Abington Select Board Reorganizes, Moves 2026 Town Meeting Date to May 4
New leadership and fiscal advisory committee established as town prepares for budget challenges
ABINGTON - April 28 - The Abington Select Board has reorganized its leadership structure and voted to move the 2026 Annual Town Meeting to May 4, giving officials more time to prepare for anticipated budget challenges.
During Monday's meeting, Roger Woods was elected as the new chairman of the board, with Suzanne Djusberg taking on the role of vice chair. The leadership change comes after outgoing chairman Kevin Donovan announced he would be stepping down.
"I will be stepping down as chairman. I do not wish to serve again. We'll pass it off to somebody else so you can have all the fun that I had this past 15 months," Donovan said during the meeting.
The board also established a fiscal advisory committee to help address upcoming financial decisions, which Town Manager Scott Lambiase described as necessary given the difficult choices ahead.
"Going into the next town meeting in the next fiscal year, we're going to have some very difficult choices to make," Lambiase said. "It would be helpful to have a working group or an advisory committee to work alongside and in tandem with the Selectmen and with the Finance Committee to help make these decisions."
The newly formed committee will include two members each from the Select Board, Finance Committee, and School Committee, along with two at-large members. These elected representatives will be joined by the Town Manager, Finance Director, Treasurer/Collector, Superintendent of Schools, and the School Business Manager.
The Select Board appointed Amanda Zompetti and Paul Bunker as its representatives to the fiscal advisory committee.
In a related move, the board voted to move the 2026 Annual Town Meeting to May 4, a change requested by the Finance Committee to allow more time for budget preparation.
"It's going to be a tough year, as this is no secret to anybody. We've been talking about this ad nauseum," Donovan said. "I think in fairness to the Finance Committee, they have requested additional time for this coming year. I think it'll be prudent to do that."
Donovan explained that the additional time would help officials determine what budget cuts might be necessary and provide adequate time to consider options.
"I'm not a big fan of people saying, 'Well, let's wait till we see better figures.' We're not going to get better figures at that time, but in this particular case, I think it goes more to the question of what cuts are going to have to be made," he said.
The board also discussed the potential process if a Proposition 2½ override becomes necessary. Donovan outlined how town officials might present two budget options at the town meeting – one with necessary cuts to balance the budget and another that would require voter approval of an override.
"Any discussion if there is to be an override would be done at town meeting, after which town meeting votes. The Board of Selectmen then that night can vote, and it has to be at least four members according to the statute, to call a special election that evening," Donovan explained.
He added that this approach would give residents a clear understanding of what services might be cut without additional funding.
"If you vote this, it means cuts of these many positions. If you vote B, the extra is contingent upon an override. If an override doesn't pass, then it reverts back to the original appropriation," he said.
In other business, the board heard from Police Chief John Bonney, who thanked town officials and residents for supporting recent charter changes that removed the police department from civil service requirements.
"It basically really frees up our ability to hire new people and promote people," Bonney said. "Under civil service law they have a test annually for both hiring and for promotions. Under non-civil service rules we can have a test every month."
Bonney noted that the department is currently "53 percent below minimum staffing" and the changes will help address staffing shortages more quickly.
The board also approved the fourth annual Abington Copes 5K road race and walk, scheduled for Sunday, September 21.
The next Select Board meeting is scheduled for May 12.