Opening remarks
A resident appreciated the presence of the Finance Committee (FinCom) at the opening of the January 13, 2025 Select Board meeting, and praised the FinCom for their listening session at the Memorial library. She recounted the steep increase in her properties’ appraised value and said that she and others had to consider leaving Acton due to the tax burden. Another resident repeated a plea for Forest Road sidewalks.
Legislative update
Fourteenth Middlesex District State Representative Simon Cataldo gave a presentation to the Board, first listing a variety of state financial supports (as both local aid and grants) for Acton. Rep. Cataldo reviewed the 2023-2024 legislative session and outlined aims for the 2025-2026 session, including several Home Rule petitions for Acton; and listed Fiscal Year 2026 budget priorities. Rep. Cataldo reviewed the status of the closed MCI Concord property and its potential for traffic relief at the adjacent Concord rotary.
Finance, budgets, and guidance
Town Manager John Mangiaratti’s briefing to the Select Board and FinCom included a presentation and a detailed recommended budget for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26). Mr. Mangiaratti noted that the budget is driven by the Select Board’s goals, and listed community priorities; reviewed Acton’s revenue sources (89% from property taxes) and receipts from subsidies and grants; reviewed capital expenditures (listed by funding source – cash or borrowing); and finally reviewed the history and motivation for bringing a debt-exclusion-funded Department of Public works (DPW) building to the voters.
Mr. Mangiaratti’s FY26 recommended budget listed a net request of $42,710,573, a 4.58% increase over the FY25 budget. Select Board members asked about various specific budget details. The FinCom has vigorously questioned the need for a DPW building on the scale of the current proposal (FinCom Chair Jason Cole: “…we are unanimously against the DPW building at this size and scope… “). FinCom member Christi Anderson suggested a moderated discussion, between the Select Board and FinCom, of DPW building plans.
Long-time FinCom member Stephen Noone said “…there were three top level line items that account for 98% of the increase: salaries as a whole; health insurance, and Middlesex pension…so this budget discussion comes down to salaries [and] head counts”. Both FinCom members and a resident questioned the need for specific Town departments. Department heads’ presentation of budgets will be on January 15 and January 21, 2025.
Fire and emergency medical services (EMS) are among the Select Board’s long term goals, and the recommended budget includes two firefighters and a fire prevention officer. In a presentation to the Board, Acton Fire Chief Anita Arnum described firefighters’ unique work schedules and the staffing difficulties at the fire stations. She described the work opportunities for EMS professionals (“…it’s a paramedics’ market out there…”) and the need for teamwork and mentoring that is made more difficult given staffing challenges.
Mr. Mangiaratti and Chief Arnum described a state grant-funded fire station deployment pilot program, an experimental change to fire station staffing. Chief Arnum mentioned an analysis done by Criterion Associates in June 2024 that “… suggested that a two-station model might best serve the needs of the community with the current staffing levels”. (The Acton study was not made available with the present meeting’s documents but a similar study of Westwood, MA done by Criterion Associates is here.) Chief Arnum said the pilot program will establish equal-size North and South districts with a full complement of National Fire Protection Association (NPFA)-recommended staffing plus an ambulance for each district. The pilot program is expressly time-limited and includes explicit assessment standards; a consulting firm will analyze the outcomes by NPFA-established criteria. Select Board members enthusiastically welcomed the plan.
Briefly noted
- To accommodate stormwater runoff and the Powder Mill apartments, the Board approved the construction of an equalization tank that will add overflow capacity to the wastewater treatment facility.
- Assistant Town Manager Thom Begin updated the Board on the 17 Woodbury Lane (Asa Parlin house) project where a contract has been awarded; on the dog park (also contracted), and on the 53 River Street dam removal and park, where progress continues.
- The Board reviewed and discussed a proposed schedule for the upcoming April 29 Annual Town Election and the May 5 Annual Town Meeting.
- The Board approved a shared transportation agreement between Acton, Sudbury, and Littleton after hearing Mr. Mangiaratti’s brief review of the program’s history.
Hearings
The two hearings that were scheduled for the present meeting were rescheduled, one each to the next two scheduled Select Board meetings.
Tom Beals is the Select Board beat reporter for the Acton Exchange as well as a member of the Tech Team for the paper.
