Wayland Finance Committee backs $28,000 CPA grant for housing consultant

WAYLAND -- February 12, 2024, Wayland Finance Committee endorses $28,000 in CPA money for affordable housing consultant. The committee voted 6-0 Monday to recommend Article DD, which would fund two fiscal years of work by the Regional Housing Services Organization, a multi-town consortium that has supported Wayland's affordable housing efforts since fiscal 2019. The vote came as members walked through a draft fiscal 2025 operating budget showing a 4.63 percent year-over-year increase and an estimated 5.4 percent effect on the tax levy, driven by roughly $3 million in additional school personnel costs including a 3 percent cost-of-living raise and a $524,000 full-day kindergarten transition. Finance director Brian Keveney cautioned that the town is "already at $2.1 million on free cash" and urged a multi-year plan for OPEB and capital stabilization rather than annual one-time fixes. Members also flagged a 16 percent increase in regular school bus budgeting against a lone bid that came in at 6 percent. Two citizens' petitions on 212 Cochituate Road are expected to be withdrawn.