Tony Fields

The Finance Committee meeting included a request from the Director of Facilities for a reserve fund transfer of up to $97,900 to cover an unanticipated piston failure in the library elevator, which the committee moved to approve. The Director of Planning presented the Fiscal Year 2027 Budget, noting it is level funded from the prior year, with the presentation materials to be saved for the following meeting. Additionally, the committee discussed the requirement for an up-to-date model to be saved in Dropbox, which Mr. Prince will follow up on, and reviewed the calendar for upcoming committee meetings.

The Finance Committee meeting included presentations for the Fiscal Year 2027 budgets. The Bedford Free Public Library presented a budget request totaling $1.7 million, with future considerations for technology updates, adjusted working hours, and new positions. The Board of Health presented a FY27 budget of $548 thousand, marking a 2.2% increase from the prior year, noting efforts to manage costs and secure additional grants. The Capital budget presentation totaled $6.785 million, which was 47% less than the previous year and below the $7.0 million guideline; this budget, covering IT, public safety, DPW, facilities, and schools, was finalized after committee review and ranking of requests.

The meeting included a public comment session where a resident advocated for greater representation at the Sustainable Middlesex Carbon Countdown and discussed the hiring of an additional Energy and Sustainability Manager. Key agenda items involved interviews for committee appointments. The appointment of Stuart Trout to the Hanscom Area Towns Committee was approved, with emphasis on his factual outlook and proposed focus on environmental aspects like transitioning combustion engines to diesel/electric aircrafts. Armen Zildjian was appointed to the Patriotic Holiday Committee. In Department of Public Works business, the Board approved the final design contract with BETA Group Inc. for the Town Common project, noting plans for further refinement and community outreach. The Board also approved the construction phase services contract with Green International Affiliates for the Great Road Improvement Project, which supports the relocation of the Fire Station, anticipating work to start in the spring and conclude by November 2026. An update on the Wilson Park Committee was provided, covering design options based on community attributes and pedestrian safety improvements near the 362 Reformatory Branch crosswalk. Finally, the Select Board voted to open the 2026 Annual Town Meeting Warrant, discussing the timeline and reviewing numerous articles related to budgets, bylaws, and appropriations.

The meeting commenced with a call to order, noting that the meeting was being recorded. Key actions included the election of Mr. Trout as vice chair and Mr. Shaw as clerk for the Committee. Discussions covered several informational items, including a funding primer memo (to be followed up on in December), a presentation on property rights related to takings (ranging from right of entry to fee taking), and an overview of signal coordination timing along the Great Road corridor. The Committee reviewed and approved the second draft of the Committee's purpose, goals, and deliverables, adding a goal to 'Engage the public with the intent that doing nothing is not an option.' The second draft of the community engagement plan was also revised, adopting a 'living document' status for public posting, and including periodic updates to represented committees. Furthermore, the Committee reviewed the second draft of the alternatives matrix attributes and scoring process, agreeing to have staff flesh out three additional attributes—funding challenges, project execution and disruption, and parochial bias—for future consideration.

Key discussion items for this meeting included coordinating minutes, providing development updates regarding the 210 Springs Road Surplus State Land Divestiture RFP and an update from the developer on Carlisle Road 40B. The partnership also planned to discuss a Home Rule Petition for a Local Real Estate Transfer Fee, comparing language from Concord and Brookline's petitions. Other topics involved reviewing the TBRA program application and flyer utilizing HOME Consortium funds, following up on the evaluation of the Chapter 59 Section 5o tax exemption incentive for affordable housing, and discussing the Shawsheen Ridge HOA Special Assessment.