This was reduced sharply in the balanced budget. Without this restoration, the Town falls further behind on roadway maintenance and on the long-term plan to build annual paving funding to sustainable levels.

Presently, the only professional engineering staff at DPW is the Director. This position is needed for MS4 compliance documentation, contractor oversight, stormwater inspection, project management, and responding to drainage and flooding issues raised by residents.

This line is used to replace drainage pipes, add catch basins, clean swales and waterways, and improve drainage before roads are repaved. Without full funding, flooding issues and resident drainage concerns will continue unresolved.

This line funds stormwater vendor services and small projects that support MS4 compliance. The balanced budget pulls the Town further out of compliance.

This line pays for the materials DPW needs to perform roadway and drainage repairs, including crushed stone, riprap, loam, lumber, and repair materials often used to address problems affecting private property.

The preliminary budget created a 19-hour part-time support position to help DPW and Facilities with accounts payable and invoice reconciliation. The balanced budget funds only 10 hours.

Without this restoration, planned per diem coverage falls from 112 hours per week to 70. That leaves evening coverage at only 3 career staff and makes it harder to staff the second ambulance or ensure at least two firefighters respond on an initial fire call if the first ambulance is out.

Although this line has been underspent in some years, the addition of the 4th shift makes it more likely that new hires will need paramedic training. The balanced budget leaves little funding beyond covering a paramedic student.

This line funds outside instructors and paramedic tuition. Without restoration, the remaining amount would only cover one paramedic student and leave nothing for outside EMT or paramedic continuing education.

This line covers radio system maintenance and replacement of broken or worn portable radios, mobile radios, and pagers. Keeping it at the lower level limits the department’s ability to replace critical communication equipment.

This restoration supports fire vehicle maintenance needs that would otherwise have to compete with other critical operating expenses.

This line covers replacement of worn and obsolete firefighting equipment such as hose, nozzle, thermal imagers, and other tools whose costs have increased significantly.

The balanced budget further restricts training as costs have risen and new safety threats like lithium-ion battery fires, active shooter incidents, and photovoltaic systems require updated instruction.

With the addition of the 4th shift there will be an additional shift officer, resulting in more out-of-grade pay. If this line is exceeded, funding must be drawn from another budget line because it is contractual.

This line pays for textbooks and materials used in firefighter training, including materials to build training props and other consumable supplies.

This line funds personal protective equipment. Even a small cut reduces what can be replaced each year, affecting the department’s ability to maintain safe gear rotation and decontamination practices.

This line was cut closer to recent actuals, but with 3 new full-time staff their recertification costs still need to be covered.

EMS call volume continues to grow, while the cost of consumable supplies, medications, and maintenance on equipment such as cardiac monitors and stretchers has increased sharply. If this line runs short, funding may need to be drawn from more critical fire expense lines.

This restoration supports training and professional development for the Fire Chief.

This line funds the Recreation Director. Without funding, the position would be eliminated along with most organized recreation programming. Billing, scheduling, and field rental duties would shift to other staff, increasing workload elsewhere.

This line covers maintenance and repair of town parks and fields. Without restoration, the Town would be limited mostly to regular maintenance, with little or no funding for unforeseen repairs or improvements such as fence repairs, field repairs, parking area work, and structure repairs.

This line pays beach staff including the beach director, lifeguards, and swim instructors. The balanced budget only covers the 2026 beach season; without an override, the beach will likely not open in 2027.

This line is used to offer free programs to residents and to help run programs when staffing is short. Without it, and especially without the Recreation Director, there would be no recreation programs at all.

This line pays for parks-related office supplies, beach supplies, and some repair materials. The reduction has a smaller but still real impact on day-to-day operations.

This cut eliminates the 30-hour Young Adult Services Librarian position. The Town would lose a key professional role supporting teens shortly after investing over $120,000 of ARPA funds in the Teen Room. The impact includes reduced after-school activities, weaker summer reading for young adults, fewer outreach partnerships, more strain on remaining staff, and potentially one fewer evening open per week.

Without restoration, the library would cut several digital resources including Niche Academy, Morningstar, National Geographic Kids, and Fold3, and purchase roughly 200 fewer physical books.

This reduction would likely mean fewer library programs, especially for young adults, and roughly five fewer events overall.

This funding allows the Public Safety lobby to remain open from 3 PM to 7 PM. Without it, the lobby would be locked after 3 PM, residents would need to speak through a kiosk, and officers would need to absorb more front-desk and non-emergency call responsibilities.

This restoration supports police training and professional development needs associated with maintaining operations and readiness.

This restoration supports police overtime capacity that would otherwise remain reduced in the balanced budget.

This restoration keeps the uniform line at level funding rather than the reduced balanced-budget amount.

This partially restores the IT/Communications Manager position at about 19 hours per week. Without it, communications, public information, and technology coordination services are reduced to zero.

Tier 1 increases this line to support the staffing restored at that level.

This line supports two 9-hour dietary aides who help with meal setup, sanitation, dishwashing, food preparation, meal service, and Meals on Wheels coordination. Eliminating it would force the Meal Site Manager to absorb these duties, reducing efficiency and service quality.

Program funding supports fitness, wellness, social, and educational activities for older adults. A reduction would limit the scope and frequency of offerings.

This line supports paper goods, cleaning supplies, cups, and kitchen equipment for the self-supporting meal program. Without it, these costs must come from other lines or be passed on through higher meal costs.

This line restores the Town’s crisis communications and media relations contract to the full service level reflected in the preliminary budget. Funding it only at the FY26 level would reduce or eliminate those services.

This line funds the Town’s summer band concert program, typically five concerts featuring a traditional New England town band. Without it, the summer concert series would not be funded.

This line provides limited funding for recruitments, consulting assistance, and small administrative project support that cannot be handled internally.

This line funds shared office equipment supplies such as copier and printer toner, ink, paper, postage machine supplies, and similar common-use materials.

This line funds desks, chairs, file cabinets, tables, shelving, and other office furniture or larger items that departments often cannot absorb in smaller supply budgets.

This line provides limited support for Economic Development Committee activities, specifically the annual Town Official Meet & Greet. Without funding, the event would need donations or would not be held.

This line funds professional development, training, and certifications for Land Use Department heads so they can remain current and compliant.

This line provides a small amount of funding for incidental Historical Commission purchases. If a future need arises, it would need to be handled through another line item, transfer, grant, or donation.

This line covers occasional miscellaneous supplies and minor Historical Commission expenses, such as legal advertisements, replacement of the Boston Post Cane, or historical marker materials.

This line provides a small amount of funding for routine administrative expenses of the Architectural Preservation District Commission.

This was reduced sharply in the balanced budget. Without this restoration, the Town falls further behind on roadway maintenance and on the long-term plan to build annual paving funding to sustainable levels.

Presently, the only professional engineering staff at DPW is the Director. This position is needed for MS4 compliance documentation, contractor oversight, stormwater inspection, project management, and responding to drainage and flooding issues raised by residents.

This line is used to replace drainage pipes, add catch basins, clean swales and waterways, and improve drainage before roads are repaved. Without full funding, flooding issues and resident drainage concerns will continue unresolved.

This line funds stormwater vendor services and small projects that support MS4 compliance. The balanced budget pulls the Town further out of compliance.

This line pays for the materials DPW needs to perform roadway and drainage repairs, including crushed stone, riprap, loam, lumber, and repair materials often used to address problems affecting private property.

The preliminary budget created a 19-hour part-time support position to help DPW and Facilities with accounts payable and invoice reconciliation. The balanced budget funds only 10 hours.

This restores Patrol Officer staffing to 14 officers, adding two officers in accordance with the Police Department staffing plan and allowing restoration of two School Resource Officers.

This restores the fourth Sergeant position in accordance with the Police Department staffing plan.

This increase is associated with restoring police positions.

This funding allows the Public Safety lobby to remain open from 3 PM to 7 PM. Without it, the lobby would be locked after 3 PM, residents would need to use a kiosk, and officers would absorb more front-desk and phone responsibilities.

This restores a 16-hour administrative clerk who processes accounts payable, detail billing, payroll-related detail activity, and receipts. Without it, those duties shift to the remaining administrative assistant.

This increase is associated with restoring police positions.

This increase is associated with restoring police positions.

This increase is associated with restoring police positions.

This restores the second SRO in connection with the broader staffing restoration.

This increase is associated with restored staffing.

This increase is associated with restored staffing.

This increase is associated with restored staffing.

This line is restored to level funding rather than the reduced balanced-budget amount.

Tier 2 increases this line further to support staffing restored at the Tier 2 level.

Without this restoration, planned per diem coverage falls from 112 hours per week to 70. That leaves evening coverage at only 3 career staff and makes it harder to staff the second ambulance or ensure at least two firefighters respond on an initial fire call if the first ambulance is out.

Although this line has been underspent in some years, the addition of the 4th shift makes it more likely that new hires will need paramedic training. The balanced budget leaves little funding beyond covering a paramedic student.

This line funds outside instructors and paramedic tuition. Without restoration, the remaining amount would only cover one paramedic student and leave nothing for outside EMT or paramedic continuing education.

This line covers radio system maintenance and replacement of broken or worn portable radios, mobile radios, and pagers. Keeping it at the lower level limits the department’s ability to replace critical communication equipment.

This restoration supports fire vehicle maintenance needs that would otherwise have to compete with other critical operating expenses.

This line covers replacement of worn and obsolete firefighting equipment such as hose, nozzle, thermal imagers, and other tools whose costs have increased significantly.

The balanced budget further restricts training as costs have risen and new safety threats like lithium-ion battery fires, active shooter incidents, and photovoltaic systems require updated instruction.

With the addition of the 4th shift there will be an additional shift officer, resulting in more out-of-grade pay. If this line is exceeded, funding must be drawn from another budget line because it is contractual.

This line pays for textbooks and materials used in firefighter training, including materials to build training props and other consumable supplies.

This line funds personal protective equipment. Even a small cut reduces what can be replaced each year, affecting the department’s ability to maintain safe gear rotation and decontamination practices.

This line was cut closer to recent actuals, but with 3 new full-time staff their recertification costs still need to be covered.

EMS call volume continues to grow, while the cost of consumable supplies, medications, and maintenance on equipment such as cardiac monitors and stretchers has increased sharply. If this line runs short, funding may need to be drawn from more critical fire expense lines.

This restoration supports training and professional development for the Fire Chief.

This line funds the Recreation Director. Under Tier 2, the position is funded at a full-time level to expand programming, improve coordination of park and field use, and provide more consistent year-round recreation services.

This line covers maintenance and repair of town parks and fields. Without restoration, the Town would be limited mostly to routine maintenance with little capacity for repairs or improvements.

This line pays beach staff including the beach director, lifeguards, and swim instructors. Without restoration, the beach will likely not open in 2027.

This line is used to offer free programs to residents and to help operate programs when staffing is short. Without it, and especially without recreation staffing, there would be no recreation programs at all.

This line pays for parks-related office supplies, beach supplies, and some repair materials. The cut has a smaller but still real operational effect.

This fully restores the IT/Communications Manager position at about 32 hours per week, allowing for a higher level of public communication, project support, and technology coordination.

This cut eliminates the 30-hour Young Adult Services Librarian position. The Town would lose a key professional role supporting teens shortly after investing over $120,000 of ARPA funds in the Teen Room. The impact includes reduced after-school activities, weaker summer reading for young adults, fewer outreach partnerships, more strain on remaining staff, and potentially one fewer evening open per week.

Without restoration, the library would cut several digital resources including Niche Academy, Morningstar, National Geographic Kids, and Fold3, and purchase roughly 200 fewer physical books.

This reduction would likely mean fewer library programs, especially for young adults, and roughly five fewer events overall.

This funding helps the Town plan for long-term continuity of animal control services as staffing needs change, whether through a contract, inter-municipal agreement, or another delivery model.

This line supports two 9-hour dietary aides who help with meal setup, sanitation, dishwashing, food preparation, meal service, and Meals on Wheels coordination. Eliminating it would force the Meal Site Manager to absorb these duties, reducing efficiency and service quality.

Program funding supports fitness, wellness, social, and educational activities for older adults. A reduction would limit the scope and frequency of offerings.

This line supports paper goods, cleaning supplies, cups, and kitchen equipment for the self-supporting meal program. Without it, these costs must come from other lines or be passed on through higher meal costs.

This line restores the Town’s crisis communications and media relations contract to the full service level reflected in the preliminary budget. Funding it only at the FY26 level would reduce or eliminate those services.

This funds the pool of minute writers that support Boards, Committees, and Commissions. Tier 2 increases the line for additional hours.

This line funds the Town’s summer band concert program, typically five concerts featuring a traditional New England town band. Without it, the summer concert series would not be funded.

This line provides limited funding for recruitments, consulting assistance, and small administrative project support that cannot be handled internally.

This line funds shared office equipment supplies such as copier and printer toner, ink, paper, postage machine supplies, and similar common-use materials.

This line funds desks, chairs, file cabinets, tables, shelving, and other office furniture or larger items that departments often cannot absorb in smaller supply budgets.

This line provides limited support for Economic Development Committee activities, specifically the annual Town Official Meet & Greet. Without funding, the event would need donations or would not be held.

This line funds professional development, training, and certifications for Land Use Department heads so they can remain current and compliant.

This line provides a small amount of funding for incidental Historical Commission purchases. If a future need arises, it would need to be handled through another line item, transfer, grant, or donation.

This line covers occasional miscellaneous supplies and minor Historical Commission expenses, such as legal advertisements, replacement of the Boston Post Cane, or historical marker materials.

This line provides a small amount of funding for routine administrative expenses of the Architectural Preservation District Commission.