Financials & Expenditures

The Finance Committee approved $1,000,000 in emergency budget adjustments for the current fiscal year. This includes $650,000 for employee health and life insurance and $350,000 for snow and ice removal. An additional $150,000 was approved to fund employee accrued benefits due to legal obligations.

Funds totaling $35,000 were approved for Water Department engineering work, specifically for emergency water response planning and compliance. A prior year water bill article was approved to allow the town to pay unpaid water bills from previous fiscal years. The Mayflower Wastewater Interceptor Project received approval for $348,579 to support sewer infrastructure improvements. An earlier borrowing authorization for a wastewater project, totaling $2,200,000, was officially rescinded as the funds are no longer needed. $56,043.47 was approved for repairs to a wastewater vacuum truck, an important piece of sewer maintenance equipment.

For the Annual Town Meeting, the committee approved the FY2027 operating budget. An article allowing the transfer of $800,000 from utility-related revenue was approved to help reduce the property tax rate. The spending limits for ten self-supporting revolving funds, including recreation, tourism, recycling, and fire training, were approved.

An updated amount of $490,657.79 was approved for the PEG access and cable related fund for the FY2027 budget, a correction from a previous figure. $800,000 was approved to be placed into the Stabilization Fund to prepare for future payments related to the Bristol Plymouth School building project. The Town Hall chiller project received $19,904 for improvements to the cooling system.

A new one-ton pickup truck for wastewater operations was approved for $108,770, to be funded from wastewater retained earnings. The North Street water main project was approved for $6,000,000 for replacing water mains, requiring a two-thirds vote and funded from the Water Department Enterprise Fund. A new pickup truck for the Water Department was approved for $68,005, funded from water retained earnings.

Approval was given for a new vacuum truck for water operations, requiring a two-thirds vote and funded from the Water Department Enterprise Fund. A backup generator for a pumping station on Boot Street was approved for $113,700, to be funded from water retained earnings. The Pratt Farm Dam Project received approval for $518,000 from taxation, representing the town’s matching share for a dam replacement project tied to grant funding, requiring a two-thirds vote.

A new utility billing software system, intended to update and modernize billing, was approved for $100,000, funded equally from water, wastewater, and sanitation retained earnings. The Community Preservation Fund for FY2027 was approved for a total of $550,000, allocated as:

• $15,000 for administrative expenses
• $55,000 for Historic Resource Reserve
• $55,000 for Community Housing Reserve
• $55,000 for Open Space Reserve
• $370,000 for a budgeted reserve.

$10,500 was approved for preservation work for archaeological collections at the Robbins Museum. The Mascot Park Playground project received approval for $85,000 from budgeted reserves for a new playground, a correction from a previously noted $40,000. The Quinn Pond project was approved for $60,000 to remove invasive aquatic vegetation and make environmental improvements.

An article canceling land acquisition borrowing was approved, rescinding a $2,200,000 authorization from October 2023 for the Bertarelli property on Pleasant Street, as the acquisition will not occur due to family issues with the seller and a lost grant. A new water treatment plant project was approved for $62,000,000 to address PFAS, pesticide contamination, iron, manganese, and other water quality issues affecting the East Grove, Water Village, and Lower Middle wells. This project authorizes funding and possible borrowing, requiring a Town Meeting vote to secure State Revolving Fund (SRF) financing.

Two articles for land acquisition for water supply protection were approved: one for $1,200,000 and another for $210,000, both funded from water retained earnings. A septic system program was approved for $500,000, funded from taxation and other areas, to provide loans for residents with failing septic systems.

Zoning & Planning

The committee took “no action” on an article to acquire utility easements at One Vine and Ten Cambridge Street, clarifying there was no financial impact associated. Similarly, “no action” was taken on an article to amend zoning bylaws for Open Space and Resource Preservation Development (OSPD) as it had no direct financial impact.

An article to amend zoning bylaws to clarify that “social consumption establishments” (on-site marijuana consumption) are not permitted within the Cannabis Business District was met with “no action,” again citing no direct financial impact. Harvest Wood Lane was accepted as an official town road, making the town responsible for its maintenance. An article to amend town bylaws to prohibit virtual currency kiosks (Bitcoin ATMs) was met with “no action,” also due to no financial impact.

Resident Action & Public Hearings

The Special Town Meeting has been rescheduled from May 18th to June 16th, 2026, at 7:00 PM at the high school. This change was due to the inability to meet the 14-day newspaper publication requirement for the warrant. The Annual Town Meeting is still scheduled for May 1st.

The Finance Committee will hold a future meeting, suggested for May 28th, to vote on a $14,800 transfer request from the Town Manager for town manager search costs. Residents should note that articles for the North Street water main project, a new water operations vacuum truck, the Pratt Farm Dam Project, and the new water treatment plant all require a two-thirds vote at Town Meeting.

The Hidden News

During discussion of the new water treatment plant (Article 24) for PFAS remediation, a resident made a public comment alleging that the former town manager, James McGrail, may have signed a PFAS litigation settlement agreement “ultra vires” (outside his authority and scope). The resident stated they have requested public record information to ascertain if proper authorization or a ratifying vote by the Select Board or Town Meeting occurred. They suggested that if no authorization exists, the town could void the agreement, potentially reopening Middleboro’s ability to pursue multi-million dollar PFAS litigation proceeds for testing, filtration, and remediation, thus protecting ratepayers from bearing the full cost.

A letter from a resident was received by all committee members, though its contents were not disclosed.