Town Manager John Manduray presented the Town of Acton’s recommended fiscal year 2026 municipal operating budget and capital plan on the Select Board’s agenda, proposing a $40,940,000 operating budget — a 4.79% increase from the prior year and a net requested increase of about 4.56% when capital offsets are included.

Manduray said the budget reflects last year’s voter-approved override and that the town withheld about $1.2–$1.3 million of the override levy in year one as a policy choice. "This is my 7th budget presentation," Manduray told the board, noting the presentation is the culmination of a months-long process that started in August and included revenue updates, level-services proposals and a capital plan.

The recommended budget relies heavily on property tax revenue (nearly 90% of operating revenue, the manager said) and preserves a reserve policy the town has been using (roughly 3–5% of the operating budget). Major operating and capital items in the recommendation include:

- Public safety: proposal to add an administrative lieutenant for the police department and two firefighter positions (to complement current staffing and reduce overtime); ongoing radio infrastructure upgrades and a planned new fire engine.
- Building electrification and energy projects: $1.9 million proposed for complete HVAC electrification of the Town Hall; ongoing sustainability investments, including continued work on HVAC replacement and planned electrification studies across town buildings.
- Transportation, sidewalks and stormwater: $1.9 million proposed for complete streets and sidewalks; $850,000 for stormwater investments to repair culverts, bridges and drainage.
- Capital borrowing: five borrowing requests proposed in FY26 (Town Hall HVAC/electrification, complete streets/sidewalks, fire engine, stormwater work and radio system replacement). Manduray said lead times for vehicles and apparatus have grown and the town must authorize projects earlier to replace equipment on schedule.
- New or expanded programs: a transfer-station subsidy program (to respond to a citizen petition), a $40,000 childcare subsidy program transitioned from federal grant funding into a baseline budget item, and continued support for traffic-calming and town events.

Manduray said the capital plan contains 111 identified investments over 10 years but only a fraction can be funded next year; the FY26 capital slate included 30 projects, of which several must be deferred. He also warned that delaying large projects can increase cost: "If you take a $43,000,000 estimate in 2025 and you decide to just kind of put it on the shelf and revisit it in five years, the number goes up substantially," he said, referring to the DPW facility estimate presented later in the meeting.

Manduray noted the town will continue to pursue grants (about $1 million a year in recent practice) and use alternative funding sources where possible (sale proceeds, revolving funds, ARPA). He also urged residents and boards to review the 198-page budget book the town published and asked for feedback during upcoming budget workshops and the ALG (Acton Leadership Group) process.

Finance Committee members in the meeting urged a stricter 3% guideline for operating increases and asked for more lead time to digest the budget materials before workshops; FINCOM members said they remain unconvinced about some new positions and the overall recommended operating increase amid the recent override. Manduray responded that staff will provide written answers to Finance Committee questions ahead of workshop dates.

Manduray said the recommended budget is a starting point at the Select Board’s direction and will be shaped by board input, Finance Committee review and town meeting debate before final appropriations.

Ending

Select Board members scheduled follow-up budget workshops with staff and asked for clarifying materials (FTE changes, funding sources for new positions and options to scale projects). The manager said the town will publish answers to Finance Committee questions ahead of the scheduled workshops and continue to seek resident input ahead of the town’s budgeting deadlines.