Wayland FinCom reviews draft capital bylaw aimed at spring town meeting

WAYLAND -- October 23, 2024, Wayland Finance Committee weighs $32M water project and $1.4M school shortfall. Capital Planning Task Force member Kelly Lappin told the committee Wednesday that a draft capital improvement program bylaw, structured in five sections, is on track to reach the Select Board in December for spring town meeting. Member Brian O'Hurley reported the Board of Public Works has voted to pursue a hybrid MWRA connection plus the Happy Hollow wells, now estimated at $32 million, roughly $6 million to $7 million above an MWRA-only option, and likely requiring a debt exclusion vote in 2026. O'Hurley also flagged a $1.4 million projected special education shortfall in the schools' fiscal 2025 budget, driven by out-of-district tuition and transportation, and warned that Finance Director Brian Keveney's fiscal 2026 forecast already sits just $100,000 below the levy limit. "That levy limit is going to serve as a hard governor," O'Hurley said.