Maynard Select Board Weighs Spring Debt Exclusion for $25 Million Water Project

MAYNARD -- January 20, 2026, Maynard Select Board hears FY27 budget built around a potential $25 million water infrastructure debt exclusion and a projected $33 average tax-bill increase. Town Administrator Gregory Wilson presented his recommended fiscal year 2027 budget at the January 20 meeting, flagging a 15 percent health insurance premium increase worth roughly $1 million and a 6.78 percent retirement assessment hike of nearly $250,000. Wilson proposed the town consider a debt exclusion, possibly at a special town meeting this spring, to fund Phase 2 of the Rockland Avenue water expansion, with a 30-year bond costing approximately $1.535 million annually. Board members Stephanie Duggan and Chair David Gavin raised concern about credibility with voters who absorbed an operating override and water rate increases in 2025, with Duggan warning the board risks "running out of credibility runway." The board voted unanimously to authorize a Massachusetts Clean Energy Center grant application for up to $3 million in HVAC upgrades at Fowler Middle School, and approved a five-year license agreement with developer Matt Hall for 276 square feet of town-owned land behind a proposed mixed-use building at 151 Main Street.