Town Budget Proposed, Costs Escalate

Weston Today photo

First Selectwoman Samantha Nestor presented her proposed budget to the Board of Selectmen last Thursday evening, calling it “a work in progress” with some decisions made unilaterally but others “to be made collectively as a board.”

As things stand, Ms. Nestor said the sum of proposed Town, education, capital and debt service budgets would increase taxes by 5.31 percent, even after she removed two school district capital items that amount to more than $3 million. Ms. Nestor said about $400,000 in planned Town capital projects have been deferred.

One deleted school project is the $2.4 million HVAC replacement at Hurlbutt Elementary’s North House. Ms. Nestor said she is not cutting the project, but proposes “funding it in an alternate way.” More below.

Operating costs increase

The first selectwoman’s proposal shows operating expenses growing by just over $890,000, up 5.43 percent. More than a third of the increase is driven by a surge in health insurance costs, which rise $336,833 above last year’s level. Towns and school districts everywhere, said Ms. Nestor, “are being walloped by the same thing.”

Other expenses rising for Town Hall include costs to operate the municipal water system, IT system upgrades, pension contributions, and workers compensation premiums. The budget also anticipates increasing support at the senior center and adding $25,000 to police department overtime for extra traffic enforcement.

For more than a year the police have been receiving State and federal funds to pay overtime for enhanced traffic enforcement, but those funds appear to no longer be available. The money has allowed police to heighten their presence on Weston roadways, with a significant increase in posts, stops, warnings and citations.

The effort appears to be working. Chief Ed Henion says officers report a general decrease in the number of vehicles operating well over posted speed limits. The department originally asked for $50,000 to continue the added patrols in full, but that amount is halved in the first selectwoman’s budget (to the consternation of the Police Commission).

Capital

The proposed budget includes just over $3.6 million for Town capital projects, “basic needs that we have to address,” said Ms. Nestor. The proposal reduces school district projects to $1.965 million, less than half the $4.7 million requested by the Board of Education.

Ms. Nestor said 96 percent of her capital ask is for maintenance, including $835,000 for road paving and reconstruction. That amount is around the annual level anticipated two years ago when decisions were made to finance a rapid road improvement program with short-term bonds.

The capital proposal also contains allocations to replace equipment and vehicles, including an aging fire truck, part of a multi-year multi-truck replacement program. $125,000 is on the list for engineering services to plan Town facility improvements, partly focused on qualifying for State grants and enhancing the library.

School projects

The first selectwoman’s capital proposal deletes the Board of Education’s top priority, the $2.4 million request for HVAC at North House. Also removed is the board’s lowest priority, $700,000 for a new roof at the elementary school.

Ms. Nestor was quick to note that she is not cutting either project, but is proposing “funding in an alternate way.”

She advocates drawing from reserves to pay for the HVAC project, keeping its $2.4 million price out of the tax levy. She said Weston’s fund balance currently stands at about $19 million, most of it money taxpayers have already paid, plus interest earned.

Ms. Nestor said that if, as the school district administration expects, the North House project qualifies for around $500,000 in State reimbursements, that would cover most of replacing the Hurlbutt roof.

By our calculations, taxing for these projects would swell the hypothetical 5.31 percent tax hike to somewhere around 9.5 percent, barring reductions elsewhere.

Ms. Nestor cited past examples of large projects financed out of the fund balance, including the $4.5 million land mobile radio system that significantly improves emergency communications. An associated half-million dollar State grant arrived later, freeing up Town money to put toward a new fire truck.

Legs for the idea to fund North House from reserves stretch back to last year, when the project was essentially tabled until engineering work was done and estimates firmed up. At that time, the boards of Selectmen and Finance both expressed willingness to consider supplemental funding early in 2026.

In January, the boards approved a $600,000 supplemental appropriation to jump-start the project, leaving to later the question of how to finance the rest. That allocation, not quite finalized, may be moot until budgetary decisions are made about the project as a whole.

Next steps

The Board of Selectmen reviews the Board of Education and Town budgets on February 11 and 12, with more review time available before a scheduled vote on February 25. (The selects have no power to change the Board of Education operating budget, but can pass along recommendations.)

The Board of Finance takes up the education and Town budgets on March 4 and 11 respectively. Additional time, if needed, is available before a public hearing on March 31. On April 9, the board is scheduled to vote final budgets to propose to the Annual Town Budget Meeting (ATBM), which convenes on April 22. Budget Referendum voting begins that evening and resumes on Saturday, May 2.