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.