Wayland board receives $102 million FY24 budget, nears levy ceiling

WAYLAND -- January 17, 2023, Wayland's FY24 budget would leave the town just $688,000 under its tax levy ceiling. Acting Town Manager John Bugbee and Finance Director Brian Keveny presented a $102.1 million preliminary spending plan, an 8.37 percent increase Keveny called the largest in a decade, driven by a $1.7 million spike in out-of-district special education costs after the state approved a 14 percent rate hike. The school budget is $49.4 million, the town side $20.9 million, and unclassified accounts $30.1 million. Member Dave Watkins said the levy exhaustion "concerns me greatly"; Carol Martin urged a planned future override rather than panic. The board also voted 5-0 to send a letter supporting the St. Ann's Senior Village affordable housing project, which the Municipal Affordable Housing Trust has backed with $250,000, and 5-0 to strip two sections from a home rule petition authorizing remote town meeting.