Finance Committee Approves Past Minutes, Eyes Assabet Cost Spike in FY26 Budget Prep

MAYNARD — January 13, 2025 — Maynard Finance Committee flags potential 10 percent Assabet Valley assessment hike as FY26 budget season opens. At the January 13 remote meeting, Chair Jillian Prendergast and the seven-member panel reviewed a crowded Annual Town Meeting calendar featuring a May 19 town meeting, an April 10 recommendation deadline, and a February 8 joint budget review. Members expressed concern over Assabet Valley Regional Technical School's assessment request, which documents from the January 7 Select Board meeting put at roughly $1.431 million against a current-year figure of approximately $1.319 million — a jump the committee called "almost a 10% increase." Member Peter Campbell noted that the town's senior center RFP, released December 26 and due January 31, was modeled on Acton's process and scored across roughly a dozen criteria. Town Manager Greg Johnson is expected to release a proposed FY26 budget at the January 21 Select Board meeting, giving the Finance Committee its first hard numbers to work with at its January 27 session.