Scituate Select Board Hears Budget Presentations from 15 Town Departments in Marathon Session
SCITUATE - November 18 - The Scituate Select Board conducted an extensive budget review session on November 18, 2025, hearing fiscal year 2027 budget presentations from 15 different town departments, boards, and committees in a meeting that lasted over two hours. The session featured detailed financial presentations from departments ranging from public safety to recreation, with most departments requesting level-funded budgets while facing increasing operational costs, particularly for utilities.
The Full Story
Before diving into budget matters, the board recognized Police Sergeant Kenneth Bates for 30 years of service to the Scituate Police Department. Chief Mark Thompson praised Sergeant Bates as someone officers turned to for mentorship and guidance, describing him as “the guy you turned to” when starting on the force in 2002. Bates, who grew up in Scituate and graduated from Archbishop Williams before earning his bachelor’s degree from Northeastern in 1988, worked at the Norfolk County Sheriff’s office before joining Scituate as a summer officer in 1992 and full-time in 1995. He attended the Plymouth Police Academy and was promoted to sergeant in April 2003. Throughout his career, Bates has served as firearms instructor, firearms licensing agent, shelter and emergency management coordinator, and member of the Marine Unit. Board Chair Andrew Goodrich noted the importance of having “dependable” officers who serve their community for decades, comparing Bates to baseball legend Cal Ripken Jr. for consistently “showing up every single day.”
The Scituate Commission on Disabilities presented an impressive report on accomplishments achieved with their modest $5,000 annual budget. Athena Brodsky detailed how the group hosted the fifth annual accessibility awareness event in October at the high school, co-sponsored with Hingham and Norwell Commissions on Disabilities. The commission used Handicapped Parking Finance account funds to purchase branded water bottles and a banner reading “awareness brings accessibility” for the event. Looking ahead, the commission plans to host a disability film forum at the Real Theater before June 2026, having secured a $600 grant from the Scituate Community Foundation to rent the venue. They will show either “CODA” (Child of a Deaf Adult) or “Peanut Butter Falcon.” The commission elected Megan Sommer as chairperson and Kara Peterik as vice chair, with a new student intern expected to join by December 2025. Major accomplishments included purchasing two audio loop systems for the Scituate Town Library to amplify sound for patrons who are hard of hearing, donating medical equipment to the library’s lending collection, upgrading the commission’s PA system, and establishing the inaugural “Champion of Inclusion and Accessibility Award,” which was presented to Town Accountant Nancy Holt at an April 29 Select Board meeting. The commission also purchased a beach-accessible wheelchair in partnership with “Wheels for Waves,” a Scituate 8th grade civic project, and supported the Sailor Launch program at the high school by purchasing food cart supplies and gardening equipment. Board members expressed amazement at how much the commission accomplished with such limited resources.
The Scituate Historical Society presented its budget request through representatives Robert Chessia and Gigi Mirarchi, who detailed extensive work on town-owned historical properties. The society is responsible for maintaining 11 buildings, seven of which are town-owned, with a total budget request of approximately $60,000. A major focus is the ongoing restoration of the Bates House, built in 1656, which faces significant structural challenges. They described how beams had been cut and removed over the years, with a shed door installation requiring the center beam to be cut out, causing the entire building to sag. The project involves preservation specialists including Spencer Preservation (which won a Preservation Massachusetts award for lighthouse and Spire Center work), Michael Burry who teaches at North Bennett Street School and worked on Notre Dame Cathedral restoration, and a Cape-based company with extensive historic preservation experience. The society also highlighted the Cudworth House project, which is being converted into a decorative arts museum to showcase artifacts currently stored in archives. The interior restoration is complete, with plans to open for four to five months in spring before closing for roof replacement on both the house and barn. The society praised the town’s new Facilities Director for his support and coordination with town maintenance staff and emphasized their goal to maximize the life expectancy of all historic buildings through proper maintenance.
Town Clerk Kathleen Gardner presented her department’s budget while highlighting the challenging workload created by unfunded state mandates. Board Chair Andrew Goodrich opened her presentation by praising the clerk’s office for managing increasing election responsibilities without adequate state resources. “Over the last few years, there’s so many more unfunded mandates from the state. We’re not getting enough resources,” Goodrich stated, adding “Your office has done a phenomenal job trying to keep up with all the different changes.” Gardner outlined a busy election schedule ahead for fiscal year 2027, including a September 1 primary, the November 3 state election, and the annual town election. She emphasized the importance of contacting her office directly with election questions rather than relying on social media, stating “Do not follow social media for questions on election information. All you have to do is send me a question.” Gardner thanked multiple town departments including DPW, custodial staff, schools, and recreation for their support in making elections run smoothly. “It literally takes a village to pull off these events,” she said. Board member Nico Afanasenko, who worked closely with the clerk’s office during the recent election cycle, praised the office’s responsiveness: “I must have reached out to you, I don’t know, a hundred times during the election cycle...You were always tremendous. Your staff was always tremendous.”
Director of Assessing Joe Divito presented a level-funded budget focused on the department’s core mission of ensuring equitable property assessments through comprehensive data collection. “Our mission in a nutshell is equitable assessments. How do we do that? By pounding the pavement,” Divito explained. The assessor’s office continues its systematic home re-inspection program, aiming to inspect every property once every ten years to ensure accurate data for analysis. “The more inspections we do, the better data we get. And if the data’s bad, the analysis will be bad,” Divito stated. He highlighted the department’s work on property tax exemptions, noting they have doubled the number of exemptions over the past few years. The department’s first workshop for fiscal 2027 is scheduled for December 18 at 11:00 a.m. at the Senior Center. Divito also discussed challenges with new growth calculations, explaining that the state Department of Revenue recently changed guidelines on what improvements qualify as new growth. Previously, individual improvements like new kitchens, bathrooms, or roofs counted toward new growth; now the state requires all such improvements to occur simultaneously to qualify. Despite this change, Watkins projected $700,000 in new growth for the coming fiscal year, down from $853,000 in the current year, citing the end of major developments like Seaside and SkySail but noting some new projects including subdivision activity on Back Road. The department’s budget increase consists solely of contractual step raises and COLA adjustments.
The Board of Health presented through Health Director Andrew Scheele, who emphasized the department’s broad mission enforcing Chapter 111 of Massachusetts General Laws. “The majority of our work is Title 5 septic,” Scheele stated, but noted the department handles food inspections, public health nursing, and social work services. The department has significantly expanded social work services through Public Health Excellence grants shared with Cohasset, currently employing additional social workers through grant funding. The department faced recent challenges with the sudden passing of Pam, the health director at Cohasset who was the lead on the Public Health Excellence grant. Cohasset has advertised to fill the position to maintain grant continuity. The Board of Health also saw the retirement of longtime employee Theresa Tufts, whom Scheele praised as “a wonderful, wonderful employee. Unbelievable front of the house.” The department hired Megan Wall, who holds a bachelor’s degree in public health and previously worked for the Massachusetts Department of Community Health, as a potential successor as current leadership approaches retirement. The budget is level-funded except for contractual raises. Scheele emphasized the department’s successful navigation of the COVID-19 pandemic, stating “I’m just excited that we’re not doing 24/7 COVID anymore. So it’s nice to be back to regular public health.” Board members expressed confidence in the department’s work and the quality of staff.
The Widow’s Walk Golf Course presented a financially healthy budget showing significant revenue growth and plans for major capital improvements. Golf Course Director Ian Kelley reported that with increased fees implemented last year, the course is on track to finish the fiscal year near $2.35 million in revenue, up from $2.2 million the previous year and $1.2 million five to six years ago. “We’re in the black again,” he stated, noting the course has approximately $600,000 in retained earnings with plans to add another $600,000. Kelley highlighted that the clubhouse debt will be paid off in four to five years, at which point the course plans to undertake approximately $2.2 million in cart path restoration and improvement projects. The annual debt service of approximately $175,000 is included in current expense projections. The course hired a new golf professional two years ago from Charles River Golf Course, with business improving steadily under his leadership. The superintendent noted the golf course regularly accommodates 209 rounds per day for four months straight during peak season, which creates significant wear on fairways even with improved irrigation from the newly connected town water supply completed in August. The course continues to support the Scituate High School varsity golf team, with approximately half the boys’ team working at the course. The team finished fourth in the state finals, just four strokes away from winning the championship—the closest finish in approximately 40 years since 1985, when two current club champions were on that team. Budget increases were primarily for chemicals and fertilizer needed to maintain turf quality under heavy traffic and periodic drought conditions.
The Recreation Department presented an impressive report of programs and participation. Director Nick Lombardo announced the department’s “Mr. C’s Community Spirit Award” would be presented to Mike Connor for his years of service on the Recreation Commission and as director of multiple recreation programs. The department added numerous new programs in fiscal 2026, including reel time fishing with Patrick Kearney, co-ed adult soccer league, robotics and coding courses for kids, pottery for adults and children, expanded homeschool programs, women’s over-25 basketball league, and gardening and foraging programs. The department sold over 9,000 hours of programming, worked with 100 volunteers contributing over 1,750 community service hours, employed 100 summer program staff including 35 lifeguards, and utilized 25 independent contractors and over 50 year-round part-time instructors. Most significantly, the department served 6,300 program participants across 387 different programs offered throughout the year: 133 summer programs, 86 fall programs, 86 winter programs, and 82 spring programs. The department provided $3,293 in scholarships to 25 local families. Looking ahead, Lombardo announced plans to partner with Skip Hernandez to organize a Heritage Day Gaelic football match between two colleges, and discussed exploring a farmers market concept at the Recreation and Senior Center location, though specifics are still being developed. Board members praised the department’s responsiveness and the breadth of offerings. Town-wide survey results showed recreation ranked among the highest satisfaction rates for town services. The budget remains level-funded except for contractual increases.
The Facilities Department presented by Director Cameron MacDonald outlined an ambitious maintenance program and identified critical infrastructure needs. The department’s mission is “to provide a clean, safe, welcoming environment for not only the town staff, but the residents of the town that visit our facilities.” Major accomplishments included transforming Town Hall to create a more welcoming space with new flooring, improved signage, and aesthetic upgrades. “It does look like a different hallway,” noted Select Board Vice Chair Susan Harrison. The department also refurbished the Maritime Center and Harbor Master buildings. Looking forward, the director emphasized maintenance of building infrastructure as a top priority. “Every year, it will be to perform maintenance on buildings. The guts of the buildings, the infrastructure in town, we want to take care of those buildings,” he stated, noting Scituate’s continued investment in facilities. The department implemented a new work order system to improve efficiency and communication, acknowledging it requires a learning curve but will help ensure nothing gets forgotten. MacDonald identified better communication with staff as a goal, wanting to provide updates throughout the repair process rather than leaving gaps between initial contact and project completion. The largest budget change is utility increases based on actual invoices, which the director acknowledged had been level-funded too long. “The last thing I want to do as a facilities director is have to, you know...have to level fund...utilities and neglect buildings,” he stated. The department plans to address energy efficiency through a capital budget request for approximately $45,000 to optimize the building control software system, which would allow remote monitoring and scheduling to reduce energy costs. The director also included a request for a second-shift custodial position to reduce after-hours emergency calls and perform maintenance when buildings are less occupied, though this remains under discussion given budget constraints. Board members praised the marked improvement in facilities management over the past year.
Scituate TV Director Seth Pfeiffer presented a lean budget focused on equipment maintenance and subscriptions. The budget has two primary components: salaries which remain consistent with annual increases, and equipment spending which focuses on field equipment for the active production crew, along with studio props, lights, and cables. The third budget category covers subscriptions including Zoom. Pfeiffer provided an important update on the cable license renewal process with Comcast. “We are not taxpayer funded. All of our funding comes through a contract...with Comcast,” he explained. The current 10-year contract signed in 2018 expires in 2028, requiring a renewal process that typically takes 30 to 36 months. While renewal can follow either a formal process (involving an advisory committee, public meetings, and surveys) or an informal process (essentially continuing the existing agreement), Pfeiffer indicated Scituate TV will pursue the informal route. “In 2018, we were very smart and we maxed out the amount that we can get from Comcast. So we’re good right now,” he stated. However, the department will address some infrastructure issues with Comcast, including upgrading cabling equipment in the studio and improving video and audio quality in the hearing room where some residents experience difficulties. Board Chair Goodrich praised the essential transparency role Scituate TV plays: “The fourth estate may have died, but...you are...critical...Local media would be...you are the critical piece of people to understand what is happening and your eyes and ears on us.” Board member Nico Afanasenko noted he reached out to Pfeiffer “more than anybody else in town” in his first six months, praising his responsiveness and strategic thinking. Pfeiffer kept the budget request at $150 increase in non-salary expenses, with remaining increases for steps and COLA.
The meeting included several administrative matters. The board unanimously approved a license to Mass Electric Company (National Grid) for installation of a temporary pole for an overhead electrical system at 72 Vineyard Road to support construction of the new Cushing School. Town Administrator Jim Boudreau provided updates on several ongoing projects, including the Mordecai Lincoln Property online auction (closing December 1), DPW stormwater investigations required for MS-4 permit compliance across multiple neighborhoods, seawall work at Surfside Road and Glades Road, and the North Scituate Sewer Expansion Project geotechnical borings. Boudreau also highlighted the significant demand at the Scituate Food Pantry heading into the holidays, listing specific needed items including stuffing, boxed mashed potatoes, canned yams, cranberry juice, quick bread mixes, canned fruit cocktail, soups, hot chocolate, flavored oatmeal, jello, and pudding. Donations can be dropped at the food pantry during operating hours or in bins at the Old Oakes School, Central Library, Village Market, and Shaw’s.
The Select Board discussed preliminary results from the town-wide satisfaction survey, which had received over 1,000 responses by the meeting date. Board members noted high satisfaction rates for public safety, library, senior center, recreation, and transfer station services. Board Chair Goodrich performed analysis on open-ended comments asking how to make Scituate a better place to live, identifying sidewalks as the most frequent response, followed by concerns about water, housing or development, support for local businesses, and housing affordability. Goodrich noted the survey coincided with publicity about the sidewalk public forum, potentially skewing results slightly toward infrastructure concerns. Board members observed that while residents requested numerous improvements, many also called for lower taxes, creating inherent tensions in budget planning. Board member James Gilmore expressed skepticism about survey utility, stating individual conversations about specific topics provide more valuable feedback than open-ended questions. However, other board members saw value in the broad community input, with Vice Chair Susan Harrison noting most concerns fell within areas the board is already addressing. Board member Nico Afanasenko emphasized the results suggest the town should “keep being progressive about how we look to improve services,” pointing to the library and senior center as examples of controversial projects that became widely appreciated successes after completion.
Board members shared liaison reports from various committees. The Community Preservation Committee unanimously voted to recommend the basketball court restoration project but did not support the NFS fitness court project proposed near the senior center, citing inadequate preparation, location concerns, and insufficient consultation with the Historical Commission. Board member Gilmore, who serves on CPC, noted the fitness court proposal could return with better location options and more detailed planning. The project, which would cost approximately $425,000 for a 30-by-70-foot outdoor exercise facility, was revealed to be offered by a for-profit company providing a discount rather than a true grant from a non-profit organization. CPC members suggested exploring alternative locations including Pier 44 or the future Old Oakes property development, or considering a smaller 30-by-35-foot version at lower cost. Vice Chair Harrison attended a meeting of all committee chairs organized in Hanover, reporting the event was well-structured and productive, with brief updates from each committee focused on improving communication and information sharing. The Hanover town administrator initially expressed reservations but afterward asked why they hadn’t done it sooner. Harrison indicated Scituate should pursue a similar chairs meeting. Board Chair Goodrich provided an update on the Sidewalk Committee public forum, which drew about 20 in-person attendees and seven to eight online participants, plus approximately 72 additional online comments submitted afterward. The committee is accepting public feedback through December 1 before moving into prioritization and developing recommendations for the Select Board. Goodrich also noted efforts to integrate Scituate’s four Sister City and cultural connection committees, suggesting they should coordinate more closely on town-wide cultural outreach strategies.
Why It Matters
This comprehensive budget review session provides residents with detailed insight into how their tax dollars are allocated across essential town services. The presentations reveal that while most departments are maintaining level-funded budgets, rising utility costs—particularly for the facilities department—and increasing service demands will likely put pressure on the fiscal year 2027 budget. The high satisfaction rates reported in the town survey suggest current service levels meet community expectations, but residents’ expressed desires for improvements in infrastructure, sidewalks, and business support while simultaneously calling for lower taxes highlight the challenging balancing act facing town leadership. The meeting demonstrates the breadth of services Scituate provides, from historical preservation to recreation programs to public safety, and shows how department heads are working to maximize efficiency and pursue grant funding to supplement local resources. For residents concerned about transparency in local government, the meeting provided an unusually detailed window into how decisions are made and how town departments justify their budget requests.
Meeting Minutes
Key Motions & Votes
Motion: To approve select board meeting minutes from October 28, 2025 as written and submitted (with spelling correction noted by board member). Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 2:12:41)
Motion: To grant a license to Mass Electric Company (National Grid) for installation of a temporary pole for overhead electrical system at 72 Vineyard Road for new Cushing School construction. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 1:35:37)
Public Comment
No formal public comment period was held during this budget review session. However, the board acknowledged written correspondence from two residents—Joanne Wyckoff at Turner Road and Della Shepherd at Scituate Avenue—regarding the Conservation Commission’s virtual-only meeting format. The residents, co-founders of the Scituate Saltmarsh Stewardship Initiative, requested that an upcoming December 1 Conservation Commission hearing on a building project near Sandhill Saltmarsh allow in-person attendance, noting that 500 people signed a petition in May 2024 opposing the project. Town Administrator Jim Boudreau indicated he had met with the residents and would discuss the meeting format with the Conservation Commission, noting there are “pluses and minuses” to fully virtual meetings versus hybrid formats.
What’s Next
The Select Board will continue budget reviews with remaining departments in upcoming meetings as part of the fiscal year 2027 budget development process. The town-wide satisfaction survey will close, with final results to be compiled and shared publicly. The Sidewalk Committee will accept public comments through December 1 before moving into prioritization and developing recommendations for the Select Board. The Community Preservation Committee will continue reviewing proposals, with the basketball court restoration project moving forward and the fitness court proposal returning for further development. The Conservation Commission will consider concerns about meeting accessibility ahead of the December 1 hearing on the Turner Road project. The Historical Society will continue restoration work on the Bates House and prepare to open the Cudworth House museum in spring 2026. Scituate TV will continue the cable license renewal process with Comcast over the coming months. The Scituate Chamber of Commerce annual meeting and holiday gathering is scheduled for Tuesday, December 2 at 5:00 p.m. at Oro Restaurant.
Corrected the name "Mike Connor" and the name of the town golf course.