board later agreed to increase the stabilization/reserve strategy in concert with the Tri‑County reserve plan.

Budget revenue and program notes: the finance director said the town is increasing the local receipts projection to about $2.9 million for FY26, a higher, more optimistic figure than recent budgets but still conservative relative to recent one‑time receipts that drove larger free cash in prior years. Officials emphasized that the HR positions are intended to reduce downstream personnel and benefits risks; the board argued that improved HR capacity could prevent costly personnel issues and improve benefit administration for the town and schools.

Discussion and dissent: several board members and liaisons raised public‑safety staffing as an unresolved item. The police chief had requested three additional officers; board members said the budget as presented does not include those hires. Select Board members and the finance committee described the competing priorities and the desire to keep the school and municipal increases proportional — a factor that limited additional municipal hires beyond the single DPW laborer. At least one board member urged the town to pursue additional police staffing in the fall if free cash or savings permit.

Votes at a glance (actions recorded at the April 7 meeting):
- Motion to open the May 5, 2025 town meeting warrant: moved, seconded, passed (Aye; unanimous).
- Motion to add two articles to the spring 2025 warrant — one creating a Tri‑County debt reserve and one establishing an unanticipated municipal/school building repairs fund — and to remove the prior road paving allocation from the spring warrant: moved, seconded, passed (Aye; unanimous).
- Motion that the select board endorse the 21 articles on the spring 2025 warrant (as amended): moved, seconded, passed (Aye; unanimous).
- Motion to close the May 5, 2025 town meeting warrant: moved, seconded, passed (Aye; unanimous).
- Motion that the select board recommend the FY26 town budget as presented (6% allocations to town and school): moved, seconded, passed (Aye; unanimous).
- Motion to adjourn the meeting: moved, seconded, passed.

What’s next: the articles as amended will go to the annual town meeting on May 5, 2025. The board instructed staff to draft the revised warrant language and the reserve/account descriptions that will appear on the warrant and to supply any additional financial detail requested by committee liaisons prior to the town meeting.

Ending: board members thanked the finance director and town staff for late‑day revisions to the revenue and budget worksheets and emphasized continuing review of longer‑term cost drivers such as Tri‑County debt, health insurance costs and pension assessments.