A series of warrant articles and capital items moved forward at the Feb. 11 joint meeting of the Select Board and Finance Committee. Committee members approved funding recommendations on a number of articles and votes of endorsement; several items were tabled or referred for additional review.

What the committee approved

- Community Preservation Fund (Article 26): The committee voted to adopt the Community Preservation Fund (CPC) appropriation plan for fiscal 2026. Linda Williams (presenter, Community Preservation Committee) reviewed a roster of historic preservation, community housing and open‑space projects. Town staff and CPC members said the CPC expects approximately $4,054,420 to allocate this year; Brian (Finance Director) noted roughly 18% of that amount is expected from the state match and the remainder from the local 3% surcharge on property tax bills. Vote: motion carried by roll call (unanimous among voting members present).

- CPC borrowing authorization for affordable housing (Article 28): The committee voted to support a motion authorizing the CPC to borrow an additional $5,000,000 for affordable housing (a third borrowing authorization). Brian and housing staff said the borrowing would be paid back from CPC receipts and that the town is already carrying existing CPC bond authorizations. Vote: approved (committee roll call recorded as affirmative among eligible voting members; some members recused from related items as noted in the minutes).

- Capital program reconciliation (Article 10): Committee endorsed the capital program presented by the Capital Program Committee, totaling $28,863,650 in combined sources (raise and appropriate, free cash, borrowing and capital exclusions). The article reconciles departmental capital needs with the general fund recommendation. Vote: approved, unanimous.

- Town employee housing (Article 11): The committee approved a motion to adopt an article to fund design and construction of phase‑1 town employee housing on Wake Drive (three of five proposed lots). Rick (presenter) said the request covers design and construction for three lots (roughly six buildings — three single‑family and three duplexes) and that the current ask is $14,000,000 (design plus construction). Vote: approved, unanimous.

- Public works facility design (Article 12): Drew Patnode (DPW director) presented a request for a $1,200,000 supplemental appropriation to finish construction documents and bidding for a new DPW facility at 1 Shadbush Road. Drew said about $2.55 million has been appropriated previously and current independent cost estimates place the building in the tens of millions; the committee voted to approve the supplemental design appropriation. Vote: approved, unanimous.

Items deferred or tabled

- Article 27 (transfers/reserves from prior approved projects): Staff reported the CPC is still finalizing which prior‑approved projects have unused balances to return; Article 27 was tabled for a March 10 update.

- Tom Nevers bike path (right of way / construction funding): Mike Burns and DPW staff reported recent outreach to affected property owners and said revised alignments have reduced estimated right‑of‑way impacts, but recent construction bids suggest rising costs; staff recommended returning the request to the Capital Program Committee for further review and to allow updated estimates; CAPCOM review was requested before this committee acts further.

Context and numbers

- CPC: Linda Williams described a strong historic‑preservation year with multiple large projects (church steeple, roofs, landmark properties). Brian said the town estimates CPC receipts at approximately $3.35 million from the local 3% surcharge this year, with roughly 18% additional from state matching funds, yielding a total allocation package of about $4.05 million for FY2026. Committee members noted the CPC must by law set aside minimum percentages for housing, historic preservation and open space, and that the mix of projects varies year to year.

- Debt and borrowing: For the CPC borrowing item, staff explained the $5,000,000 bonding would add debt service that the CPC would set aside annually; staff estimated each $5 million borrowing would require roughly $350,000 a year in set‑asides under a 15‑year amortization.

What’s next

Approved articles will move forward to the town meeting warrant and (where required) to the ballot for debt‑exclusion questions. Items returned to CAPCOM or tabled will be revisited at the March 10 meeting or at CAPCOM’s next scheduled meeting. The Tom Nevers bike‑path request will return to CAPCOM for design and right‑of‑way adjustments and updated cost estimates before Finance Committee action.

Vote list in brief

- Article 26 (CPC FY2026 appropriation): approved (roll call recorded as unanimous among eligible voting members)
- Article 28 (CPC borrowing authorization, $5,000,000): approved (committee endorsement; some members recused where noted)
- Article 10 (capital program reconciliation, $28,863,650): approved, unanimous
- Article 11 (town employee housing, phase 1): approved, unanimous; phase 1 funding $14,000,000 (design + construction) as presented
- Article 12 (DPW facility design documents and bidding): approved, unanimous; supplemental request $1,200,000
- Article 27 (project transfers/reserves): tabled to March 10
- Tom Nevers bike path (right of way/construction): referred back to CAPCOM for revised alignment, outreach and updated estimates