Letter: Gratitude to Budgeters

To the Editor:

I am writing to express my gratitude and respect for the professionals at Weston Town Hall and the Board of Education who worked so diligently in preparing the Fiscal 2026 budget. Special kudos must be accorded to Karl Kilduff, Rick Darling, and Phil Cross as well as the various town department heads and administrative staff.

These professionals shepherd a long and complex budgeting process that begins in the late fall and culminates with final budget proposals in early winter. As a community, we should celebrate the process and praise the engaged Weston citizens that participated in our democracy.

The Board of Education diligently worked to trim staff and operating budgets even lower than their original plan. These elected officials, who volunteer considerable personal time and pro bono labor across several multi-hour public meetings, should be commended for driving the recommendation that was taken up by the Board of Selectmen.

The BOS actually extended their review time by several days to facilitate a thoughtful discussion of budget priorities and build a consensus with all board members. The review was careful and deliberate and yielded a bi-partisan and unanimous Board of Selectmen approval that included a reduction in the BOE capital budget and sought to ensure that the needs of Weston were met.

The Board of Finance found further opportunities to cut the capital budget and challenge both the TOW and the BOE on various underlying assumptions. As always, the BOF hosted a public hearing that enabled citizens to express their concerns and compliments about the proposed budget. After rigorous analysis, a bi-partisan and unanimous Board of Finance approved a $76.9 million budget for Fiscal 2026, representing a 3.05% increase over last year.

For the second consecutive year, the Annual Town Budget Meeting achieved a quorum and more than 350 Weston voters participated in a nearly three-hour budget meeting that resulted in approving the BOF recommended Town and BOE operating budgets and the capital budget without modification.

Finally, more than 500 voters overwhelmingly approved the budget in a town-wide referendum this past Saturday.

Congratulations to all who made this year’s budget process a reality.

Michael Imber,
Chair, Weston Board of Finance

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