Financials & Expenditures

Middleboro faces a revised Fiscal Year 2027 budget with a $3.375 million shortfall, necessitating significant cuts and contemplated layoffs of 19 individuals (later cited as 22 people by the interim Town Manager, plus school cuts). This includes eliminating 1.5 full-time positions, attrition for four, and five vacant positions. The total FY27 revenue is set at $112,501,490, a decrease of $1,874,225 from previous estimates due to updated state aid figures and a reduction in local receipts estimates by $1,425,000. Operating expenditures were reduced by $2,603,321 to $109,172,394, while employee fringe benefits increased by $889,168 for health insurance and unemployment. The final budget plan aims for a zero surplus/deficit.

The Select Board approved a motion 3-2 to appoint Municipal Resources, Inc. as the consultant for the Town Manager search, at a total cost of $14,800. This firm was recommended by the evaluation committee and was the second lowest bidder. One board member raised concerns that this cost was 50% higher than a previous proposal from eight weeks prior.

Significant department cuts include:

• Town Manager: $38,527, including salary reductions and eliminating employee appreciation funding.
• Administrative Office Buildings: $135,105, including the layoff of a Facilities Director and absorption of the department into the Town Manager’s office.
• Assessors: $48,938, laying off a junior clerk.
• Treasurer/Collector: $132,658, with an attrition cut and a junior clerk layoff.
• Human Resources: $68,575, including a department head salary cut due to pending retirement and a shared services cut.
• Information Technologies: $148,674, cutting new phone and computer equipment upgrades.
• Media: $152,806, eliminating the entire department and a full-time employee, with work to be transferred to IT.
• Town Clerk: $38,008, laying off a part-time clerk.
• Conservation Commission: $104,014, including the layoff of the Land Manager position ($75,876) and a shared services cut.
• Planning and Community Development: $278,349, eliminating the director’s contract and laying off the Economic Development Coordinator and a junior clerk.
• Police: $432,416, laying off four police officers, eliminating summer bike patrol shifts, and reducing education and training. An additional indirect cut of $100,000 comes from the School Resource Officer program.
• Fire: $684,142, laying off five dispatchers (duties to return to firefighters without affecting operation), cutting the Chief’s salary, and reducing call line and vehicle maintenance budgets. Firefighter staffing levels will not change, and South Station will remain fully manned.
• School: $400,000 cut, with $100,000 towards police reimbursement, and the remainder not impacting teacher staffing levels, though the School Committee Chair noted it reduced the ability to reinstate other prior budget reductions.
• Highway: $339,647, delaying a new hire, cutting four vacant driver/laborer positions, and reducing snow and ice ($130,000) and hot top materials.
• Health: $78,337, laying off a health inspector.
• Council on Aging: $60,109, through two attrition cuts.
• Veteran Services: $101,125, through unclaimed benefits and a salary reduction, with assurances that no veteran services or benefits will be cut.
• Library: $9,250 in cuts, including salary savings from the new director and a reduction in training. The library must maintain 50 hours per week to retain state certification and funding.
• Park: $10,000 cut to the chemical budget line for the pool.

The town is expecting a $384,407 federal reimbursement for the Safer Grant for firefighters within five business days, which prevented a further hit to free cash.

An $800,000 annual debt payment to BP, traditionally paid from free cash, is a concern as free cash is projected to be insufficient due to budget tightening.

Zoning & Planning

No notable items.

Resident Action & Public Hearings

May 9th/10th: Downtown Middleboro Market Day, with stores open 10 AM-5 PM. Events include the High Flying Dogs show (noon, fundraiser for animal shelter, free), a public library concert (noon), and music in Cramer Field.

May 9th/10th: Dolly Parton Imagination Library registration will be held at the Peter H. Pierce Homestead from 10 AM-2 PM, offering free, high-quality literature monthly to Middleboro children from infancy through age four and a half.

May 10th: A one-day beer and wine liquor license was approved for the Bartending Service of New England for a Mother’s Day Brunch at Italian Gem Cafe from 10 AM-2 PM.

May 11th (next Monday): The Select Board will discuss and potentially interview candidates for the two at-large positions on the seven-member Town Manager search committee, potentially starting earlier at 6:30 PM or 6:45 PM. Interested individuals can send detailed resumes/letters or attend the meeting.

May 11th (next Monday): The Select Board will continue discussions on a potential community survey to gather input on desired qualities for the next Town Manager and will discuss parameters for the Town Manager search committee.

May 16th: Volunteers are sought to help hang banners for Armed Forces Day, with a typical start time around 8 AM.

May 16th: Soul Homestead will host its ticketed Sheep Day Festival from 10 AM-3 PM, featuring sheep shearing, live music, and food.

May 18th: Discussion regarding library positions posting has been pushed to this date.

June 1st: The revised budget is expected to be presented at Town Meeting.

Residents with concerns about Route 28 traffic safety in South Middleboro, as brought up by Tom Quigley and Dottie Flanagan, can expect a meeting to be set up by the board. Dottie Flanagan requested to be included in that meeting.

The Hidden News

The Health Director has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation. No questions could be taken due to it being a personnel matter.

Packet delays for the meeting, including the Town Manager consultant proposals, were attributed to staffing transitions and the prior elimination of administrative assistant positions for the Select Board and Town Manager.

Allison, the Human Resources Director, submitted a letter of retirement, effective June 30th.

Jessica Mackinaw, Finance Committee secretary, has offered to help update missing meeting minutes from January 12th to April 13th.

During budget discussions, public comments highlighted deep concerns:

• Kevin Foy, Facilities Director, whose position was eliminated, noted a significant increase in the IT department’s budget in recent years (from $400-500k to $1.4-1.5M). He shared a text from 2023 predicting “inevitable layoffs” due to unfunded new jobs and stated his impact statements were not shared with the board. He also noted the cuts affected both his and his wife’s jobs.
• Karen Foy, Director of Media Technology, whose department was eliminated, stated a 20-year employee (Liz Gazzara) had left for a new role due to job insecurity. She expressed concern that the IT department, which will absorb media duties, lacks experience in communications and public engagement. She questioned why other departments had no cuts and why laid-off employees were not offered open positions. The Permanent Cable Committee voted to absorb her role 100% within McCann.
• Darren Vassa, Land Manager, detailed his essential duties in managing 1000+ acres of conservation land, including trail maintenance, community garden oversight (30+ registered gardeners, donating produce to food pantry), capital project management (e.g. dam replacement, ADA trails), and public outreach. He stressed the loss would lead to disrepair, safety hazards, and increased town liability, suggesting grants or CPA funds could sustain the position.
• Paula Faye suggested that the town investigate if the public library is paying a private company for landscaping services when internal custodial staff could potentially handle the work, pointing to trailers often parked at 68 North Main Street.
• Sandy Cronin, a downtown business owner, passionately spoke against cuts to Community Development and Media Technology, citing their instrumental role in growing downtown businesses and events like Market Day. She challenged the town’s mission statement against the backdrop of layoffs and questioned paying employees on administrative leave while cutting essential services.
• Board member Tracy offered to volunteer her extensive experience as an executive assistant to a select board in another town to help streamline the Select Board office processes during the transition.