Milton residents face a sharp 8% increase in health insurance rates alongside a projected spike in town debt as the Warrant Committee moved through 30 warrant articles during a marathon session in the Town Hall basement. While Town Administrator Nicholas Milano noted the insurance hike was a lot less than we thought it might be, the committee spent significant time addressing the long-term financial obligations of the town, including a $100 million liability for retiree medical benefits (OPEB) and looming costs for fire department equipment and school facilities.

Chair Jay Fondling, acting as the expert on employee benefits, explained that while the town’s pension legacy debt was recently eliminated, the town must still fund annual benefits and manage the massive OPEB liability. We have like a $100 million liability, and we’re chipping away at that a little bit every year, Fondling said regarding the retiree medical fund. Motion Made by J. Lee to accept Article 7 as written. Motion Passed (All in favor).

The town’s debt profile is expected to shift significantly in fiscal years 2027 and 2028. Milano warned the committee that several large projects, including a $1.6 million ladder truck, two new fire engines, and the Cunningham/Collicot library and classroom project, are slated for financing. We are having more debt come on in fiscal 27 and again in fiscal 28 just because of a number of large projects that are several years old that haven’t been financed yet, Milano stated. When asked by Grace Doherty if the town has a total debt limit, Milano noted that while they are drafting a local policy, the town is currently in a sustainable position, though a future middle school project could cost between $100 million and $200 million. Motion Made by J. Lee to accept Article 25. Motion Passed (All in favor).

Operational costs are also rising in the Department of Public Works and enterprise funds. While the water budget saw a decrease due to dropping debt service, sewer and stormwater costs are climbing. Milano attributed the sewer increase to MWRA assessments and the stormwater hike to federal MS4 compliance mandates. It’s very intensive in the amount of testing we have to do, Milano said of the federal requirements. So those costs are really starting to creep in. Motion Made by J. Lee to accept Article 15 as written. Motion Passed (All in favor).

The committee also addressed the town’s snow and ice removal budget, which was increased from $160,000 to $250,000. Grace Doherty questioned the necessity of the increase, asking, Once you set it at that level, you can't bring it down? Milano explained that municipal finance law allows the town to deficit spend on snow removal only if the budget is not reduced from the previous year. It’s a quirk of your municipal finance law... so we don’t reduce it, Milano replied. Larry Johnson noted the disparity between actual spending and appropriations, pointing out that the town spent $800,000 in FY25 despite a much lower appropriation. Motion Made by J. Lee to accept Article 10. Motion Passed (All in favor).

Concerns over departmental underfunding surfaced during discussions regarding the Public Library and the Cemetery. Lee Michael noted that the library’s needs remain unmet, stating, We were not able to meet the requests this year or last year... I hope that we’ll be able to keep an eye on that and hopefully get some additional funding. James Lee echoed similar concerns for the cemetery, noting that flat funding has become difficult as salaries rise. Hopefully selling some of the old equipment will offset some of the expenses, Lee said. Motion Made by J. Lee to accept Article 19. Motion Passed (All in favor). Motion Made by J. Lee to accept Article 20. Motion Passed (All in favor).

Staffing remains tight across the municipality, with the addition of a Police IT position representing the only new role in the town structure this year. The committee also moved to set aside funds for pending union contracts, with Fondling explaining that some union contracts... we haven’t agreed on yet, necessitating retroactive pay reserves. Motion Made by J. Lee to accept Article 6. Motion Passed (All in favor).

Maintenance costs for town buildings are also on the rise, driven by new infrastructure. A staff expert identified as Brian explained that increases in the consolidated facilities budget are mostly due to addition of fire station and the animal shelter, which require new cleaning and maintenance contracts. Motion Made by J. Lee to accept Article 22 as written. Motion Passed (All in favor). Other routine business included the annual audit, which committee member Ron noted was a standard requirement, saying, We’re paying for an audit. Motion Made by J. Lee to accept Article 5. Motion Passed (All in favor). In a bright spot for the budget, Elaine Craighead noted that Milton’s assessment for Blue Hill Regional Technical School is down slightly because we don’t have as many students attending. Motion Made by J. Lee to accept Article 24 as written. Motion Passed (All in favor).