The Marion Finance Committee met on Thursday, March 5 to discuss ongoing preparations for the Fiscal Year 2027 budget. This time, they mainly focused on the Department of Public Works and the Facilities Department budgets.
Following the approval of minutes from the committee’s prior three meetings, Chair Sean Healy moved to discuss the upcoming budget for Facilities. Facilities Director Shaun Cormier began, stating there were two main lines that would require budget increases for the next year. Those being, the Town House and Marion Police Station.
Cost increases for the Town House, Cormier said, are “mostly due to the increase in services with the renovation project.” He mentioned the installation of the new sprinkler system, that along with their incorporation into the building, which turns 150 this year, must also be regularly checked and maintained. He also pointed to the new HVAC system and its accompanying heat pumps and ductwork.
Cormier added he was able to remove $800 allocated for overtime in previous years to help tackle the increased budget line items next year. He said the “big raise” was to property maintenance contract services, with an increase of $4,000 pertaining mostly to renovation work. Another noted increase was vehicle maintenance on the department’s four aging vehicles, a raise of $1,500 from last year’s budget to cover additional needs found with older utility vehicles and trucks. An ongoing discussion was the age and constant maintenance needs of the department’s vehicles.
Next, the FinCom moved to DPW where the hour-and-a-half long budget discussion was broken down into categories: highway, utility, water, and sewer. As there were many sporadic increases, it was discussed that a general 2% increase in most line items would be typical as to keep with rising costs.
First, for highway, there is a 22.2% increase in licenses and certifications. It was explained by DPW Director Jody Dickerson that “the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has put more requirements on my employees. They need special licenses to use the side arm mower, one to use a street sweeper.” He attributed this budget jump to state-mandated trainings and certifications. There is also a 2.5% increase in overtime costs, which he noted was different than other departments’ overtime. For the DPW, overtime is mostly for emergency call-outs, funeral/bereavement leave, and work at the Transfer Station on Saturdays (as DPW employee contracts specify they work Monday-Friday).
Dickerson mentioned they went over the overtime budget this year due to lengthy and unpredictable snow removal by somewhere <$100,000, though it hasn’t been fully calculated yet. Another large cost was trash pickup, with the Director citing not just Marion as facing souring costs for the service, though he said he is working with the Town Administrator to look for alternative options. Currently, it costs the town around $50,000/month with concerns that it will continue the rise.
For water, Dickerson mentioned new buildings: the Harbormaster’s Maritime Center and the new DPW facility. These will see increased water usage by the town. He mentioned that solar would be added to the DPW building this spring or summer, which will help curb electricity costs. They are also looking to add solar generation to the top of the nearby landfill, though that is in early stages of investigation.
It was noted the FinCom wants to meet with the Marine Resource Commission to plan out their FY27 budget, as well as consult with them on harbor fees and management.
Along with increased water use from the new buildings, Dickerson said the DPW has to replace the waterline feeding the hydrant at Island Wharf as well as the Maritime Center itself. With this work, they are also seeking the installation of additional hydrants to give more coverage to the village.
There is still planning to be done and much preparation left before FY27 by the town. The FinCom commended the DPW on their hard work during the recent snow and its subsequent clearing.
The next meeting of the Marion Finance Committee was scheduled for Thursday, March 12 where they were to discuss ORR and Sippican budgets with Superintendent Mike Nelson.
Marion Finance Committee
By Sam Bishop