Town Meeting approved a $6,596,100 capital budget under Article 3, prioritizing infrastructure and road maintenance while deferring several facility and field projects. The appropriation includes $1.5 million specifically for road repairs, a significant increase from the $1 million allocated in previous years. Funding for the package will be split between $5,380,100 in borrowing and $1,216,000 from the town's free cash reserves.

Town Administrator Nick Milano explained that the committee had to make difficult choices to stay within the budget. We deferred many facilities projects. Our school buildings are all about the same age and starting to show it, Milano told the body. Among the deferred items were lighting improvements at Brooks Field, which the town hopes to fund through Community Preservation Committee (CPC) grants in the future. The emphasis on road funding follows a winter season that saw significant snow and ice deficits, impacting the town's available free cash.

Motion: To appropriate $6,596,100 for capital projects, with $5,380,100 raised through borrowing and $1,216,000 from free cash.

Vote: Passed 219-2-1