The Finance Committee’s August 25 meeting featured public comments, new liaison briefings from the School Committee, and more intern presentations by this summer’s intern cohort on finance-related improvements.
Public comments
David Martin, member of the Select Board, voicing concerns as a citizen, stated that the Acton Leadership Group (ALG) usually sets budget allocation goals for different entities such as the School District for the coming fiscal year. He noted that having goals early allows the entities to make initial budgeting drafts that could be resubmitted to the group to make appropriate adjustments. He finished by telling the committee that he hopes the group will consider necessary budget increases, and that, at their last meeting, several Select Board members said they did not think an operating override would be necessary.
School Committee liaison comments
Dennis Burianek, one of the Finance Committee’s new School Committee liaisons, reported highlights for this Committee: the moves associated with AB Forward came in under budget, and there may be need for additional parking lots with the readjustment of students in the district. He also talked about the need for additional spending that had not been anticipated, such as the upcoming large project of replacing the air handler units on the high school’s roof. (Editors’ Note: See also School District ends 2025-2026 with budget surplus in this issue.)
Intern presentations
Note: These presentations were created by student interns who may not have had access to complete information or awareness of previous work done in the area. Read the August 15 article for more context on the intern program and presentations.
The first presenter, Stephen Starr, a junior at UMass Amherst, gave an update on his presentation from last August about the economic impacts of redeveloping the MCI Concord site. Starr noted that the MCI provided good options for retail due to accessibility and location, specifically in its attraction for big-box retailers. He argued that Acton should take an active role in planning.
The second presentation, by Gigi Smith, compared the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District to the Chelmsford, Westford, Nashoba, and Lexington districts, focusing on per-student expenditure, academic outcomes, personnel costs, and student need costs.
The third presentation, by Camden Moran, looked at the tradeoffs inherent in overrides in Acton, specifically in terms of fiscal capacity and household burden. He suggested senior tax exemptions as a good model for moving forward.
The fourth presentation, by Kaden Lee, proposed an economic development idea for filling Acton’s empty storefronts along Great Road.. He proposed a low cost, two-step model, the first phase allowing for a series of food trucks to operate on the premises on weekends, which promotes music and activities as well, and a second phase that would grant the highest-revenue-generating trucks permanent rights to Acton storefronts.
The fifth presentation, by Bennett Olson, a student at UMass Lowell, looked at outsourcing the payroll for Acton. Olson set out to find ways of streamlining payroll by outsourcing the help. He noted that a modern, centralized system would be beneficial when the Town requires audits of their payrolls.
The sixth presentation, by Camden Finkelman, evaluated the sidewalk networks in Acton and noted that there were a large number of projects proposed, but not many actually being authorized to begin construction. Finkelman proposed a funding stack that could make Acton more grant ready and less dependent on Town funds for authorization.
The seventh presentation, by Leif Wellner, a data science major at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, looked at budget savings and override timing. Wellner proposed a levy capacity policy that would take savings from the faster growing budget items first, then decide the override question on its own timetable.
The final presentation, by Ronit Mazumder, a junior at Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School, was an analysis of Acton’s funding of the Kelley’s Corner improvements, and the successes and failures thus far regarding commitment to deadlines, communication with business owners, and wastewater demand. He made suggestions of pre- and post-measures for future projects.
The video of the meeting, including the intern presentations, are available at Acton TV.
Shivank Shroff is a lifelong Acton resident and student at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School. He enjoys being engaged with the community and reporting on local politics and projects.
