Convening in the basement of Town Hall on March 26, the Milton Warrant Committee moved through nearly 30 articles with striking speed, prioritizing municipal efficiency while addressing looming infrastructure costs and a notable spike in employee benefit expenses. Chair Jay Fondling opened the session by emphasizing a goal of productivity, noting that while the committee had a large volume of articles to address, he hoped to complete the work in a single night without rushing the deliberations. Motion Made by A. Craighead to accept Article 1 as written. Motion Passed Unanimously.

The committee first grappled with the town’s growing labor and benefit obligations. Discussing Article 6, which sets aside funds for retroactive union raises, Fondling explained that several contracts remain in negotiation. It's an estimate of what the increase will be, Fondling said, noting that if contracts are signed in the coming year, the funds will be distributed then. Lauren Deitsch sought clarification on the timing of these payments, asking, So that money is distributed once the contract is agreed to? Motion Made by J. Gessner to accept Article 6 as written. Motion Passed Unanimously.

A more significant financial hurdle emerged during the discussion of Article 7, covering employee benefits. Fondling, drawing on his professional background as a retirement actuary, informed the committee that health insurance rates have surged 8% higher than the previous year. He also highlighted the town's ongoing effort to manage a $100 million liability for retiree medical funds (OPEB). We paid off the pension plan liability a couple years ago, but we still put money in for benefits people are earning every year, Fondling noted, adding that the town continues to chip away at the OPEB debt. Motion Made by J. Gessner to accept Article 7 as written. Motion Passed Unanimously.

Public safety and government operations also saw targeted adjustments. Under Article 9, the committee noted that the only new position added to the town structure this year is a police IT specialist. Fire expert Larry Johnson remained brief, stating, No, that's it. I'll review my notes before town meeting. Motion Made by J. Gessner to accept Article 9 as written. Motion Passed Unanimously. Meanwhile, Town Administrator Mr. Milano clarified the annual listing of job titles in Article 8, explaining that the unclassified list at the bottom is non-union, but the listing you see is all town job titles and positions established in grades which must be approved annually under General Law. Motion Made by J. Gessner to accept Article 8. Motion Passed Unanimously.

A point of debate arose regarding the Department of Public Works budget, specifically the appropriation for snow and ice removal. Grace Murphy questioned the decision to increase the allocation from $160,000 to $250,000. I saw we increased snow and ice removal... Are we okay with that increase? Murphy asked. Mr. Milano explained that the move is a strategic one necessitated by municipal finance laws. Snow and ice is actually in the Public Works article... we don't reduce it so we maintain the ability to deficit spend if needed, Milano said, pointing out that even in years with minimal snowfall, the town has seen actual expenditures reach as high as $800,000. Motion Made by J. Gessner to accept Article 12. Motion Passed Unanimously.

The committee then shifted focus to enterprise funds, which are supported by ratepayers rather than general taxation. While Article 13 saw a decrease in the water enterprise fund due to dropping debt service, the sewer and stormwater funds are on the rise. Brian asked for the reasoning behind these increases, prompting Mr. Milano to cite a couple hundred thousand dollars in MWRA assessment increases and federal MS4 compliance costs. The testing requirements are very intensive and those costs are creeping in, Milano explained regarding stormwater management. Motion Made by J. Gessner to accept Article 15. Motion Passed Unanimously.

Significant infrastructure borrowing was also authorized to take advantage of favorable lending terms. Article 16 authorizes a $596,000 water main project funded by a 10-year, no-interest loan from the MWRA. Motion Made by J. Gessner to accept Article 16. Motion Passed Unanimously. For sewer line upgrades in Article 17, the town will leverage a 75% grant, borrowing only the remaining 25%—approximately $250,000—to prevent groundwater from infiltrating the sewer system. Motion Made by J. Gessner to accept Article 17. Motion Passed Unanimously.

Not all departments received the funding they requested. James Gessner expressed concern over the Milton Public Library budget in Article 19, noting that the committee was unable to meet the department's full financial requests for the second consecutive year. I want to note there are financial needs at the library and we were not able to meet the requests this year or last year. I hope we can keep an eye on that, Gessner said. Motion Made by J. Gessner to accept Article 19 as written. Motion Passed Unanimously. Similarly, Lee Johnson noted that the cemetery department is facing flat level funding, adding that salaries staying flat hurts, but hopefully selling some old equipment will offset some expenses. Motion Made by J. Gessner to accept Article 20. Motion Passed Unanimously.

The addition of new town buildings is beginning to impact the bottom line for consolidated facilities. Brian noted that the budget increases in Article 22 are mostly due to the addition of the fire station and the animal shelter, which require new cleaning, maintenance, and equipment contracts. Motion Made by J. Gessner to accept Article 22 as written. Motion Passed Unanimously. The committee also saw a slight decrease in the assessment for Blue Hill Regional Technical School, with Aila Craighead noting it's going down a little bit because we don't have as many students attending. Motion Made by J. Gessner to accept Article 24 as written. Motion Passed Unanimously.

The meeting concluded with a look toward future financial pressures. Mr. Milano warned that while debt service for some items is currently dropping, the town expects more debt coming on in FY27 and FY28 as large-scale projects approved in previous years finally reach the financing stage. Throughout the evening, Finance Director Amy Dexter provided technical support, ensuring members had the most current versions of the budget documents. It's on page 16. You must have an old version, Dexter told the committee during the wage set-aside discussion. Expert Ron Maniglia and members Julia Johnson and Cecilia also provided brief confirmations of their previous department presentations, contributing to the efficient pace of the evening. Motion Made by J. Gessner to accept Article 5. Motion Passed Unanimously.