Weymouth Town Council Approves $218.8 Million Budget and Fire Department Vehicle Funding
Council adds Pond Meadow Park allocation to complete fiscal year 2026 budget during special meeting
WEYMOUTH - June 30 - The Weymouth Town Council approved a $218.8 million budget for fiscal year 2026 during a special meeting June 30, completing action on the spending plan after adding a previously omitted allocation for Pond Meadow Park.
The council unanimously approved the $218,812,363 budget after first voting to include a $232,989 line item for Pond Meadow Park that had been separated from the Mayor's original budget proposal. Budget Management Committee Chairman Greg Shanahan explained the park allocation had been "broken out" from previous years when it was included within the Mayor's budget.
"As you know, the town council meeting on the 16th, the committee did not vote the Pond Meadow Park line item in the budget, which in previous years was included within the Mayor's budget," Shanahan said. "This year it's been broken out."
The council also approved $3.5 million in borrowing to purchase new fire department vehicles, including a $998,000 E1 high-end aluminum fire pumper and a $2.5 million Pierce 100-foot ascendant fire tower aerial.
Fire Chief Keith Stark told the council that securing funding now is critical due to lengthy delivery times affecting departments statewide. "This is about a three-year. We're not going to see the truck for three years, either one of them," Stark said.
The Chief explained that getting on the order list early allows the department to complete procurement processes and secure contracts while waiting for delivery. "So I'm going to get on the docket now, get all the procurement done, and once we get that done, I can do the contracts in the background and get everything signed, and then we'll be locked in for two vehicles due for three years from now," he said.
Vice President Pascale Burga noted the proactive approach addresses delays throughout Massachusetts. "This is great that we're being proactive in ordering this now. As we discussed in prior meetings, this is a delay throughout the state. It's a problem for the entire Commonwealth, and there's no indication that it's going to get worse," she said.
Stark mentioned that U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren is working on potential assistance at the federal level, though he provided no details about specific proposals.
The council also approved a five-year lease agreement between the town and Weymouth Telecommunications Corporation for use of the former Franklin Pratt Library at 1400 Pleasant St. The lease includes monthly rent of $1,400 for the first year with annual escalation clauses and options for two additional five-year extensions.
Solicitor Rick McLeod, representing the mayor's office, said WETC will occupy the entire building and handle all utilities, maintenance, landscaping and snow plowing costs. The building will maintain a small entrance area with a book drop for library services.
"This is a great use of an existing building in our town. We couldn't find a better tenant for it. They're excellent. They plan on being there for a very, very long time," McLeod said.
Burga praised WETC's community programming, noting the organization offers resources including a studio that community groups can use to create programming. "I know WETC is a wonderful program. Their offerings have increased over the years, but they have some great programs for the community to use as well," she said.
The council approved creation of a Development Program district at Union Point, a financing tool that allows municipalities to use future tax revenue to fund improvements in designated areas. Southfield/Union Point Committee Chairman Gary MacDougall said the committee had thoroughly reviewed the proposal after receiving comprehensive answers to questions about the financing mechanism.
"The committee had met twice. We'd met back in May, and we met again tonight, and we had considerable questions around what a DIF [District Improvement Financing] was," MacDougall said. He thanked the administration for providing detailed explanations that helped the committee reach a favorable recommendation.
Councilor Rick Coughlin clarified that the measure establishes a framework for future development financing. "This is laying out the framework with which to be able to move forward on this thing here. Any more financing that comes with this was made clear to the committee," he said.
Coughlin noted that specific bond requests would come before the council separately as development progresses. "The flesh and the muscles and the sinews will come to it as the real work begins when those bonds come before the committee and before the council," he said.
According to Shanahan, the town's remaining borrowing capacity under its debt limit stands at $463,686,631 as of the most recent debt statement.