Boxborough Finance Committee adopts $25.86 million budget before Annual Town Meeting

BOXBOROUGH — May 2, 2023 — Boxborough Finance Committee unanimously approves $25.86 million FY2024 budget, 4.8 percent above the prior year. The committee met Tuesday night at Grange Hall in advance of the May 8 Annual Town Meeting, working through revisions to vocational school tuition, police salaries, and dispatch staffing before settling on a total of $25,863,743 — a figure that differs from the $25,892,289 printed in the warrant due to six changes made at the meeting. Town Administrator Mike disclosed that the Boxborough Communications Center is down to two state-911-certified dispatchers after losing a supervisor and two staff members, and that Nashoba Valley regional dispatch has been handling incoming 911 calls under a 60-day emergency state-approved agreement at no charge, while police officers fill dispatch shifts on overtime. "The model that we have right now for dispatch isn't working, and it's going to continue to get worse," Mike told the committee. The board also voted unanimously to recommend Article 7, a three-year firefighters union contract, with a $16,818 retroactive FY23 payment from free cash and a tax impact of roughly $14.26 per average household.