BCAT News

May is here, and Town Meeting is quickly approaching. This session is when the Town Meeting convenes to approve the town budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

Residents can find the full warrant in the Town Clerk’s section of the town website, but as has become a tradition at BNEWS, we’ve put together a breakdown on some of what may be up for discussion.

Town Administrator John Danizio was also in the BCAT studio for his regular update with BNEWS Anchor Phil Gallagher. Danizio discussed the preparations leading up to the Town Meeting, as well as some noteworthy articles on the warrant. Those articles include the Acceptance of Chapter 90 Funds, the establishment of a Sewer Enterprise Fund, the town’s bi-annual Pavement Management Program, Lead Lined Water Main Replacement, and Capacity and Resiliency Improvements to the Mill Pond Reservoir. You can watch the full Town Administrator update here or jump to a specific article below.

Article 5 – Acceptance of Chapter 90
Article 7 – Sewer Enterprise Fund
Article 9 – Roads, Parking Lots, and Sidewalk Paving
Article 10 – Mill Pond Capacity & Resiliency Improvements
Article 11 – Lead Lined Water Main Replacement Program

Some other articles of significance…

Shawsheen Valley Technical High School has been the subject of much discussion leading up to Town Meeting, with relation to two articles. 

Article 2  is approval of the FY 2027 Operating budget, which includes the town’s share of Shawsheen’s budget ($3,906,349). Shawsheen’s budget is divided among Bedford, Billerica, Burlington, Tewksbury, and Wilmington. Burlington’s portion has been heavily scrutinized by the Ways & Means Committee at their April 8 and 29th meetings. 

The committee put forth a motion for an amendment Burlington’s share of the budget, decreasing it to $3,903,307. The motion failed 3-8-0, which then led to a vote for the article as printed in the warrant. That motion also failed 4-8-0, meaning Ways & Means has put forth a recommendation for Town Meeting to not approve Burlington’s share of Shawsheen’s budget. Ways & Means is expected to speak on Shawsheen’s budget at Town Meeting.

Article 19 is to approve Burlington’s share of the cost of a Feasibility Study for a new Shawsheen High School building ($165,737 of a $1.5 Million Study). The Select Board voted in support of the article. Ways & Means initially voted 12-1-0 in favor at their April 8 meeting, but moved to reconsider their vote due to concerns regarding Shawsheen’s budget. Their second vote was tied at 6-6-0.

Article 3-17 has been put forth by the Parks & Recreation Department, to approve $200,000 from Free Cash for design work for renovations to Simonds Park. Parks & Recreation Director Brendan Egan explained to the Ways & Means Committee the funds would go specifically towards re-designing the playground (now twenty-seven years old), the wading pool, and bathrooms. If this article passes, the department would go before Town Meeting next year for renovation funding. Ways & Means voted unanimously in favor.

Article 18 is the approval of $80,000 for expenses related to the town’s annual Fourth of July Celebration. The parade is expected to return this year in celebration of America’s 250th Anniversary.

While not on the warrant, Ways & Means voted to approve the transfer of $80,000 from the Reserve Funds in order to replace some of The Fire Department’s equipment that was damaged in a fire last month on Wall Street. The need to replace the equipment came after the deadline for warrant articles for May Town Meeting.

Town Meeting will begin the evening of May 11 at 7 p.m.at Burlington High School. BCAT will broadcast the meeting live on our Government Channel, and livestreaming on our Government Coverage Youtube. Don’t forget to subscribe to stay on top of all our live meeting coverage.