Wayland Finance Committee and new town manager outline budget-process overhaul

WAYLAND — May 17, 2023 — Wayland Finance Committee and new town manager map fiscal 2025 reforms. Meeting Wednesday with the town manager about two and a half months into the job, members called for a long-term capital planning committee or working group, a three-year operating pro forma, and a clearer chain of communication with the school department after a "recipe for disaster" fiscal 2024 cycle. Vice Chair Kelly Lappin and member Brian pressed the manager on whether more than $20 million borrowed in November — largely for the Council on Aging and Community Center — is earning roughly 1.5 percent when short-term Treasuries pay above 5 percent, saying the gap could mean "literally hundreds of thousands of dollars" in lost interest. Residents Carol Plum and Alexia Obar used public comment to attack School Committee spending, citing a legal budget overrun of "$100,000 to $200,000" and a new superintendent salary near $215,000. The committee unanimously approved April 26 minutes; Saturday's town Arts Expo was postponed because of weather.